aBlogtoRead.com » Nivrel

Nivrel La Grande Manuelle X47 Watch Review

admin — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 08:30:22 +0000

Nivrel is one of my favorite underdog German watch brands. They do (have done) a wide range of stuff - from hardcore dive watches, to tourbillons, to erotic minute repeaters. I love the variety of their work. Lately it seems as though they have been focusing on more classic looking timepieces. Here is one of them, and it comes with a twist. This is the newer Nivrel La Grande Manuelle X47, and handsome classic timepiece that comes with a special type of day planner to go with the watch. It is the perfect type of watch for people who want something well-made but "nothing too fancy."

OK, first let me explain this whole X47 thing. You can visit the X47 site here to learn more. The X47 is a daily planner that uses a clock face and some space below to plan your day. Rather than layout the day in sequential periods. you draw in parts of the clock face like it is a pie chart. The idea is to help you remember things by repetition, and association with where the hour hand is. The X47 book that comes with the watch is specially made for Nivrel, with the clock faces being (more or less) of the Grande Manuelle.

Leather-bound, the book is nicely presented and of a much higher quality than most of the things you'll find at office stores. Nivrel gives you lots and lots of extra X47 pages. The set also comes with a metal mechanical pencil which is pretty cool. What is also special is that the X47 company is from the same area in Germany where Nivrel is from - making it a pleasant "regional partnership." Nivrel is located in Saarbrucken, a city in Germany that I actually visited - which helps me enjoy the watch even more actually.

According to Nivrel - the Grand Manuelle X47 watch set is meant for people who "love to engage with time." Organizational freaks or those who still use paper day planners will get a kick out of it. I personally like the concept - even if I don't use it that much (and I really like the mechanical pencil). Whether or not the X47 part of the equation interests you ("X47" actually sounds like part of an equation), there is much to find appealing about the watch.

I call it my "baby Lange" (referring of course to high-end watch maker A. Lange & Sohne - which is also located in Germany), this watch is characteristically like many conservative looking Teutonic watches with a "traditional" sensibility to them. It is very easy to read, pleasing to the eyes, and like I said above, not trying to be anything "fancy." I wouldn't call it boring though. Nivrel's placement of the crown at 2 o'clock, and the asymmetrical position of the subsidiary seconds dial mixes the design up 'just enough' to prevent the watch from being generic.

The steel case is 42mm wide with a polished bezel and brushed metal body. Crystal is slightly domed sapphire, and there is another crystal on the rear of the watch as a display back over the movement. The case is water resistant to 50 meters. For the dial, Nivrel uses a printed piece of solid silver. The subsidiary seconds dial is slight recessed, while the hands are done in blued steel. The blued steel is quite dark actually - and often looks black. In the right light, the deep blue of the hands does come out. It pleases me that Nivrel did what it needed to do to make the dial very easy to read. It is almost soothing in an industrial wall clock circa 1930 sort of way. The proper length of the hands along with the Arabic numerals will make you feel as though most of your other watches are illegible in comparison. Though I did feel as though the hand on the subsidiary seconds dial was a bit stubby.

Interestingly enough, there is zero Nivrel branding on the case, aside from the mention on the dial. Nivrel watches this watch to be very simple, almost in an elegant manner. Things like luminant on the dial are missing, but watches of this type usually don't offer luminant on the dials - most Lange watches certainly don't. For the movement Nivrel chose a high-grade version of the Swiss Unitas 6498-1 manually wound movement. This movement in one form or another has been around forever. This version has some nice blued screws, Geneva stripe polishing, perlage polishing, and a blue steel swan-neck fine adjustment system for the escapement. Without heavy modification, this is about as nice a decor you can get with the 6498-1 movement. What I would have loved forever - and would have really got me excited was the addition of a power reserve indicator on the dial. Call me crazy, but I think that all non-automatic watches (when feasible) should have power reserve indicators on the dial to tell you when to wind the movements.

Please note that the strap you see on the watch here is not the standard strap (though it looks similar). Nivrel will match all La Grande Manuelle X47 watches with a Louisiana brown alligator strap. This one however happens to have a stamped calfskin strap. The strap has a push-button, fold-over butterfly deployment strap with the Nivrel logo engraved in to it.

The Nivrel La Grande Manuelle X47 set will be limited to just 250 pieces. I think after those are sold you can still get the watch, but the X47 set won't be available. Price for it all is 1,990 euros. I quite like this watch, and it offers a sort of "living simple" calming feeling. Some days La Grande Manuelle will feel downright boring, while other times it is exactly what you want to put on your wrist. It is comfortable, tells the time, and handsome - in other words the quintessential conservative watch.

