Nivada-Grenchen Updates the F77 with a Redesigned Case
We have officially reached that point in the integrated bracelet sports watch trend where the late entrants are getting their second generation, “improved” models to market. Case in point, Nivada-Grenchen and their F77. The F77 launched in March of 2023, a time period that most would agree saw the hype around this genre of watch begin to cool in a significant way. That doesn’t take anything away from the F77 as a watch, of course. I’m rather fond of the size and geometry of this one, and it’s a genuine part of Nivada’s heritage. But in terms of its timing, it did debut at “peak” integrated bracelet sports watch mania. And so here we are, two years later, and Nivada has launched a Mark II version of the F77. We’re now at a point, I think, where integrated bracelet sports watches are just part of the landscape, and a required offering for any brand wishing to cast even a somewhat wide net. It makes sense, then, that Nivada would work to improve theirs. From the looks of it, they’ve made some fairly substantial changes to the case that could have a real impact on how the F77 wears, and it certainly has an impact on the overall aesthetic of the watch. The case measures 12.2mm thick, which is not appreciably different from the previous version, but the lugs have been completely redesigned. The first F77 had lugs that were quite flat and, for an integrated bracelet sports watch, fairly long. The new F77 Mark II has lugs that are much more dramatically curve...