And what could be more appropriate than the just-released re-issue of the Antarctic timepiece by 98-year-old Swiss maker Nivada Grenchen.
The bijou, 35mm-diameter watch is a faithful recreation of what Nivada Grenchen incorrectly claims to have been “the first watch in Antarctica” – a trip to London’s British Horological Institute will soon reveal that Scott was carrying an alarm pocket watch when he died on the return from his failed journey to the South Pole in 1912.
All the same, the new Antarctic does reprise the model supplied to members of Operation Deep Freeze, the series of American missions carried out from 1955 to 1956 to establish the first permanent base in the inhospitable region.
Renowned explorer Admiral Richard E Byrd was chosen to lead the expedition and he is known to have worn an Antarctic on the basis that it was famously robust, antimagnetic and shock-resistant.
These days, adventure watches typically have cases of 40mm-plus diameter, but the Antarctic measured a comparatively tiny 35mm, a size that Nivada Grenchen has replicated in the re-issue.
As well as adding to the model’s authenticity, the 35mm case also chimes with the current zeitgeist for smaller watches and looks so good that it really does beggar the question ‘why did we all go large?’.
Inside, you’ll find a hand-wound Landeron 21 movement, which is not only small in diameter, but in thickness, too – meaning the Antarctic measures a mere 10.1mm from the bottom to the top. The detail is exceptional, from the gold “medallion” pressed into the caseback, and the blued steel seconds hand, to the applied indices and the “double-domed” crystal.
Black, white and eggshell dials are available – and one more appealing aspect about the watch is its price. Buy online direct from nivadagrenchenofficial.com and it will set you back just €850. Leaving a bit of spare cash to buy some treats for your sled dogs…
Simon de Burton is a journalist and author who writes for the FT’s How to Spend It, British GQ and Boat International, among other publications
