Antarctic II, III, IV, V, VI - the ‘Roman Numeral’ series
Following the success of the original Antarctic, Nivada launched a number of models in a series from the late 1950s to early 1960s, identified by a roman numeral after the Antarctic name on the bottom of the dial.
These have their own charms and retain the design ethos and quality of the original Antarctic. Alongside the Penguin and Chronometer they encompass what I refer to as the ‘first series’ of Antarctics, before the name was applied to seemingly any watch Nivada wanted to sell!
In a similar vein to the Omega Speedmaster ‘Mark’ series, it appears the original Antarctic outlived all of the roman numeral series, and continued production as Nivada’s logo and typeface changed through the 1960s. It seems the original variant in watches is often the best, or at least the most sold.
There will also be a separate page for the Antarctic Chronometre, which I consider to be the final watch to the initial ‘series’ of Antarctics, as well as the Penguin.
A fantastic I, II and III courtesy of @watchdork. Note the I is some years later than the II and III given the font used.
Antarctic II
The II started production in 1959, and is a wonderfully utilitarian variant that has a distinctive case design with facets echoing the I and a hidden crown.
The II shared the dimensions of the I (35mm diameter) in a case that appeared to have longer lugs, and a wonderful wide, flat bezel with a chamfered edge. The key case difference was the widening of lugs to 19mm, which limits strap choices.
The hidden crown brings a wonderful symmetry to the watch, and I have not seen one with a date window that would disrupt this.
Some IIs were labelled ‘D’ under the Croton branding, for reasons unknown, and the ‘Aquamatic’ branding also appeared on some dials during production.
Author’s II with dual branding and hidden crown just visible
Crown flush with the case and distinctive lug facets visible.
The hidden crown would be tricky to operate in polar conditions, but perhaps once the time was set there was less risk of it getting caught on clothing and equipment! There is no evidence that the II was used by the US task force, its merely Nivada following up on its success of the I.
The hands are carried straight over from the I, dauphine and blued second hand, and it appears the same (earlier) movements were used too.
The dials have two types of art deco numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 19, and irregular hexagon markers for the other hours. Round ‘pips’ of lume are on the outer track - originals are perfectly round and age to lovely light orange.
Dials on the II appear to be prone to lacquer micro bubbling in the centre outward, and are frequently discoloured.
Buyers should also note the sharp facets, which like the I are easily lost if polished.
12 sided caseback with original descriptive engraving and stamped case number
@watchdork’s wonderful II with ‘squared’ numerals and larger hexagonal hour markers.
Another II from mywatchmart, note the 19mm lugs leaving a gap on the 18mm strap.
II with typical dial damage and non-blue second hand
Summary Specifications
Model: Antarctic II
Diameter (crown pushed in): 35mm
Lug to lug: 42mm
Lug width: 19mm
Height: 9.5mm
Movement: Various automatic ETA 23xx, 24xx.
Power reserve: ~40 hours
Case: All stainless steel.
One of the last IIs, with later fonts and Aquamatic branding
Antarctic III
The III also appears to have been started in 1959 or 1960, and provided a more formal variant, with a larger dial, thin bezel and lugs as well as a distinctive linen dial.
The III also had drilled lugs and a lovely ‘sei tache’ (six point') caseback with a stepped UFO profile. Very 1950s indeed.
This variant dispensed with the signature curved bevel lugs and and likely was made to appeal to more traditional buyers while leaning on the Antarctic name.
If you had a formal dinner at the south pole, this is the watch to slip neatly under the cuff.
Author’s III with beautiful linen dial and big, round deco numerals
@watchdork’s exemplary III, with his top notch photography skills capturing the linen texture. Note the 30 jewel script applying to a version of the ETA 2451 that appears to be used for all IIIs
The main draw for me is the dial of the III, it pretends to be restrained but has ‘look at me’ giant rounded deco numerals and a stunning linen textured dial. The multifaceted icicles at the hour markers are delightful, creating light and shadow dioramas that are different at every glance.
The hands are again carried straight over from the I; dauphine and blued second hand, and it appears the same ETA movements were used without the date function.
Dials on the III appear to be prone to damage, especially the linen dials with more surface area to trap moisture and dirt. While they are touted as waterproof the crown tube design would indicate otherwise!
The III case again held the familiar 35mm/42mm dimensions, this time back to the easier 18mm lug width, though slimmer than the I at under 10mm.
Buyers should also note the sharp facets on the small thin lugs, which like the I and II are easily lost if polished.
The original crown were unsigned but had a nice bevelling to accommodate setting and a smart domed top.
Caseback with sei tache sockets ready to cause havoc with careless case openers. Note the high centre holding the rotor and
Drilled lugs and domed crown, with delicate bevelling
Summary Specifications
Model: Antarctic III
Diameter (excluding crown): 35mm
Lug to lug: 42mm
Lug width: 18mm
Height: 10mm
Movement: ETA 24xx with various jewel counts.
Power reserve: ~40 hours
Case: All stainless steel
@watchdork’s III again, because its the best one I’ve seen!
Antarctic IV
The IV was a gold plated version of the III, sharing movements, dial style and design. The caseback is the older dodechahedral style rather than a sei tache, and the crown is a slightly different style.
Unfortunately the plating appears to have been quite thin and so they are often worn through.
I don’t have one in my collection but will keep searching! Thanks to Martin (@matin.josse51) for these shots.
IV with great linen dial and gold plated case (courtesy of @martin.josse51)
Different, smaller crown supplied vs the III
12 sided caseback (image from eBay)
Antarctic V, VI, VII?
Yes, there are even more… the V and VI appear to be steel and gold-capped square watches with brushed dials and bevelled lugs, while the VII may be an early sixties variant that shares some design cues with the Antarctic Chronometre.
They all seem to share the handset and movements of the rest of the series, but I’m yet to get my hands on any of them to verify. If you have one and would like to share some information, please get in touch.
Steel cases V from thevintageseiko.com
VI in capped gold, with very deco angled case and dial design (image from eBay)
VII from user Polar44 on omegaforums. Notable as the dial numerals and markers are shared with the Antarctic Chronometre, so must be from around 1963/4