Nivada Grenchen, more than any other independent watch brand, does an excellent job of serving every tier of vintage enthusiasts. Hardcore collectors with larger budgets are served by faithful reproductions featuring dead-stock movements and dials, while more affordable alternatives are offered to casual fans.
The revived Swiss watchmaker’s catalog offers a full spectrum of designs that fall between those examples, including new models that pick up right where the brand left off in the 1970s. The new Chronoking Racing II is an affordable descendant of the legendary Chronomaster that employs one of Nivada’s most intriguing tricks.
Nivada’s Chronoking Racing II is an affordable tricompax chronograph that offers heaps of the brand’s authentic 1960s design language for well under $1,000. It improves upon the previous generation by, among other things, applying “exotic” subdials.
The distinct dial layout, featuring square lollipop indices, is known for its appearance on the “Paul Newman” Rolex Daytona, but a company called Singer produced the design in the 1960s for Rolex, Nivada and other watchmakers. Which means this affordable racing chronograph holds an equal claim to the design as the Crown.
Other dial tweaks for the second-generation Chronoking Racing include a broader chapter ring, simplified stick applied hour markers and a slimmed-down seconds hand.