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

Nivrel 5 Minute Repeater Skeletonized Gold Watch Available On James List

admin — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 09:44:39 +0000

If you look at all the details in this Nivrel watch, you'll understand why I like it - especially as compared to many of the other minute repeater watches out there. In a nut shell, you have a base ETA Swiss movement that is highly decorated in a highly polished gold case. The dial is beautifully skeletonized, and the watch has a 5 minute repeater complication. So many nice features for the price of about $23,000 - which is far below that which you'd find from aÂ Swiss made watch as Nivrel is German.

Nivrel has a lot of 5 minute repeater watches, it is one of their core specialties. A 5 minute repeater is a minute repeater that tells time back to you acoustically to the closest 5 minute minute interval. For example, if the time was 10:41, the minute repeater would probably play back the tones for "10:40." The minute repeater works via a series of hammers and gongs in the movement which is provided by a special Dubois Depraz module (which I believe is specially made for Nivrel) that affixes to the base movement - which is an ETA 2892-2 automatic. Thus, you have a decorated and gold plated reliable automatic Swiss movement with a special module on it for the 5 minute repeater complication.

To operate the 5 minute repeater you depress the pusher located on the bottom of the case at 6 o'clock. The watch will then play back a melody that you decipher to determine the time. Pretty nice. Getting automatic minute repeater watches is very hard as they are quite rare (most are part of manually would movements) - Nivrel of course being an exception. The watch case and strap buckle are in 18k pink gold, with the case being 38mm wide and 13mm thick. The crown for the watch is in an "onion" style and located at 2 o'clock.Â Both the crystal on the front and rear are sapphire and anti reflective coated. The black straps are crocodile. These watches from Nivrel are a perfect rendition of a classically decorated 5 minute repeater watch with the convenience of an automatic movement and the luxury of a gold case and rotor. Plus, the price of about $23,000 isn't cheap relatively speaking, but is an excellent value compared to comparable watches.

See this Nivrel 5 Minute Repeater skeletonized gold watch on James List here.

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

The Nivrel Shark Sea Tourbillon Is A Rare Tourbillon In A Sea Of Glamour

admin — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:40:48 +0000

We know that tourbillon watches are expensive. The complex little movements are at a premium based on the difficultly of manufacture and the prestige of owning one. The bar has been set pretty high with all variations of multi axis tourbillons and flying tourbillons that give a great view of the action. What ever happened to just the basic tourbillon? Because more tourbillon watches go for $50k and up, the proprietors of such luxuries feel the need to spruce them up with lots of gilding and fancy appointments to justify the prices. That is typically the case with most tourbillon watches that feel more a like novelty than like something worth wearing on a daily basis. But it doesn't need to be that way.

The Nivrel "Sea" series has always been a diver's watch line that I have admired. I know of Nivrel's reputation for high quality construction and meticulous attention to detail (what else would you expect from a serious German watch maker?), and now I know that they have gently entered into the tourbillon game with the Shark Sea. Why it isn't called the Sea Shark, I don't know. I don't know that I'd want to go swimming in a place called the Shark Sea.

The Shark Sea might be Nivrel's first tourbillon watch. They don't make the movement, but that is OK. They do enough to make it look nice. The tourbillon is displayed on the face underneath a substantial looking bridge. This is a basic tourbillon without the frills of fancier ones, but at what I would imagine is about $30k, this represents a bargain in the tourbillon world. The movement itself is pretty hardy. It is a manually wound 120 hour power reserve (with an indicator on the face of the watch) movement which has been polished up nicely by Nivrel. There is no see through case back window, but you wouldn't expect it as this is a fully capable diving watch with a water resistance of 3000 meters (yea, as in over two miles under water). The case size is 42.5mm wide and the entire watch is a strapping 18.5mm deep. The bracelet even features a diving extension clasp. This might be the only other real diving tourbillon watch other than the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tourbillon.

Let's look at the style for a moment. This isn't a pretty watch, but it does have a sober sense of purpose and utility to it. It is handsome like a Rolex Yachtmaster is handsome, but instead of saying "I pay people to polish the wood on my Yacht" look, the Nivrel says "I take pride in polishing the wood myself." It doesn't hurt Nivrel that the Shark Sea has a striking similarity to the Yachtmaster either. The retrograde date indicator fits in nicely, and I like the red trim all over the dial in contrast with the black face and the gold bezel. Again, there is nicely applied power reserve indicator. You can't help but like the blood-tipped looking dagger hands, and the angular lume rich hour indicators are functional and serious looking. It's a watch meant to tell time, not a watch that tells the time as a second thought.

