The horological world has been divided for decades over one contentious issue: fauxtina versus pristine white luminous material. Vintage enthusiasts champion the warm, creamy patina that develops naturally over time, while purists argue for the crisp brightness of fresh lume.
This debate has raged across forums, comment sections, and collector circles with the intensity of a religious war. But what if there was a way to have both? Nivada Grenchen has just ended this perpetual argument with an ingenious solution that transforms the very nature of how we think about luminous materials.
The Great Lume Compromise
The Swiss brand’s expanded Aquamar collection introduces a revolutionary innovation that makes choosing sides obsolete. Through clever engineering, these skin divers offer both vintage-inspired patinated lume and bright white Luminova in a single watch. This isn’t about compromise – it’s about having your cake and eating it too, with a simple twist of the crown determining which aesthetic you prefer at any given moment.
The Aquamar traces its heritage back to the 1960s when Nivada Grenchen first introduced this casual dive watch design. The original captured the spirit of an era when watersports were becoming accessible to everyday enthusiasts rather than just professional divers. While the vintage model featured a date window at 3 o’clock, the modern interpretation replaces this complication with something far more intriguing – a dual-lume system that represents a genuine first in watchmaking.
At the heart of this innovation lies a modified Soprod P024 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve. Where a traditional date disc would normally reside, Nivada Grenchen has installed a luminous disc featuring an orange outer ring that perfectly matches the center-seconds hand. This disc alternates between vintage-inspired cream tones and contemporary white Luminova, controlled by the crown position typically used for date setting.
Vintage Soul
The execution resembles a sophisticated sandwich dial construction, with apertures at each hour marker revealing the luminous disc below. A simple crown adjustment instantly transforms the watch’s personality from vintage warmth to modern crispness, making this potentially the most versatile dive watch ever created. The orange accent ring adds visual cohesion while providing a striking contrast against any dial color.
The 38mm case maintains perfect proportions for modern wrists while honoring the original’s casual elegance. At 12.9mm thick and crafted from 316L stainless steel, the Aquamar strikes an ideal balance between presence and comfort. The solid caseback and double-domed sapphire crystal ensure durability, while 200-meter water resistance provides serious diving credentials despite the watch’s playful personality.
Three dial variants cater to different preferences: blue and black options feature larger apertures that maximize the lume-changing effect, while a grey variant offers a subtly different layout. Each dial creates its own character, though the hands present the only limitation in this otherwise perfect system – they maintain consistent lume color rather than changing with the disc.
The black and blue variants feature appropriately tinted hand lume, while the grey dial uses white luminous material for optimal legibility. This design choice ensures visual harmony regardless of which lume mode you’ve selected, though some might wish for complete color-changing capability.
Starting at $1,050 with various strap options available, the Aquamar represents exceptional value for such innovative engineering. Steel bracelet options require additional investment, but the watch shines on a classic tropic strap that emphasizes its skin diver heritage. Available immediately without limited edition constraints, this release proves that the best solutions often come from refusing to choose sides in the first place.
