Some brief thoughts on the CASD reissue. This is based on my broad arrow black dial with cream lume as you have pictured. With BOR bracelet.

In short, I haven’t yet fully gelled with it. Appeals to me off the wrist more than on. A beautiful reference, to be sure. But the size is still a bit small for my tastes. Not a criticism as NG did a great thing maintaining original proportions. Just takes getting used to given 40–44mm otherwise in my collection.

The BOR bracelet isn’t great, looks better in photos than in real life. Not on par with a DOXA BOR. I actually prefer the look on leather now.

Those points aside the execution is beyond reproach. Beautiful in every aspect. Manual wind movement gears nicely. Bezel rotates smoothly (remember it’s friction based, omni-directional). Lovely case curves and dial detail. Still think this is the best reference among them, although struggled with the panda.

 

Some brief thoughts on the CASD reissue. This is based on my broad arrow black dial with cream lume as you have pictured. With BOR bracelet.

In short, I haven't yet fully gelled with it. Appeals to me off the wrist more than on. A beautiful reference, to be sure. But the size is still a bit small for my tastes. Not a criticism as NG did a great thing maintaining original proportions. Just takes getting used to given 40-44mm otherwise in my collection.

The BOR bracelet isn't great, looks better in photos than in real life. Not on par with a DOXA BOR. I actually prefer the look on leather now.

Those points aside the execution is beyond reproach. Beautiful in every aspect. Manual wind movement gears nicely. Bezel rotates smoothly (remember it's friction based, omni-directional). Lovely case curves and dial detail. Still think this is the best reference among them, although struggled with the panda.

Cool thanks. I'm also looking at the manual, forgot to mention above. Not familiar with that Sellita so that's good to hear. Also, nice to hear the bezel moves nicely. I have skinny wrists so the smaller size is a plus.
Do you feel the quality is there?

 

I have some experience with the Depthmaster and it hasn't be positive...oh the bracelet is completely made of folded steel with sharp edges, it's really terrible.

Not very flexible.

My skin didn't appreciate it...at all.

 

The bracelet is like that by design. Arguably a design that should have stayed in the past, yes, but it does what it set out to do: take vintage to a new (old?) level.

 

Just putting this up top again for help. Thanks

 

No hands on experience but always thought this skin-diver chrono was a great looking watch and released at a good price

I would love to own a decent venus based original -

Just to throw something else into the pot -
I bought a similar vintage style skin-diver chrono: Longines 1967 Heritage Diver
very close aesthetic - but this one executed to a higher spec & finish yet widely available similar price to the NG

The Longines Heritage Diver 1967 (Live Pics & Pricing)

Over the past few years, Longines has done a particularly fine job reviving its rather interesting past. As one can clearly see when watching the likes of a mega-collector Alfredo Paramico wax poetically about the brand, it is clear there is much to work with. This year at Basel, we saw some...

www.hodinkee.com

 

No hands on experience but always thought this skin-diver chrono was a great looking watch and released at a good price

I would love to own a decent venus based original -

Just to throw something else into the pot -
I bought a similar vintage style skin-diver chrono: Longines 1967 Heritage Diver
very close aesthetic - but this one executed to a higher spec & finish yet widely available similar price to the NG

The Longines Heritage Diver 1967 (Live Pics & Pricing)

Over the past few years, Longines has done a particularly fine job reviving its rather interesting past. As one can clearly see when watching the likes of a mega-collector Alfredo Paramico wax poetically about the brand, it is clear there is much to work with. This year at Basel, we saw some...

www.hodinkee.com

Thanks for the reply. Love the red bezel/black dial combo. Good luck with it. I'm looking for a manual wind and sub 40mm though.

 

Bought the orange hand, manual wind, beads of rice version from Hodinkee. Should be getting it today.
Free overnight shipping.

Their photo.

