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Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Broad Arrow Tropical 38mm Mens Watch
Ref. 85007M01
Sits in Nivada Grenchen’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Nivada Grenchen watches we list, which start at £485.
Price range £485 to £2,310 across 42 Nivada Grenchen watches in stock.The Chronomaster Broad Arrow takes its cues directly from Nivada Grenchen's 1963 Aviator Sea Diver, a watch that tried to do everything at once — time a flight, read a yacht race, survive open water — and largely succeeded. This revival keeps that ambition intact, including the yachting timer function that most modern chronograph reissues quietly drop. The tropical dial is the detail that will hold attention longest. That brown-orange patina is a deliberate nod to what happens to vintage dials left in sunlight for decades, and against the broad arrow hands and cream Super-LumiNova indices it reads convincingly aged without being a costume. The double-domed sapphire curves up from the bezel in a way that catches and bends light differently depending on the angle, which suits a dial this colour particularly well. At 38mm the watch sits closer to mid-century proportions than most contemporary chronographs, and the 13.75mm case depth is the honest price of fitting a proper manual movement with a 63-hour reserve — not svelte, but not unreasonable for what is inside. The SW510 M is Sellita's manual-wind chronograph calibre, a movement you wind each morning rather than shake into life, which has the effect of keeping you acquainted with the watch in a way automatic owners rarely are.
- Reference
- 85007M01
- Brand
- Nivada Grenchen
- Collection
- Chronomaster
- Case size
- 38mm
- Case thickness
- 13.75mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Brown
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Bidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Manual
- Calibre
- SW510 M BH B
- Functions
- Chronograph, Small seconds, Tachymeter
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 63 hours
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 5 collections
This watch appears in the Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster range (7), Stainless Steel Watches (2,848), Chronograph Watches (1,143), Leather Strap Watches (940) and Brown Dial Watches (94).
Temporarily out of stock
Mappin & Webb is not currently taking orders for this reference. Last listed as available on 28 September 2026. Stock is checked nightly and this page updates when it returns.
What the specifications mean
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
Worth knowing
- Leather does not suit regular contact with water
Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Broad Arrow Tropical alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 85007M01 | 724.gb | H76409540 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,910 | £1,780 | £1,980 |
| Case size | 38mm | 38.5mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 100m | 100m | 100m |
| Movement | Manual | Manual | Manual |
| Strap | Leather strap | Fabric strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 63 hours | 43 hours | 60 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 hand-wound, so it needs winding every day or two but never a battery.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 63 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
20mm. 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.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 38mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
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