Speaking of gold, it is very prevalent on the Shark Sea. The really massive bezel is all gold with embossed numbering, and the chunky (good) bracelet has gold inserts in between the steel. Then, you have the all gold crown that just rounds out the look. This is a serious tool watch with luxury accents, but not a luxury watch in the strictest of senses. There is no glitz and glam. No super exotic materials or construction. Just really rugged German engineering with a solid Swiss movement. This is starting to sound like a German car commercial. Anyhow, check out Nivrel and Shark Sea, you won't be disappointed.

See Nivrel watches on eBay here.

See Nivrel watches on Amazon here.

ROLEX YACHTMASTER 18KT YELLOW GOLD MID SIZE BLUE DIAL

US $10,490.00

ROLEX YACHTMASTER II 2 WHITE GOLD 2010 IMMACULATE CONDITION

US $29,490.00

ROLEX YACHTMASTER S STEEL 18KT Y GOLD MENS WHITE DIAL

US $8,990.00

Rolex Yachtmaster 16622 M s n 40 mm Watch Box Papers

US $8,800.00

Rolex Yachtmaster 16622 SS Platinum F 2005 Near Mint

US $6,995.00

Rolex Yachtmaster 16622 SS Platinum K Near Mint

US $6,795.00

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

The Nivrel Wild Sea Chronograph Watch Cuts Through Time

admin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:45:04 +0000

The Nivrel "Sea" watches have always impressed me. They are basic diver watches, with a colorful twist. The chronograph version is the Wild Sea. It comes in standard steel, and PVD steel. This watch is perfect for when you want a classic look, with a bit of an edge.

The Wild Sea goes with the red color trim approach. The hands looks like daggers tipped in blood. At least in my morbid sense of observation. For this reason I state that the watch "cuts through time," with hands like knives... The larger chronograph dials are effective, and I like how the standard seconds dial is made more diminutive. It is a functional, and designer approach to the somewhat generic look of the ETA Valjoux 7750 dial orientation, which of course is the movement inside the watch.

Size again is very ordinary at 42mm wide. Not too small, not to big. Perfectly medium in all ways. The elegant curves on the bezel are also welcome. I like how they focus on functionality, but there is just something nicely nautical about the look. This otherwise straight forward diver's watch has all these little hints of character that make it standout, but never in a bad way.

Smaller round hour index markers help to "unclutter" the look of the face, but are still effective, and filled with luminant. Lengthening the hour indicators would detract from the appeal of the watch. A sapphire crystal and high grade steel add to the quality of the watch. There is only 100m of water resistance, so unfortunately this watch is not ideal for actual diving duty, but that is ok for most people's uses.

Pricing is competitive at about $2000 on the high end, $1500 on the lower end. Nivrel German watches are not the easiest to find, but you'll get one if you look online hard enough.

See Nivrel watches on eBay here.

See Nivrel watches on Amazon here.

NEW Invicta Mens 1107 Pro Diver Chronograph Black Dial Polyurethane Watch

US $66.00

TIMEX HELIX HX390 02M10S Mens Diver Chronograph Watch

US $52.01

Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Diver Chronograph 8006 102 3A

US $22,850.00

NEW GUESS COLLECTION GC SE 1 DIVER CHRONOGRAPH SS MEN BLACK WATCH I46500G1 DATE

US $228.88

Mens SWISS LEGEND TRIMIX DIVER CHRONOGRAPH BRAND NEW

US $145.00

Invicta Reserve Diver Chronograph Swiss Mens Watch 0911

US $315.00

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

Nivrel Sea Series Diving Watch Makes Sense For Any Collection: Coming in Red, Yellow, And Blue Trim

admin — Sat, 10 May 2008 23:47:07 +0000

[ad#text-med-rect]

It is my firm conviction that each watch collection must have at least one classic diving watch. I am not just talking about a timepiece with a 100 meter or more water resistance, I am talking about that look, with the three link metal bracelet, rotating bezel, and large and bright hour indicator dial. In other words, a Rolex Submariner 'homage' watch. It is ok, there are few watches that deserve such an homage, the classic Rolex diving watch is one of them. Otherwise, if you don't have a watch of this ilk in your possession, you aren't only going to feel left out, but you'll be missing out on a phenomenon of watch ownership where one style of watch, really seems to fit perfectly in every occasion and for all purposes.

