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Nivada Grenchen F77 MK2 38mm Mens Watch Green
Ref. 68053A77
Sits in Nivada Grenchen’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Nivada Grenchen watches we list, which start at £560.
Price range £560 to £2,310 across 35 Nivada Grenchen watches in stock.The F77 first appeared in 1977, its octagonal case and integrated bracelet cut from the same cloth as the Royal Oak-era obsession with sports watches that looked like nothing before them. Nivada Grenchen revived it in 2023, and the Mark II followed in 2025 with changes that amount to more than a facelift: the lugs taper and curve to meet the wrist rather than sitting flat against it, the profile drops to 12.2mm — slimmer than it reads in photographs — and the bracelet has been redesigned from scratch. Drilled lugs mean a canvas or rubber strap swap takes seconds without tools. The dial is genuine aventurine stone, meaning each one is cut from a natural material and carries its own arrangement of mineral inclusions. The shimmer shifts with the light in a way that is neither purely decorative nor purely horological — it occupies ground between the two, and it reads quite differently at noon on a bright day than it does indoors. The Soprod P024 inside is a modern Swiss automatic built to sit alongside the ETA 2824 in quality, running at 28,800 vph with a power reserve of 38 to 42 hours depending on the source.
- Reference
- 68053A77
- Brand
- Nivada Grenchen
- Case size
- 38mm
- Case thickness
- 12.2mm
- Lug width
- 22mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Dial
- Green
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- ETA 2824
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Fabric strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 46.2mm
- Origin
- Swiss made
Learn more about Nivada Grenchen
Nivada was founded in Grenchen in 1926 by Otto Wüllimann, Hermann Schindler and Jakob Schneider, registered as Wüllimann, Schneider, Nivada SA. It was among the first Swiss firms to build automatic watches at scale, and it built its reputation on watches meant to be used rather than admired.
American sales came through the Croton Watch Company, an arrangement forced by Movado, which objected to the phonetic similarity of the two names. This is why vintage examples turn up signed Croton, Nivada, or both, and why Grenchen was eventually appended to the name.
The Antarctic of 1950 was the brand's first water-resistant automatic, and it earned its name properly: the model was worn by personnel on the US Navy's Operation Deep Freeze expedition to the South Pole in 1955 and 1956. The Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver followed, a chronograph that tried to be a pilot's watch, a diver and a regatta timer at once, and the Depthmaster reached 1,000 metres.
The quartz crisis ended it. Production in Solothurn closed in the late 1970s, the name changed hands repeatedly, and Nivada Grenchen effectively disappeared while its vintage watches quietly became collectable.
Guillaume Laidet and Rémi Chabrat bought the name and back catalogue in 2018 and relaunched with faithful reissues rather than reinventions — the Chronomaster in 2020, the Antarctic in 2021 — at prices aimed squarely at the microbrand buyer.
- 1926
- Founded in Grenchen as Wüllimann, Schneider, Nivada SA.
- 1950
- The Antarctic, the first water-resistant automatic.
- 1955
- Worn on the US Navy's Operation Deep Freeze.
- 1970s
- Production closes during the quartz crisis.
- 2018
- Laidet and Chabrat buy the name and relaunch the brand.
Also in 3 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,833), Automatic Watches (1,417) and Green Dial Watches (392).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 100m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- 38mm suits most wrists
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Nivada Grenchen's more premium watches
Nivada Grenchen F77 MK2 alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 68053A77 | R12160103 | GMT-BLK-BLK-AQ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,450 | £1,400 | £1,450 |
| Case size | 38mm | 38mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Fabric strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | — | 80 hours | 42 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Yes. At 100m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedWhat size strap does it take?
22mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 46.2mm, which suits wrists from roughly 16cm (6¼ inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
How to size a watch to your wristIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 38mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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