Nivada Grenchen and WatchGecko Give the Autochron a Teal Neo-Vintage Turn

The Nivada Grenchen Autochron has one of those backstories that watch collectors tend to remember.

Conceived in the 1970s but never brought to market, the chronograph has returned not as a straight archival copy, but as a watch imagining where the idea might have gone.

The new Nivada Grenchen x WatchGecko Autochron Teal sharpens that concept with a limited collaborative edition, adding a grainy teal-blue dial, cream registers and a bundled suede strap alongside its steel bracelet.

At a glance

The Autochron returns with a different kind of seventies energy

The original Autochron concept sits in that fascinating corner of watch history where strong designs were overtaken by the industry’s shift toward quartz.

Nivada Grenchen’s modern interpretation doesn’t try to freeze the idea in the past.

Instead, the WatchGecko edition leans into a plausible alternate timeline, one where a compact dual-register-style chronograph could have evolved with bolder colour and more practical everyday engineering.

That makes the teal edition feel less like nostalgia for its own sake and more like a watch with a clear visual identity.

A tonneau case, cream registers and a teal dial

The stainless steel case measures 38mm across, which is right in the pocket for a vintage-leaning sports chronograph.

Its curved tonneau profile gives it more character than a conventional round case, while the round 60-minute bezel keeps the watch visually anchored.

Inside the bezel, an internal tachymeter scale gives the dial a period-correct motorsport feel without making it too busy.

The teal-blue dial has a grainy texture, set against cream subdials that soften the look and give the watch its strongest neo-vintage cue.

The layout includes a date window at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 6, a 12-hour counter at 9 and a 30-minute counter at 12.

At 12.75mm thick excluding the glass, it stays reasonably restrained for a chronograph-style watch, especially one with a 200-metre water resistance rating.

Bracelet presence or suede-strap ease

Part of the appeal here is that WatchGecko hasn’t treated the strap as an afterthought.

The watch comes with a three-link stainless steel bracelet for a more substantial wrist presence, plus a custom WatchGecko x Nivada branded Highley Suede strap.

The bracelet gives the Autochron Teal a sharper, more robust profile, while the brown suede strap shifts it into a more relaxed weekend register.

That duality suits the watch well, because the design has enough case shape and colour to carry either treatment.

Meca-quartz with a neat historical twist

Inside is the Seiko VK67, a meca-quartz calibre that combines quartz regulation with the tactile chronograph feel associated with mechanical operation.

It’s an interesting choice for a watch tied to an unreleased 1970s chronograph concept, especially given the role quartz played in reshaping the watch industry at the time.

For this WatchGecko edition, the meca-quartz movement is the only configuration available.

The broader Autochron family does include automatic options using the ETA Valjoux 7750, but the teal collaboration is positioned as a more accessible and limited expression of the design.

Details & Specifications

At £685, the Autochron Teal sits at the same price as the standard meca-quartz Autochron models on steel bracelets, with the added suede strap and 100-piece production run giving it a more compelling collector angle.

For anyone drawn to compact chronographs, 1970s case shapes and colour used with restraint, this is one of the more distinctive ways into the revived Autochron story.