Nivada Grenchen and Hodinkee are collaborating for the first time, and it’s based on the brand’s historic Antarctic (ref. 87013) design language. This is the modern Antarctic GMT with plenty of throwback flavor set within a clean monotone design that will be a familiar pattern to fans of Hodinkee LEs. Nivada Grenchen is no stranger to collaborative efforts, but this one takes a different approach than we’ve seen in the past, centering around the small GMT offerings found within the relatively large Antarctic collection. When it comes to collaborations, the unexpected is a good thing.
The existing Antarctic GMT consists of a black dial and a tropical dial option, both with yellow accents on the internal bezel. This take on the design done with Hodinkee leans into a monochromatic palette that uses grey and black, as you’d expect from the publication. It shows a very different side of the design, and one that will likely win over a few converts who couldn’t quite get on board with the yellow, which was a callback to the original.
The dial itself is a deep grey that can shift light or dark depending on the angle and environment. This is framed by a split black and white internal bezel indexed to 24 hours. The most unique feature, however, is the 24 hour hand itself, which gets a checkered flag pattern of white and black. It’s a trippy effect at a glance, and brings another dimension to the otherwise straightforward dial. The existing Antarctic GMT gets a similar 24 hour hand, but it’s done in red and black, so not quite as noticeable off the bat.
The steel case measures a pleasant 36mm in diameter, though it’s a cushion style design so it fills out the wrist more than you might expect at that size. The total thickness has been kept in check at a mere 11.1mm, with an automatic SOPROD C125 movement at work inside. This is a caller style GMT, so the hour hand is not independently adjustable on the go. A pair of crowns along the three o’clock side control the internal bezel (at the top) and manage the winding and setting (at the bottom).
This is a welcome new collaboration from both parties, and one that I’d love to see fleshed out with additional models to come. The design sensibilities of both seem to compliment each other quite nicely. This is a limited edition, with just 225 pieces planned for production, each priced at $1,740 available via Watches of Switzerland. Nivada Grenchen / HODINKEE