Akin to everything in life, horology follows the cycles of trends. Once a brand has come up with something new or has revived something that was cool before, the market embarks on the same path and we see a multitude of variations of the same thing. In some instances it’s nice, in others…yeah not so much. For it seems difficult for brands to whip together something that is fresh and novel, so they are victims to a very human behaviour: do what others are doing. This is what we’ve seen happen recently with the eruption of integrated-bracelet sports watches, a love for this genre of timepiece re-ignited by the Tissot PRX even though Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Girard-Perregaux and IWC never ceased to make them—but when it’s made affordable then yeah, we all get on the same bandwagon, don’t we? And we saw a similar phenomenon occur with stone dials: many brands dipped their toes into naturally-occurring minerals and ditched traditional dials for Tiger Eye, Malachite, and Lapis Lazuli. Amongst others. 

Then comes Nivada Grenchen, the brand that best epitomizes a successful resurrection for it consistently revisits its own old catalogs, seems to be finding horological gems right and left, and has figured out the perfect recipe to make excellent watches sold for fair sums of money. At first, Nivada Grenchen played it safe by re-issuing 1:1 copies of previous references with new technology, preserving their aesthetics and dimensions. But once it has gotten a solid anchor into the market and in the business of making watches, it started to offer variations within its rejuvenated catalogs: colorful dials, new dial textures, and now new dial materials. With the F77 it brought back in 2023, Nivada Grenchen re-started a genre of watches it was already doing starting in 1977—integrated-bracelet sports watches—which gives it relative legitimacy in the domain. It released a first generation three years ago and today a MKII, and saw an opportunity to celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of gorgeous stone dials. 

Nivada made six special editions and we’re taking a look at the F77 MKII Azurite. 

Specifications 

Yes, the Franco-Swiss brand has made integrated-bracelet sports watches before and it continues to do so under new management as, in 2020, it was resurrected by one Guillaume Laidet who brought it back to its prime. What typically characterizes such type of timekeeping device is the disconnect between their on-paper dimensions and how they actually wear, as the integrated part of their design means a predominance of metal that wraps around the wrist, adding a bit of extra physical and visual presence on our flesh-and-bone apparatuses. Although they wear really well, we encountered this visual phenomenon looking at the Aision Hang Abyssus Sunburst Blue and Manime La Méridienne GMT, and what they both have in common and which we will also find in the F77 MKII 100th Anniversary Azurite is the fact that hot damn, they look awesome on account of their muscular figures. But, although the F77 MKII can be hand on a bracelet, the sample I got came with an integrated FKM rubber strap which is neat and reduces the watch’s wrist-print. 

Indeed, the F77 MKII is not a “proper” integrated-bracelet sports watch in the traditional sense of the word since the bracelet can be removed and swapped for rubber or leather straps—boohoo—although this fact makes this collection more agile as one can complement it with a type of fastening system that works best for him or her. Or, one can acquire two of them and change things up a bit depending on what situation one is finding him or herself in. Looking at the watch head alone then, the Nivada Grenchen F77 MKII clocks in at normal dimensions for 2026: 38mm in diameter, 46.2mm lug-to-lug, 11.5mm thick and a strap/bracelet that starts at 22mm outside the lugs and tapers to 16mm at the clasp. Thus, whatever you attach the F77 MKII to your wrist with, it will drape around it to ensure maximum daily comfort. Moreover, the FKM rubber strap I received is the cut-to-size type, and I had to sacrifice some chunks of it to make it fit my 6.50”/16.5cm wrist. The case + strap combo clocks in at 90g by the way which means it’s comfy. 

Nivada Grenchen also offers the F77 MKII in a plethora of variants, with baton or pointy hands, flat or texture dials, colors or not, and though the new MKII’s are powered by a SOPROD P024 caliber, the 100th Anniversary editions are equipped with a LaJoux-Perret G101 (4Hz/68 hours of power reserve) to make them a bit more special. For all of these editions, Nivada kept the dials as symmetrical as possible and did without the date complication that can be found on other versions of the F77’s. Besides the cool caliber inside, the MKII’s also feature a 5.8mm screw-down crown and see-through case-back which endow these models with an everyday sportive 100-meter depth-rating. The sapphire is a piece of double-domed sapphire which could have benefited from some inner anti-reflective coating as the light joyfully bounces from its surface with great ease. With that said, when you catch the Azurite dial at the right angle—as we will see below—you’re in for a good show. Oh, there’s also lume on the hands and dots near the hour markers. 

