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Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster White Lollipop 38mm Mens Watch Black
Ref. 86011WM01
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 is Nivada Grenchen's central piece of history — a design that ran through aviation and diving contexts in the 1960s under the full name Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver, attempting to cover both disciplines in a single case. This revival holds closely to that original bi-compax layout, with the 30-minute counter sitting at three and the small seconds at nine, and takes its name from the thing most likely to catch your eye first: the slender red chronograph hand tipped with its circular lollipop counterweight, which sweeps a matte black dial otherwise kept deliberate and unshowy. At 38mm the watch sits at the smaller end of what the chronograph form usually tolerates, and 13.75mm of thickness is not especially slim — but the rubber Tropic strap keeps it close and flexible on the wrist in a way a bracelet would not, and the combination reads as a working tool rather than a dressed-up one. The SW510 M BH B runs at 28,800 vph with a 63-hour power reserve from the crown, which is enough to wind on Friday and not think about it again until Monday morning.
- Reference
- 86011WM01
- Brand
- Nivada Grenchen
- Collection
- Chronomaster
- Case size
- 38mm
- Case thickness
- 13.75mm
- Lug width
- 20mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Bidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Manual
- Calibre
- Sellita SW510 M BH B
- Functions
- Chronograph, Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 100m
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber 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 4 collections
This watch appears in the Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster range (7), Back in Stock (4,154), Stainless Steel Watches (2,848) and Chronograph Watches (1,143).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
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
Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster White Lollipop alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 86011WM01 | 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 | Rubber 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.
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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