Vintage inspired watches have been all the rage in recent years and it doesn’t look like that’s about to change anytime soon, at least until the Tudor Black Bay’s stop being so popular. This newest release, the Fratello x Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronograph, doesn’t look anything like a Black Bay, but it is inspired by the brand’s releases from the 1970s.
Most of Nivada Grenchen’s recent releases have been modern editions of vintage pieces, but this one is different as it is a completely new model line for the brand. The dials specifically have never been used before and takes inspiration from a variety of models from the 70s, but the case has been taken from the Nivada Chronosport. An unnamed Nivada model was the inspiration for the dial. The original piece had a black dial and a red and white racing scale. Fratello then put their own touches onto the dial, namely the Fratello orange.
Not only do the aesthetics evoke the 70s, but so do the dimensions. Measuring in at 38mm in diameter and 13.75mm thick, it avoids the larger tendencies of many modern watches which often find their cases around 40-42mm. Fratello themselves believe that 38mm is a sweet spot between the very small original vintage sizes and the oversize watches of today.
The movement is a Sellita SW510 M B Calibre, a hand-wound chronograph movement with three sub-dials, 23 jewels, and a 63-hour power reserve. The brand has really gone all in with the vintage vibe with a hand-wound movement which Fratello believes “creates an even closer connection between the watch and its wearer.” In an interesting departure from the vintage motif, there’s a display caseback which has been spruced up not to look like a normal Sellita movement.
The 20mm bullet-style bracelet is something that a lot of vintage creations lack and it’s a shame as it looks amazing.
There are five dial options: a panda, reverse panda, black, white, and tropical brown. Pretty standard colour options but the texture on them is what sets them apart. The benefit of using standard colourways is that there isn’t a clear favourite from the outset, each of these will appeal to a variety of wearers.
These will only be available for a week with the pieces opening for pre-order on the 20th of March and ending on the 26th. Only 10 of each colourway will be available during the pre-order period, however there will be more limited quantities arriving after this period.
The pre-order price is €1,499 (excluding VAT) with the regular price being €1,875 (excluding VAT).
At a Glance
Model: Fratello x Nivada Grenchen Racing Chronograph
Diameter: 38mm
Thickness: 13.75mm
Lug-to-Lug: 44.3mm
Movement: Sellita SW510 M b Manual
Case: Stainless-steel (316L)
Lume: Super Lumi-Nova
Crystal: Double-domed sapphire glass with AR coating
Water Resistance: 100m (10 ATM)
For more, check out these titanium divers from Sinn.
