The Ace x Nivada Grenchen Super Antarctic Polar 50-piece edition

Introduction

The Nivada Grenchen Super Antarctic is an accessible yet iconic timepiece belonging to a brand with a consistent and not-so-popular background, brought back to life by a team of watchmaking enthusiasts led by Guillaume Ladet, who uncovered the long-standing tradition of the Swiss brand Nivada Grenchen.

The brand has recently gone under the spotlight thanks to the contemporary edition of the famed Chronomaster (we adore the Analog Shift collaboration model) but has the centrepiece of its modern offering in the Super Antarctic.

The Ace x Nivada Grenchen Super Antarctic Polar collection

Nivada Grenchen is not new to partnerships, and neither are our friends of Ace Jewelers, who are the brand’s authorized dealers in the Netherlands; also, Ace Jewelers pride themselves on being one of a small group of global luxury retailers to craft “collaboration watches” with boutique brands rather than mainstream ones, setting themselves apart in the current scenario.

For example, look at what they did with the new-to-the-market Elka Watch brand.

The origins of an authentic story

The Super Antarctic belongs to a collection drawing inspiration from the 1950 Nivada Grenchen Antarctic’s heritage. As its name suggests, the original model was worn during polar expeditions; it was first equipment to the Deep Freeze 1 Task Force of the American Navy during the expeditions organized in 1955 and 1956.

Being a military-adopted wristwatch adds to the prestige of the collection, whose contemporary lineup holds to the original size, considering that a Super Antarctic measures 38 mm across and 12 mm in thickness, offering everything you’d expect from such a timepiece: easy to use and read, water resistance up to 100 meters and a genuine exploration watch pedigree as highlighted by the historical golden medallion on the case back.

An ultra-limited special series

The Super Antarctic is not new to ultra-limited editions, too; yet the Ace x Nivada Grenchen Super Antarctic Polar edition is a one-of-a-kind edition coming in a new Polar white dial livery, plus other distinctive features as opposed to any ordinary model.

The model builds on the reference 32025A and is a super limited-number edition. The Polar white dial adds the brightness you won’t find on any other Super Antarctic with a beautiful contrasting vivid orange seconds hand and black surrounded, white Super-Luminova™ filled silver applied indices.

This version comes with an OEM “beads of rice” bracelet and a unique orange NATO replacement strap; what a pity a quick change mechanism is not available, thus helping the wearer to swap between them rapidly.

The domed sapphire crystal adds to the watch’s vintage style, providing that nostalgia factor more than ever before. The automatic no-date Soprod P024 calibre adds to the dial’s symmetry and enhances the vintage look and feel.

Final thoughts

This first project between Ace Jewelers and Nivada Grenchen results in an eye-catching Super Antarctic living up to its expectations and comes in small numbers that will surely sell like hotcakes and possibly sell out quickly as this article goes online.

Each of the 50 Ace x Nivada Grenchen Super Antarctic Polar retails at just 1,155 Euros with a 21% VAT, which is much bang for the buck in the current market scenario and has a nice story to tell, too. For additional information, please visit Ace Jewelers.

(Photo credit: Ace Jewelers)

Giovanni Di Biase @Horbiter®