 

Hey everyone. I'm just looking for anyone that has experience with the Nivada Grenchen diver. I'm aware of the history and the current Owners, who seem to be genuine watch guys who have worked for some of the biggest companies. I read one article that stated that the watches are still produced in Grenchen. Who knows?
Of course all the reviews by Hodinkee, Professional Watch, ablogtowatch, etc all say wonderful things as they do about all watches.
Does anyone have any actual experience working on, owning, handling etc? Any real life observations would be wonderful. This watch checks quite a few boxes for me. I'm selling a few and would like to incorporate more of the traits I like into 1 watch instead of 3! Thanks in advance for any help.
. . .
It's got the retro diver thing going on, domed crystal, chronograph, 38.5mm and quirky bracelet. Just seems pretty cool.

I have the manual CASD (manual wind, arrow hands, white lume, BoR) & the Depthmaster Pacman (no date, white lume, BoR & bonus oyster). I've already posted some of my opinions & experience on this previous thread & this one. My experience w/both watches has been positive & in line w/my expectations. The size, build quality, & accuracy have all been as I expected & matched the impression I took from NG's marketing/advertising, which was that I would be getting new reproductions of vintage models that were very faithful to the dial graphics & case proportions of the originals, but incorporating modern advances in waterproofing, crystals, etc. The screw-down action on the Pacman's crown & the manually winding experience of the movement aren't the smoothest, but that's not a big deal for me & certainly no worse than most actual 1960s watches.

I agree w/mitchjrj that the NG BoR bracelets are nothing special (they're not really BoR, but kind of a hybrid of the oyster & BoR styles) but I find the 1 on my CASD fits well & is comfortable. However, bracelets & straps are never a significant part of my watch-buying, especially since I actually like vintage bracelets despite the fact that they're stamped, jangly, etc. because that's what makes them lightweight & comfortable. The increased weight that comes w/the modern, solid link, milled-clasp, oyster-style bracelets, is simply not worth the trade-off in comfort for me, i.e., when it comes to watches (or anything else I wear), I think extraneous weight is a bug, not a feature (we're not talking about cameras or guns, etc., where extra weight can help performance by damping movement/vibration). Clearly this is why I'm a fan of the new Forstner's revival of older bracelet styles. I think too many microbrands try to offer a "poor man's Rolex oyster" when they should be selling vintage-style bracelets, which are more within the manufacturing capacities of their suppliers. As I stated in the older Depthmaster thread, I haven't even used the BoR that came w/the Pacman because I couldn't move the pins in the links, but since it's a dive watch I have plenty of alternative straps to put it on. Come cooler weather, I'll probably just take it to a watchmaker to adjust it to the same size as the 1 on my CASD. I received the oyster as an early bird bonus/freebie, not because I really wanted it. That style has never been my favorite because bigger links = less adjustability & generally heavier weight; however, unlike cuthbert, the NG version's lightweight, jangly qualities actually elevate it in my eyes, so I might give it a try.

Also, unlike cuthbert, I've been fortunate enough to not experience any customer service problems, even though I took the relatively riskier step of ordering directly to the USA from NG instead of going through Hodinkee. I liked the level of customization that NG offers to their direct customers on their web site, which is unmatched by any other microbrand I've dealt with, & the exchange rate on my credit card worked out to my slight advantage. While I've had my problems w/DHL in the past, they didn't screw up any of my NG orders. NG did have some kind of glitch in their ordering system many months ago & I had to confirm the details of my CASD order via email exchange, but that was painless & worked out in the end.

 

I have the manual CASD (manual wind, arrow hands, white lume, BoR) & the Depthmaster Pacman (no date, white lume, BoR & bonus oyster). I've already posted some of my opinions & experience on this previous thread & this one. My experience w/both watches has been positive & in line w/my expectations. The size, build quality, & accuracy have all been as I expected & matched the impression I took from NG's marketing/advertising, which was that I would be getting new reproductions of vintage models that were very faithful to the proportions of the originals, but incorporating modern advances in waterproofing, crystals, etc. The screw-down action on the Pacman's crown & the manually winding experience of the movement aren't the smoothest, but that's not a big deal for me & certainly no worse than most actual 1960s watches.

