A brand that made its debut in 1926, Nivada Grenchen launched the Antarctic, its first water-resistant automatic watch, in 1950, introducing the Antarctic Spider 13 years later. Today, the Antarctic with ‘spider’ dial is rare and the most sought-after version of the vintage models.
The piece gained recognition – and a nickname – for its crazy sector dial design that includes a full cross between cardinal points plus eight shorter radial lines, beaded with Super-LumiNova dots towards the outer ends resembling arachnid legs.
Now the watch has been reimagined by the brand, its silver dial replaced with a beautiful shimmering, sunray salmon finish. The Dauphine hour and minute hands are filled with Super-LumiNova and applied steel hour markers rise out of the rehaut to meet the ‘spider’s legs’. As with the original, there is a magnified date window at 3 o’clock.
The 38mm brushed and polished steel case has a 1950s-style double-domed sapphire crystal. Powering the watch is a self-winding Soprod PO24 movement and, thanks to the screw-in caseback and screw-down crown, the piece is water resistant to 100 metres.
Not the first time that the Spider has been reissued – 2021 saw a silver dial version that was a near replica of the original and in 2022 two limited-edition models were created in collaboration with Parisian retailer Ocarat – this new model will become a part of Nivada’s permanent collection.
A brand dedicated to honouring its heritage, Nivada’s CEO Guillaume Laidet says: “When a fan shares a photo of their vintage Nivada that features a rather (not to say totally) peculiar dial, I’ll repost and the story just grows and grows, and it’s just great to engage with the community. If it takes hold on Instagram, there’s no reason not to do a repeat.”
The Antarctic Spider is available with ten different strap and bracelet options, from nivadagrenchenofficial.com, priced at €690.
A 100-page book Nivada Grenchen Antarctic – The History of a Legend by watch collector and historian Aashdin K Billimoria was published in May 2023. It details the entire Antarctic collection, exploring how the model has adapted over time and is available from nivadagrenchenofficial.com
Too small for my 8″ wrists