Nivada Grenchen Super Antarctic full review, come exploring!

[@MarksThinkTank]

I watched 10 other reviews for this watch and no one mentioned the color variation between the hands and indices. You were absolutely correct, there is a difference in color when you really look hard, but I think no one else would notice under normal use. I was waiting for mine (exact same model) to be delivered when I watched your review, so it's the first thing I looked for. All in all, like you said, "it's a keeper". Very nice watch and great review!

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thanks for the kind words and I'm glad you're not staring yourself blind at the slight difference, it's really only a bother if you let yourself be bothered. All the best and thanks for being here

[@edteach3r]

I own a Seiko SARG009 from 2017, and the exact same thing is true of my Seiko. I did significant research and reached out to a well-known collector of vintage Seikos. I learned from him that the lume on the hands and indexes differ in appearance during the day due to the nature of applying lume to watch hands. These hands do not have a background to the lume application as the lume is applied from the back of the hands. Therefore, there is a small level of transparency/shine through on the hands during the day, which do not happen on the indexes due to the fact that lume is applied to a solid background. At night, both hands and indexes match in tone and colour. So, this is not a deficiency, but rather a quirk. I believe this to accurate. I hope my disjointed explanation makes sense!

[@danielday7033]

I love the fact that the hands and indices change in the light. I just ordered a second-hand one myself. I'm looking forward to receiving it.

[@Spireite41]

I have an original nivada Antarctica from the 50's, still runs perfectly 😀

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Wow, thanks for sharing 👍🙂

[@AxLWake]

I have one from the 60's. I got it from my father (who got it from his great uncle when he was much, much younger). It's actually the watch that I wear almost daily. Runs perfectly fine, despite not having been serviced in the past 30 years...

[@jhandal311]

I have one also, love it. Really am considering a reissue to pair with it

[@christianehlers7893]

Insightful and pleasant review, wonderful pictures. I think I need me one of those Nivadas very soon, cheers mate!

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thank you very much, glad to have you here!

[@shankarbalan3813]

It is a beautiful watch and I love it. The vintage looking dial, the 3, 6, 9 and the black leather racing strap give it a lot of character…. The gold medallion at rear is lovely too. And it is a pretty well priced product as well, which is why I got me one…

[@kleinster99]

That dial is incredible. Definitely sets it apart. I’m sold even without the date and open back

[@chrish2180]

Thanks for the great review. I purchased this watch and I have been wearing it for two weeks now. It has quickly become one of my favorites in a large collection. The Super Antarctic is extremely versatile and it looks even better in person. It's a 'do anything' Explorer-type watch that isn't pretentious. If I were to condense my collection, this would easily make the top four. I do wish the crown was a little bigger.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thanks, great to hear and I complete agree. Just waiting for my replacement and I can’t wait!

[@montys8th]

You see the influence of the Rolex Explorer, I see the Omega Railmaster. Those four triangle indices and the large sword hand for minutes is pure Omega. That aside I think this watch looks incredible.

[@millersciencesms762]

Great review. The period correct small crown is very difficult to screw down. Otherwise, I am completely enjoying the Super Antarctic.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thanks and good to hear, it’s a little fiddly but been ok so far for me

[@wtaft]

I bought this watch on the Forstner Klip bracelet. Haven't taken it off since it arrived. Absolute stunner!

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Good to hear 😊👍

[@Caesar-ww3yp]

Do you still have high praise for it? Gorgeous watch. Maybe one day for me

[@stuart150]

Great review as usual...it's gorgeous, love the lugs in particular, sculpture...

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thanks so much Stuart and yes, it’s so lovely

[@stuart150]

@@EsbjornWristwatchReviews NG are doing great stuff, such style...

[@stevewarner8686]

Stylish every day watch! Nice!

[@Klunker1]

I just received the green version and couldn’t be happier. A bigger crown would be nice but not a big deal.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Good to hear 😊👍🏻

[@alecjarnagin9041]

Great review. Interesting about the hand color. Please let us know what they say as that is the color scheme I'd pick.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thanks and will do Alec

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Hi Alec, Nivada will exchange it for me they just confirmed 🙂

[@alecjarnagin9041]

@@EsbjornWristwatchReviews Great news. Please let us know if the new one has any issues. I think I will wait to order until you confirm the new one matches better in color. I did email them, FYI, mentioning this review and color situation. They responded very quickly with what I assume is an honest answer of never having heard of this issue, but they'd look into it and get back to me. Hopefully it was just the one you got. Thank you!

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

@@alecjarnagin9041 there is a Fratello review online too with the white one seemingly have the same issue in the photos, hopefully it’s just these early ones!

[@epicunderstament867]

Should I replace my Tudor Black Bay 36 with this? As my watch alternative to the Rolex Explorer?