To satisfy that end, you have literally hundreds of options, within a range of style, quality, and function. On the low end are $50 Casio watches that to an extent give you a taste of the look. On the high end are fine watch makers like Blancpain who can put even Rolex's high prices to shame. Then there are those excellent sub $1000 choices of which there are many, and today I present you with yet another option from the likes of German watch powerhouses of Marcello C., Stowa, Limes, and now Nivrel.

Nivrel watches have a good deal of merits, but I will save such praise for another time, my focus now is on the "Sea" series of diving watches. Of which are the Red Sea, South Sea, and Deep Sea; which accordingly have red, yellow, and blue trim. By this I mean that the tips of the hands are specially colored along with the model name, and the first fifteen minutes on the rotating bezel scale. The Nivrel Red Sea and South Sea watches only differ in color, while the Nivrel Deep Sea has a deeper depth rating of 1000 meters rather than 300 meters for the other two. Inside each of the watch you will find a familiar ETA 2824-2 automatic Swiss movement, and a look enhanced by a half century of refinement.

Other than the color modifications, the rest of the watch is a rather strict adaptation of the Submariner style of diving instrument. Which is not bad thing. Other makers refine the look to best represent their individual brands, while Nivrel took the approach of adding a dash of color. What is interesting is that other watches in the Nivrel line up are totally unique to the brand, so it must say something about the classic diving watch look that encouraged Nivrel to make such a "faithful" adaptation.

At 42mm in width, and retaining all the other standard measurements, this is a great watch to enhance any collection, whether you have and classic diving watches or not. Years of proven utility and quality have made watch such as this a essential for any watch lover. Prices are very fair for what you get at between $650-$1000 depending on the source. Some of these watches are still in production, while others are not. So you are bound to find a great example.

See Nivrel watches on eBay here.

See Nivrel watches on Amazon here.

VINTAGE 18K LADIES NIVREL WATCH

US $320.00

Vintage NIVREL ANTIMAGNETIQUE CHRONOGRAPH 18K Gold WATCH Completely Serviced

US $1,950.00

Nivrel Watch Catalog Edition Design German Boomerang

US $4.99

VINTAGE MOVEMENT WRISTWATCH FOR PARTS NIVREL ETA 1201

US $49.99

NIVREL 950001 5 Minute Repeater Repetition KELEK

US $10,000.00

Nivrel Horaire Five Minute Reapeater N 950001 42mm 18K Rose Gold $39500 LNIB

US $16,700.00

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

When Nivrel And Benzinger Get Together: German Watch Making Harmony

admin — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 23:41:21 +0000

My fondness for German watch Making is often clear as I make mention to watch makers and designers whose work produces beautiful or utilitarian timepieces. Here we have a rare combined effort of two of Germany's most exclusive had dedicated watch makers. Nivrel is know for their well-made classically simplistic timepieces which perform their functions in an uncluttered and simple execution. Benzinger, using their watch tools and machines from days of old, bring a rare attention to tiny aesthetic detail on each visible part of the watch and movement. This technique called "decorating" or "gilding" uses fine machines and tools to carve patterns on to the surfaces of a watch.

Jochen Benzinger performs what is a lost art; the idea of taking the time to decorate the fruit of ones labor. In America especially, during the 19th and early 20th centuries, furniture makers would decorate their creations with patterns, carvings, and delicate attention to detail. Part of the idea was to differentiate themselves so that the consumer knew exactly who created the furniture piece. Today, watches, like furniture before them, are produced in an assembly line with less attention given to detail, and more to volume.

Nivrel and Benzinger are among those watch makers who produce handmade watches piece by piece, and provide a sense of exclusivity in their creations. That is part of what you get when you pay for craftmanship. Looking at this watch you see a classic design probably introduced by Patek Philippe, and beautifully emulated by Nivrel. The full calendar moonphase watch provides the time and all the basic calendar functions you want to know without making the watch face cluttered or busy.

While the Nivrel watch alone is enough, this particular piece was disassembled by Benzinger and highly decorated as can be seen in the pictures, then put back together. Look at the mechanical movement and view the soft swirls and lines which adorn each section of exposed surface area. These decorations are hand applied with tools or special machines no longer built with any consistency. Watches like this used to be common place for the very wealthy, but due to the time it takes to make them, such practices have all but ceased today. You will be hard at working looking for a similarly decorated German or Swiss watch.

The watch being auctioned on eBay is very rare and represents the apex of watch making from both Nivrel and Benzinger. It is certainly worth your time to check it out if only to be aware of what time and labor can achieve in a watch movement.

See the Benzinger decorated Nivrel watch and other Nivrel or Benzinger watches on eBay here.