Enter the ChaosMasters! 3 watches we made for the end of the world with Nivada Grenchen & seconde/seconde/
Andrew McUtchenPicture this. But before you do, take a deep breath. Clear your mind of anything else. It’s night. There are sheets of rain falling. The smell of smoke. A viaduct looms like a bird of doom in the darkness. You’re not entirely sure where you are, but it’s the outskirts of some city. You can almost taste the concrete cancer eating the buildings away. Piercing the gloom is a yellow neon sign. ‘FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS’ it says. You can hear it hiss and pop over the gentle radio static of the rain. Ha! Follow your dreams? Here? This is a place where dreams would go to die. Or where they’d be quickly stripped for parts and left up on concrete blocks to rust… Introducing the Nivada Grenchen x seconde/seconde/ x Time+Tide – The ChaosMaster Series.
SHOP THE CHAOSMASTER LIMITED EDITIONS HERE
This is a world upside down. A world in chaos. A world we were warned was always just around the corner, should an economy collapse, or a sea wall protecting a city break, or a war boil over. It’s a world we designed three watches for, with more than just a little help from our talented friends Nivada Grenchen and the main man – our creative conspirator in crimes of the mind, seconde/seconde/.
Let’s bring this home to land on a personal note. Because, whether you believe we’re close to the apocalypse as it is imagined here by artist Corey Crawford (follow him for more of these dystopian film noir moodscapes at @ccseyes ) or not, I think you’re likely to agree that since the lost two years of pandemic and lockdown, the world has been more full-on than ever. To a point of madness.
Too loud, too bright, too scary, just too much.
We are all spinning as we deal with it. Add to the equation a war that came seemingly out of nowhere. And then throw in some completely wild, weird weather (Australia has been an almost constant environmental disaster-zone since January 2020) and you have a recipe for a daily serve of WTF with our BLT. This all sets the scene for Time+Tide’s Limited Edition #4.
Introducing: Nivada Grenchen x seconde/seconde/ x Time+Tide – The ChaosMaster Series
The textured finish of the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Pilot dial, along with the creamy lume in the small indices and arrow hands didn’t need to be meddled with much, that isn’t really the seconde/seconde/ style anyway. Instead, he exercises his expertise of a seconds-hand switcheroo. Replacing the arrow-shaped hand of the running seconds at 9 o’clock is a little emoji, meant to describe your emotions in the dumpster fire that the world around us is becoming. Note the tachymetre track running the span of the inner rehaut, confirming the Chronomaster part of the name.
SHOP THE CHAOSMASTER LIMITED EDITIONS HERE
To further subtly nod to the impending dystopia while also reminding all of us Aussies to ensure our ground harnesses are strapped in, all the dial printing is flipped upside down. No seconde/seconde/ creation would be complete without the subtle branding, the little +s just jutting out next to the flipped Nivada Grenchen logo. On a more subjective note, I’m always positively surprised when brands let their logo be played with – a mark of a marque that is confident in our product, not merely letting the logo define it. Chapeau, Nivada!
The wonderfully wearable 38.3mm stainless-steel case is unchanged, complete with the alternating brushed and polished finish on the slender, drilled lugs. The bezel is bi-directional, with the aluminium insert printed with two different scales. The more obvious one is the countdown timer, which can be equally useful for aviation and dive purposes alike. The more subtle printing is the 12-hour scale, allowing you to use the Chaosmaster for tracking a second time zone – you’ll just have to keep track of your AMs and PMs.
The large, unguarded crown guarantees 100 metres of water resistance in the manually wound model. Pump pushers complete the ’60s chronograph look, while the caseback is engraved with the number out of 33 for each emoji. The accompanying tropic-style strap is super comfy, not to mention quick-release, which along with the drilled lugs makes this a complete strap monster.
Movement-wise, the watch is powered by the manually wound version of the Sellita SW510. The 23-jewel calibre provides 63 hours of power reserve, beating at 4 Hz. This is the two-register version of the cam-operated SW500, with a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and running seconds at 9.
Nivada Grenchen x seconde/seconde/ x Time+Tide ChaosMaster Series pricing and availability:
The Nivada Grenchen x Time+Tide x seconde/seconde/ Chaosmaster series is a limited edition of 33 pieces per emoji. Head to the T+T Shop to purchase Shades, Swirly or Sigh of Relief. Price: $1995 USD plus taxes
| Brand | Nivada Grenchen |
| Model | Chaosmaster x Time+Tide x seconde/seconde/ |
| Case Dimensions | 38mm x 46.60mm x 13.75mm |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire crystal |
| Dial | Black dial |
| Strap | Tropic-style rubber strap |
| Movement | Sellita SW510 M BH b |
| Price | US$1995 plus taxes |