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

It’s not quite in the same realm quality wise as your Black Bay, but it might scratch that explorer itch for a while 🙂

[@econwatson]

Think you've won the review race for this one. Thanks for the review, been looking for a hands on experience for ages. great work!

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Didn’t even know about this but won, my favourite approach 😆 Thanks!

[@omegaseven5543]

Do you think this would work well as a GADA watch, or is it not rugged enough?

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Honestly, not rugged enough for the likes of watersports and demanding hiking. That said, if you don’t mind scratches etc..it might be just fine!

[@danielday7033]

It's definitely a GADA watch. And yes, it is a beast! Remember where this watch went.

[@MN-de]

01:59 done! 😊 great review, thanks

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thank you 😊

[@Luca1844]

great video but what song did you use at the beginning?! It’s awesome

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thanks :) It's stock music from Epidemic Sounds. The song is called A State Of Mind from the artist Nebulae

[@CaptainWillyandTheWonderMonkey]

Have been reading about buyers getting hit with extra import taxes since these apparently ship from China. One reported an extra $150.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

This is a new one to me but worth investigating with that person I guess? Importing to where I live, it doesn't matter what the origin country is, it's the same import tax charged on the border.

[@xaviergendre9743]

Really thinking about having one ! What about the accuracy ? -/+ per day ?

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

It’s so worth it, highly recommended! I’ve not noticed any serious deviation but I also haven’t measured precisely. Maybe see if you can find other peoples experiences with the Soprod movement?

[@gigiurse3798]

I can reply here after 3 months of using the Spider It's about +2 sec/day which I consider great accuracy for this price level

[@SlapShotRegatta22]

Great video and a really great looking watch. I'd love to see a date version.

[@Jo5ue1]

Does anyone know the meaning behind that symbol next to the mountains on the back gold medallion? It kinda looks like a tower maybe?

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Yeah it does seem like a communication tower of sorts

[@leejunwoo7381]

Thank you for the review! I am planning to buy my first automatic watch within the 1000$ budget, and this seems like a great option. I am still contemplating between this and the Mido Multifort Patrimony. Do you think the Nivada stands out from the other big masstige brands in terms of finishing and quality? (And if you have experienced the Patrimony or any other Mido/Hamilton level watches, could you give me a comparison between them and the Nivada?) Thank you again for the great review and keep it up!

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thanks! The Mido and anything from the Swatch group (Hamilton) have awesome movements. In terms of case finishing etc, you won't tell a difference. Nivada is definitely the underdog, whilst still has plenty of history, which personally attracts me. I've reviewed a nice Mido watch on my channel kzbin.info/www/bejne/q4KmfZ-qmsd4h8k and also the Hamilton Khaki field watch on my website www.esbjorn.com.au/hamilton-khaki-automatic.html Hope that helps!

[@leejunwoo7381]

@@EsbjornWristwatchReviews Yup, thanks for the reply! The crazy 80 hrs power reserve is a huge factor. I guess it really comes down to the design. I'll give it a bit more time to think. And I'll definetely check the videos out 👍🏻

[@mohnnadmercedes8246]

Does the lume stay visible whole night?!

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

If it’s dark and no light sources nearby, you will see the dial

[@mohnnadmercedes8246]

@@EsbjornWristwatchReviews yes because I really don’t like looking at my phone which makes me awake faster when should go back to sleep 😬

[@millersciencesms762]

Did you get your replacement watch?

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Still waiting

[@millersciencesms762]

@@EsbjornWristwatchReviews Completely dysfunctional operation. Sorry to hear that you are still waiting.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

@@millersciencesms762 I’m assuming it’s a difficult task to colour match the indices and hands but it’d be nice to get it back one day!

[@millersciencesms762]

@@EsbjornWristwatchReviews That's very kind. But, I can't name any manufacturers that have so many issues that we have experienced.

[@zillsburyy1]

this version avoids the stamped clasp

[@millersciencesms762]

I have the same situation with the lume on the hands versus the indices. Will contact Nivada about this .

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

They replaced mine after sending some photos and the customer service has been excellent so don’t stress

[@millersciencesms762]

Nivada offered a strap or an exchange. I am wondering what you agreed upon.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

@@millersciencesms762 exchange…contemplated not bothering but did in the end

[@millersciencesms762]

@@EsbjornWristwatchReviews Did you return the watch?

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

@@millersciencesms762 exchanged. I love it so would never return it but white should be white

[@mantisshadow8990]

Awesome review but I have a question. Is the gold medallion, solid gold or just a gold in colour metal?

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thank you 😊 it’s just gold colour, not solid gold 👍

[@finejust3507]

is there anti magnetic?

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Nivada does not specify this, maybe reach out to them?

