1960s Nivada Antarctic Compensamatic Automatic
Ref: 67012
Specification
Lugs : 19mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and, therefore, comes with no original Nivada box or papers. It is paired with a brown leather strap that suits it nicely. The watch is from Circa late 1960s and is in worn condition; signs of wear and age/patina may be seen. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IBrfJyMHxzuWAKQUD5hPNUEwbUVLoi7I?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 28:02 - https://youtu.be/WZCcuJHSSKo
The Watch
Here, we have a 1960s Nivada Antarctic Compensamatic Automatic that has a 31mm tonneau-shaped stainless steel case that radiates fine lines across its top surface and polished sides with crisp edges, and a 39mm lug-to-lug length ensures a comfortable fit on your wrist. On the right side, a signed crown with deep knurling for grip. The thin polished bezel holds a square crystal with curved sides and sits slightly above the case. Applied block indexes with chamfered edges mark the hours on a silver dial. At 3 o’clock, a framed date window. Broad baton hands have lume infill. On the reverse, an embossed Antarctic penguin, inside an automatic ETA 2472, 21 jewels, 18,000 beats per hour. The watch comes paired with a well-suited aftermarket 19mm leather strap and pin buckle.
Personal Note
This is a watch I sold some years ago and, to my amazement, when I showed this one as "Coming Soon" a few even recognised it from before, goes to show how incredible of an example this one is and was. This is the Nivada Antarctic Compensamatic, with the iconic penguin case back, powered by an automatic ETA Cal. 2472. I would not hesitate on this unpolished example, it features its beautiful lines and edges, a real gem in the vintage watch world!
The Brand
Nivada, a Swiss watch company, was founded in the town of Grenchen, Switzerland, in 1879. They saw success after World War II, producing a series of watches. Nivada was unable to sell under their name in the United States after the threat of a name-similarity lawsuit by Movado. In 1958 in time for the International Geophysical Year, Nivada supported the US Navy “Operation Deep Freeze” They created a durable, waterproof, anti-magnetic watch, which they named “Antarctic”. 66 countries declared a year of science. With Admiral Byrd, the watch was worn and subjected to temperature fluctuations of 100 degrees above and 40 degrees below. It was dropped, hit, snowed on, and scraped on the ice; it never missed a beat. It is a testament to the ruggedness of the watch.