Nivado "Discus" 21 Jewel Manual Winding Gentleman's Watch
In excellent condition, and just back from a service in The Ukraine - A fine quality Nivado watch from the early 1960's - A most attractive champagne dial, with gold Arabic Numerals and stick markers, some age marks, but good overall - Excellent 32.5x39mm case, Nivado movement running well, and keeping time.
Nivada Grenchen is a historic Swiss watch brand founded in 1926 in Grenchen, Switzerland, famous for pioneering automatic and water-resistant tool watches. Established in Grenchen, Switzerland, in 1926 by Otto Wüllimann, Hermann Schindler, and Jakob Schneider as Wüllimann, Schneider, Nivada SA. Focused on precision and reliability, becoming an early pioneer in automatic watch manufacturing. In 1939, partnered with the New York-based Croton Watch Company to import and distribute watches in the United States, often branding them as Croton Nivada Grenchen.
Antarctic (1950): Released as a water-resistant automatic watch. Members of the U.S. Navy's Deep Freeze 1 expedition wore it to the South Pole from 1955 to 1956.
Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver (1961): Launched as a versatile multi-function chronograph, pilot, and dive watch for active professionals.
Depthomatic & Depthmaster (1964–1965): Introduced extreme-depth diving watches, including the Depthmaster with high water resistance and the quirky "Pac-Man" dial layout.
Industry Decline: Hit hard by the quartz crisis in the 1970s, forcing production slowdowns and plant closures before disappearing from the mainstream market.
Collector Status: Spent decades dormant while maintaining a cult following among vintage watch enthusiasts.
The Relaunch: Resurrected in 2018 when entrepreneur Guillaume Laidet partnered with the founding families to bring back the historic name.
Faithful Reissues: Reintroduced core historical models like the Chronomaster, Antarctic, and Depthmaster using faithful vintage proportions alongside modern movements.
