Nivada Grenchen brings back bezel modularity for the Chronomaster Singer Paul Newman
Buffy AcaciaFrom the elaborate and decadent women’s watches of the 1950s to the independent microbrands of today, watch companies have generally struggled to get modular watchmaking off the ground. Sure, it has been moderately trendy at times, but there seems to be renewed interest in the concept over the last year or two. Although, where others have failed in making their modularity overly complex or including too many options, Nivada Grenchen may have just figured out how to do it right with the Chronomaster Singer Paul Newman.
The case
As opposed to trying to make one watch which can do everything, essentially creating a jack of all trades but master of none, the Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Singer Paul Newman sticks to its guns as a 1970s-style racing chronograph. With that simple but robust platform, it uses interchangeable aluminium bezels to alter its appearance, and even its function. It’s not as extreme as actually having “five watches in one”, and it’s all the better for that. Three of the bezels have the same markings, and can be used for tracking elapsed time like a dive watch. They also have hour markers beneath the corresponding minutes, so you could theoretically use them for a second time zone as well. The black, green and red options wildly change the appearance of the watch, from a classic vintage look to an all-out attention-grabber.
The black and red worldtimer bezel gives you much more precision with tracking not just a second time zone, but pretty much anywhere in the world represented by a selection of important cities. Finally, the blue bezel is marked with a tachymeter which is by far the most popular scale for chronographs. There is already a tachymeter on the perimeter of the dial, but it’s tiny and not easy to read if that’s your primary desire for the watch. All of these bezels can be removed and installed by simple hand pressure, and they rotate smoothly in either direction. A ratcheting bezel may be more normalised these days, but it’s not a dive watch, and it’s accurate to the original vintage watches.
Nivada Grenchen had to redesign the case to accommodate the new bezel system, making sure that it was easy to do without sacrificing structural integrity. Thankfully though, the dimensions of the watch haven’t changed. It’s 38mm in diameter and 46.5mm lug-to-lug, which allows the silhouette to stretch out elegantly without sacrificing comfort. The thickness is 13.75mm, which is fairly chunky for a manual-wind chronograph, but not too big by any means. Having “Sea Diver” on the dial is definitely generous, but it is a swimmable watch with 100m of water resistance.
The dial
Lots of focus has been put on the interchangeable bezels for the new Chronomaster Singer Paul Newman, but the dial is fantastic in its own right. In 2021, Nivada Grenchen released a 25-piece limited edition Chronomaster with a price tag over US$5,000 and a refurbished Valjoux 23 movement. This dial is nearly identical to that one, itself being a recreation of a vintage Nivada watch with a dial manufactured by Singer. Singer was the same company which made the dials of the famous Paul Newman Rolex Daytona, hence the same lollipop markers and Arabic numeral font. The main difference between this new version and the 2021 release is a general cleanliness and modernity, thanks to the use of pure white rather than cream tones.
Given that the Chronomaster is such a great reissue of the vintage piece, it’s no surprise that it perfectly captures a ‘70s attitude. The blocky applied indices serve their purpose while letting the dial breathe, and the two black sub-dials with concentric patterning are easy to read for running seconds at 9, and a 30-minute counter at 3. The dash of red in that counter and on the chronograph’s second hand is a nice pop, especially in contrast to most panda watches which are entirely monochrome.
The movement
A Nivada watch with a Landeron movement is something you could easily see in a 1970s catalogue, and yet it exists today too. The difference is that while Nivada Grenchen has been meticulous in its vintage recreations, the resurrected Landeron is mostly focused on filling the hole left by ETA’s supply reduction. The Landeron 70 is a new movement with little information available other than being a manually wound chronograph and having a 43-hour power reserve, however it’s likely related to the recent Landeron 72 (not to be confused with the 1940s column-wheel chronograph of the same name) which is based on the architecture of a Valjoux 7750.
The strap
‘70s chronographs are already pretty quirky, so they work well on all kinds of straps and bracelets. However, with its focus on racing, the new Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster would be nothing without a perforated leather strap. The holes are designed to promote airflow and prevent sweat when you’re sitting in a boiling race car, but they intrinsically add to the sporty look. If you want to experiment with other options from Nivada Grenchen or otherwise, the 20mm lug width affords you plenty of choice.
The verdict
It’s doubtful that the Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster will be the first watch to kickstart a modular watch craze, but as far as they go, it’s one of the best approaches I’ve seen. It doesn’t feel like too much of a gimmick, and the dial is nice enough that it would have an audience with or without the bezel changing. The brand definitely has plans to release more bezels in the future, so it will be intriguing to see how they will end up transforming the watch as well.
Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Singer Paul Newman price and availability
The Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Singer Paul Newman will be available from September 19th, 2024. Price: US$1,975
| Brand | Nivada Grenchen |
| Model | Chronomaster Singer Paul Newman |
| Case Dimensions | 38mm (D) x 13.75mm (T) x 46.5mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel with interchangeable aluminium bezels |
| Water Resistance | 100 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | “Paul Newman” white panda |
| Strap | Multiple leather, rubber and steel bracelet options available |
| Movement | Landeron 70, manual-wind |
| Power Reserve | 43 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, running seconds, chronograph, interchangeable bezels |
| Availability | Available from September 19th, 2024 |
| Price | US$1,975 |