[@millersciencesms762]

It's not anti magnetic.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

@@millersciencesms762 Good one, thanks Robert

[@theshadow1812]

Great review, i have ordered one with green idices on a tropic, currently enroute to me in Oz and currently transiting in Singapore. One thing the did seem to do from the original and preproduction was wrote "Autarctic" as "Antarctic" . As for the Soprod P024 you are correct it is a clone of the ETA 2824-2. I got the specs from Nivada - 42hours reserve , incabloc, 28,800 bhp, hacking seconds - so should be an easy calibre to regulate.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Oh that’ll be interesting, the green looks very unusual in a good way. I did hear some prototypes had the “Autarctic“ like some of the originals but seems they wisely amended that 👍

[@theshadow1812]

@@EsbjornWristwatchReviews Oh btw I asked Nivada is there any truth to the rumour there might bee a white dialled Super Antarctic and this is the response I got "Not planned yet for a white dial Super Antarctic watch, but maybe soon!"

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

@@theshadow1812 I’m still glancing at the Antarctic Spider….

[@theshadow1812]

@@EsbjornWristwatchReviews So I have received my watch with the green lum, the coating seems very consistent across the indices and hands no differences not like what you experienced with the white. its colour in daylight comes across as being a light lime green to my eye. once charged it is very deep rich green lum. accuracy of the watch is very good, . Only issue is screwing in the crown very hard to do - tight fit.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

@@theshadow1812 great to hear 🙂 Nivada will exchange mine so it was probably just the early ones 👍

[@CaptainWillyandTheWonderMonkey]

Just a comment about Nivada, mine arrived broken, no life at all, so I returned it to the AD. My message to Nivada has gone unanswered for over two weeks, so I don't have confidence in long term support. Also, another commentor on another video reported that his was shipped from Hong Kong, and he pushed Nivada for answers on where they were made, they reluctantly told him Hong Kong with Swiss parts (movement). Nivada appears to be more of a microbrand and not full on watchmakers, these were Crowdfunded at the beginning, so that would make sense. It is a beautiful watch though, but I don't believe that for the price it is a good deal, and especially with the lack of customer service.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

I’m reading more and more of this, and my lume issue was never resolved. Seems like they need to fix up their back office issues rather than pushing out so many new models

[@CaptainWillyandTheWonderMonkey]

Agree. A lot of potential with this brand, buy yes, a little more of a focused effort would really pay off! @@EsbjornWristwatchReviews

[@LAVA1980]

Absolute Beauty 🤩

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

You're a man with impeccable taste ;)

[@shogun884]

Thanks for the review, great job, i stumbled on this company a few days ago and this model stands out to me lovely looking piece. Its at the upper end of what im prepared to pay for a watch but its fairly priced, great to see these old brands resurrected, recently bought a wolbrook skindiver what a beauty!

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thanks 😊 it’s a great purchase for sure, you won’t regret it!

[@wescobts]

First of all, a great review. I have looking at this very watch for a while now, and i'm trying to figure out if i can "handle" a no date watch. I absolutely love the history of the brand, and of this specific watch.I feel it's priced nicely, and putting this on an Artum sailcloth was an excellent choice by you. I watched a review of the Depthmaster and it was stated that the color on the hands and markers were different as well. I agree that this watch would look pretty great with some "patina" and evidence of a life well lived, i'm not intentionally doing this to my watches, but they all have scares ;) I don't own a SOPROD movement, so can you tell us if this is an accurate watch ? Thank you, an be well.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thanks very much, I appreciate it. Sounds like we're on the same page with this one! I actually sent it back after this review since the colour shade differences bothered me too much and I've not had it returned yet. That said, I had another watch with a Soprod movement and that only differed a few seconds a day so I have no concerns really. I find anyway that I adjust any of my automatics whenever I wear them after some time so I'm personally not too worried about extreme accuracy. I hope you go ahead and buy one, you won't regret it. There is a promo code in my other Nivada review that offers an extra strap, maybe try that if you do? Cheers

[@robertbelliottjr5773]

Excellent review!

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thanks so much 😊👍

[@CFCseventy]

Do you know lug width website say 20mm but strap size 16 mm which is confusing regards Chris

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Sure do, it’s definitely 20mm 👍

[@Klunker1]

20 at the lug looks 16 at the buckle.

[@danielday7033]

20x16=it tapers to 16.

[@jim2950]

All this tank needs is a cannon!

[@edscoble]

Can you make your content inclusive by formatting the auto captioning into closed captioning please? it is extremely hard to watch it relying only on the auto captioning sadly (I'm Profoundly Deaf)

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Thanks, I’ll figure out how to do this in future 👍🏻

[@watchingbrief7072]

NG have great watches but virtually all feedback online points to atrocious customer service and care. I would get one in a heartbeat but the feedback is consistent wherever you go. Pity.

[@EsbjornWristwatchReviews]

Yeah, I think it’s simply down to good demand and not enough staff. Shame since they do have some unique pieces