An Obscure GMT Tool Watch from 50 Years Ago Is Coming Back

The Jet Age never goes out of style.

Published October 28, 2024

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You might think you know every classic GMT tool watch from travel’s Golden Era, that exciting early period of the Jet Age that lasted from the early 1950s to the early 1970s and spawned such iconic watches as the Rolex GMT-Master, Glycine Airman, Accutron Astronaut and Zodiac Aerospace.

But the world of vintage watches is full of rare and forgotten curiosities, and perhaps no brand has more of these in its back catalog than Nivada Grenchen.

The reborn tool-watch brand is constantly resurrecting freshly discovered bangers from decades past, and now the Swiss favorite is at it again with the resurrected Antarctic GMT.

Nivada watch on a mans wrist — The Nivada Grenchen Antarctic GMT from the 1970s is back

A Hidden Jet-Age Gem

The original Antarctic GMT was Nivada’s first-ever GMT watch, debuting at the tail-end of the Jet Age in the early ’70s. The watch was a travel-optimized version of the brand’s explorer’s tool watch, the Antarctic, that featured a non-adjustable 24-hour hand and an EPSA Super Compressor dive watch case with a second crown for rotating the inner 24-hour bezel.

The Antarctic GMT existed for only a few years before being discontinued as the Quartz Crisis seriously cut into Nivada’s business. Current Nivada owner Guillaume Laidet, who resurrected the brand in 2020 after many years of dormancy, wasn’t even aware of the watch until he spotted a vintage example for sale. He then leaned on author Aashdin K. Billimora, who penned the book The Antarctic by Nivada Grenchen, for help in tracing the history of the Antarctic GMT.

nivada watch — With a distinct style all its own, the new Nivada Antarctic GMT doesn’t look like any of the other affordable GMT watches that have hit the market in recent years.

Ready for 21st-Century Exploring

As is the case with most everything Nivada makes, the reborn Antarctic GMT is nearly identical to the original version from five decades ago.

While the watch’s case is no longer a dive-appropriate Super Compressor, it is still a period-correct 36mm across x 11.1mm thick and features the twin-crown setup of the original. Plexiglass was also employed for the dramatic boxed crystal, just like on the original.

closeup of a nivada watch crown — The new Antarctic GMT doesn’t feature a true Super Compressor case, but it still has the iconic dual-crown setup.

The movement powering the reboot is a Soprod C125 automatic, an affordable Swiss-made “office” GMT featuring an independently adjustable fourth hand and a quick-set date. The GMT hand is the same red-and-black checkered cigarette style as on the original — one of the watch’s standout details — while the inner 24-hour bezel keeps its yellow, black and white color scheme.

Super-LumiNova is used to illuminate the hour and minute hands along with the applied indices, and Nivada’s fun, gold-colored engraved penguin medallion appears on the caseback, just as it does on the brand’s non-GMT Antarctic models.

nivada watch caseback depicting a penguin — Thankfully, the GMT keeps the Antarctic line’s signature penguin medallion on the caseback.

Pricing and Availability

Anytime Nivada dusts off another tool watch from its archives, it’s exciting. The brand’s offerings are always loaded with style, and its mid-century history as a true explorer’s brand only adds to its watches’ appeal.

The Antarctic GMT is no exception. It’s well-proportioned (it wears closer to a 38 than a 36 due to its cushion case) and it looks great, with tons of vintage vibes. You can also control just how vintage you want the watch to look, as it’s available in two dial colors: newer-looking black and a faux-aged tropical brown.

Both colors are available on a variety of straps, including multiple leather, rubber and steel bracelet options. Best of all, the watch’s SRP starts at just $1,600, depending on which strap you choose. The Antarctic GMT will be available to purchase soon directly from Nivada’s website.