I agree w/mitchjrj that the NG BoR bracelets are nothing special (they're not really BoR, but kind of a hybrid of the oyster & BoR styles) but I find the 1 on my CASD fits well & is comfortable. However, bracelets & straps are never a significant part of my watch-buying, especially since I actually like vintage bracelets despite the fact that they're stamped, jangly, etc. because that's what makes them lightweight & comfortable. The increased weight that comes w/the modern, solid link, milled-clasp, oyster-style bracelets, is simply not worth the trade-off in comfort for me, i.e., when it comes to watches (or anything else I wear), I think extraneous weight is a bug, not a feature (we're not talking about cameras or guns, etc., where extra weight can help performance by damping movement/vibration). Clearly this is why I'm a fan of the new Forstner's revival of older bracelet styles. As I stated in the older Depthmaster thread, I haven't even used the BoR that came w/the Pacman because I couldn't move the pins in the links, but since it's a dive watch I have plenty of alternative straps to put it on. Come cooler weather, I'll probably just take it to a watchmaker to adjust it to the same size as the 1 on my CASD. I received the oyster as an early bird bonus/freebie, not because I really wanted it. That style has never been my favorite because bigger links = less adjustability & generally heavier weight; however, unlike cuthbert, the NG version's lightweight, jangly qualities actually elevate it in my eyes, so I might give it a try.

Also, unlike cuthbert, I've been fortunate enough to not experience any customer service problems, even though I took the relatively riskier step of ordering directly to the USA from NG instead of going through Hodinkee. I liked the level of customization that NG offers to their direct customers on their web site, which is unmatched by any other microbrand I've dealt with, & the exchange rate on my credit card worked out to my slight advantage. While I've had my problems w/DHL in the past, they didn't screw up any of my NG orders. NG did have some kind of glitch in their ordering system many months ago & I had to confirm the details of my CASD order via email exchange, but that was painless & worked out in the end.

Thanks for the response. Very helpful. I've had 2 issues with customer service with micro brands and just isnt an issue with this brand. Good luck with the watch. It is truly a cool vintage inspired piece.

 

Just some eye candy from the first generation.

 

Just got mine in. I have a manual wind. Very stiff bezel but amazing looks

 

Update
After receiving this watch last night and wearing it, it seems that the bracelet has a defective pin.
This is not a spring bar it's the pin near the spring bar.

When I push the pin back in, there is no tension holding the pin in.
As of right now the bracelet is unusable.

 

Sounds like the collar(s) holding the pin is missing. If you removed some links + pins to size the bracelet, try using the collars from them.

 

Hey everyone. I'm just looking for anyone that has experience with the Nivada Grenchen diver. I'm aware of the history and the current Owners, who seem to be genuine watch guys who have worked for some of the biggest companies. I read one article that stated that the watches are still produced in Grenchen. Who knows?
Of course all the reviews by Hodinkee, Professional Watch, ablogtowatch, etc all say wonderful things as they do about all watches.
Does anyone have any actual experience working on, owning, handling etc? Any real life observations would be wonderful. This watch checks quite a few boxes for me. I'm selling a few and would like to incorporate more of the traits I like into 1 watch instead of 3! Thanks in advance for any help.
View attachment 16066830
It's got the retro diver thing going on, domed crystal, chronograph, 38.5mm and quirky bracelet. Just seems pretty cool.

I had the casd and really enjoyed it

 

Figured I'd drop an update as have been wearing the CASD for the last couple of weeks almost exclusively. Have really taken to this watch (off the wrist always stunning, on wrist took some getting used to). I still find it sensitive to strap choice. Have worn it mostly on vintage-style rally with minimal stitch, one black and one a honey brown. Black straps suit this watch better to my eyes. Need to grab a straight-up minimal stitch in black (ie. not perforated). I think a vintage taper 20-16mm is a must. And preferably a thinner leather like Horween. Has not been back on the bracelet and doubt it will be.

Has been running around +4spd with crown up position being the lowest gain (learn your positions and rest accordingly). Still love the winding action. I routinely use the chronograph just because and pusher feel is what you'd expect for a cam system. The bezel is still nice and smooth to rotate...although I would have preferred a slight modification to historical accuracy with a small detent at 12:00 to make centering/zeroing easier. Case lines and profile are a joy to look at.