The original F77 reissue by Nivada Grenchen was one of the more improbable success stories in recent independent watchmaking. Guillaume Laidet built an entire collection around a single vintage piece from a collector's drawer, and the market responded with enthusiasm that even caught its creator off guard. Thousands sold, dozens of variants produced, a genuine following cultivated. The question was never whether Nivada Grenchen would evolve the F77—it was whether they could do so without erasing the qualities that made it matter.
Things to Know About the Watches
The F77 MKII answers with measured confidence. The case grows marginally to 38 mm, the lugs gain a softer curvature for improved wrist conformity, and critically for anyone who has wrestled with an integrated bracelet on a sub-USD 2,000 watch, the case is now drilled for easier strap changes. The octagonal bezel with its eight visible screws remains—and yes, the resemblance to the Royal Oak is impossible to ignore.
Nivada Grenchen has never been shy about occupying the same aesthetic territory Gérald Genta defined in 1972, and at roughly one-fifteenth the price of entry, the F77 remains one of the more honest propositions in the integrated-bracelet sports watch category. The double-domed sapphire crystal also carries over. These are calibrated refinements, not a redesign. The MKI is officially discontinued; the MKII is now the standard.
What commands attention, however, is the new Open Heart line—Nivada Grenchen's first. Available exclusively in Grade 5 titanium, the dial appears deliberately fractured, as though an impact had shattered its surface, exposing the movement beneath. The effect is theatrical in a way the brand has not previously attempted. In matte black, the aesthetic reads industrial. In green aventurine, it borders on otherworldly as the SuperLumiNova bleeds through the fracture lines, creating a glow that animates the entire dial in darkness. The meteorite version delivers Widmanstätten patterns visible through the fragmented opening, a material choice that feels earned rather than gratuitous at this price point.
The Movement
Beneath the spectacle sits the SOPROD M100BV—a first for Nivada Grenchen. Derived from the well-established A10 platform launched in 2004, this automatic movement comes with genuine production maturity. The "BV" designation denotes the visible balance wheel, which appears through the dial aperture. At 28,800 vph with a 42-hour power reserve, the specifications are workmanlike rather than exceptional, but the M100BV brings over two decades of iterative refinement that speaks more to reliability than any spec sheet can.
The broader MKII collection fills out with braided-dial Classics in black, grey, blue, and white—available with or without date—and stone-dial variants in lapis lazuli, meteorite, green aventurine, and dark blue aventurine. The stone dials, previously offered as limited MKI editions that generated considerable collector interest in late 2025, are now integrated into the permanent lineup. For a brand approaching its centenary—Nivada Grenchen was founded in 1926—this is a collection that stakes its claim with both volume and ambition.
On the Wrist & Price
On the wrist, the Nivada Grenchen F77 MKII Collection’s revised lug geometry pays immediate dividends. The 38 mm titanium case hugs close and sits flat, with none of the stiffness that plagued the MKI's bracelet articulation. The matte, bead-blasted finish reads darker and more industrial than polished steel, lending a seriousness that belies the price point. At this diameter, it wears closer to a vintage sports watch than a modern statement piece—exactly where Nivada Grenchen wants to be.
Sticker Price USD 1,160 with Braided Dial, USD 1,360 with stone dial, USD 1,790 Open Heart, and USD 1,990 forOpen Heart Meteorite or Green Aventurine. More info on Nivada Grenchen here.