Design 

Circling back to the introduction, the new point of interest of the Nivada Grenchen F77 MKII 100th Anniversary collection is the blending of stunning stone dials with the integrated-bracelet-style metal chassis which made and continues to make the F77 so visually compelling. For this celebratory release, the brand is launching six stone dials—Labradorite, Jade, Azurite, Shungite Black, Smoky Quartz, and Black Opal—in addition to an Ice Agate which showcases a pale blue textured dial. Each type of stone comes with its own visual characteristics and spiritual meanings, and the Azurite we’re checking out evokes the ever-changing colors of the ocean, blending deep blues with green reflections, and is often associated with clarity and perception. (I couldn’t have come up with a better description myself!) And you won’t believe it if I were to say I’m glad the brand sent in the Azurite as it is visually the most stunning of all stone dials Nivada is offering for this new special collection. (They secretly knew what I was hoping for.) 

As someone who has an affinity for all bodies of water and dreams of snorkeling in the world’s most gorgeous lagoons—or whatever is left of them—I feel particularly attracted by the Azurite stone which does remind me of the depths of some of the oceans and seas I had the opportunity to float on and dive in. As you might know or not*, Azurite is a copper mineral produced by the weathering of ore deposits over a shit ton of millenia. While no two chunks of Azurites are equal, the one making up the dial of this F77 MKII 100th Anniversary edition is endowed with a deeply organic marbling of rich blues and turquoise greens intersected by black veins, creating an intense sense of depth inside a relatively thin watch head (11.5mm thick including the crystal) which is quite remarkable. And the F77’s classic design language elevates and complements the beauty of the stone: fully-polished and faceted applied hour markers, doubled at the cardinal points, partially cut-open baton-shaped hour and minute hands, and a rectangular seconds hand. 

*I didn’t until I was typing this review. 

While the double-domed sapphire crystal could have indeed benefited from some AR coating, I do really appreciate how light easily bounces off the polished hands and markers as well as from the surface of the Azurite dial, so that it is relatively easy to read the time and get lost for a moment looking at the dial’s entrancing beauty. And this light-bouncing phenomenon can further be observed on the case: it is superbly angular and elongated, with a fully-polished narrow mid-section which plunges down the wrist in the form of wide polished chamfers, offset by vertically-brushed outer portions that form the outer segments of the lugs. (The perfect geometry of it and how it plays with the light and dial reminds me of the Maen Manhattan 37 Ultra-Thin Golden Swan.) The light-bouncing continues on the rounded octogonal fixed bezel which is a design trademark of 1970s integrated-bracelet sports watches, and is complemented by eight screws which add an air of industrialism to the F77. The fully-integrated rubber strap is a nice touch. 

The Heart of the Matter

Whenever there is a second version of something generally means it is better than the first. I handled a F77 MKI a couple of years back and I remember being impressed by the finishing of the case and how well it wore on my average European wrist. And so based on my hopefully reliable recollection of the first generation of Nivada Grenchen’s integrated-bracelet-style offering from 2023, I can mentally and physically compare the new with the old and share this: sheesh, the brand has upped the ante in terms of manufacturing and finishing because the case of the F77 MKII feels more solid and visually is more stunning on account of the superb polishing and satin-brushing work. (Equal to that of the Autochron Mecaquartz we looked at a few weeks ago.) But that is not the point of this celebratory release even though it plays a big part in determining its value: in addition to the nice case and the new caliber, Nivada did follow the trend by doing stone dials and cleverly fitted them in its collection that is aesthetically the most striking one. 

The result is the perfect blend of two trends, and although Nivada is not the first brand to hop on this combo, as far as the world wild web shows, it does it very well and in its own style. Which make for a very special horological experience whether on the rubber or stainless steel bracelet (should the latter be as good as the one fitting the Autochron) which can be had for what we should consider to be a reasonable price on account of how it looks, what it is made out of, and how the market is consistently yanking itself up the price ladder: $1,590 USD on the fitted FKM rubber strap. Yes, it is reasonable indeed. 

Conclusion

All seven versions of the new Nivada Grenchen F77 MKII 100th Anniversary editions will go on sale on September 24th, 2026, at the aforementioned price of $1,590 USD on the rubber (or canvas strap,) and $1,790 USD on the stainless steel bracelet. 100 years later, I have the feeling that Nivada Grenchen’s original founders would be pleased with this release and to see how their brand has successfully been preserved through the ages and slightly re-imagined in the middle of the 21st century. I know I would if I were but that I am not! 

Thanks for reading.