Original vintage 1950s advert for the Nivada Aquadatic Antartic line used by the U.S. Navy in Antartica during Operation Deep Freeze in 1955-56,
 
Dimensions: 20 inches wide by 13.5 inches high (this is a two-page advert)
 
The Nivada Antarctic watch has battled with snow, rain and sleet, with U.S. Navy Admiral Byrd relying on it during tough conditions during the U.S. Navy’s Operation Deep Freeze.
 
A Swiss watch manufacturing company, Nivada was founded in the town of Grenchen, Switzerland in 1879 by Jacob Schneider.  The company gained attraction after World War II, producing a series of successful watches before succumbing to the Quartz Crisis.
 
In 1926, Nivada was operational in Grenchen as Wüllimann Schneider Nivada S.A., and the Swiss manufacture relied on proven movements from ETA SA and Phénix S.A., as was typical at the time, and the company was known for quality mass-produced watches.  Nivada celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1979, at which point it was run by Max Schneider, the son of the founder, who took over the business in 1976.
 
In 1930, Nivada was one of the first companies to manufacture automatic watches, which led to the creation of Nivada’s first waterproof automatic watch, the Antarctic in 1950.  The watch was worn by the members of the U.S. Navy’s Operation Deep Freeze 1 during their expedition to the South Pole from 1955 to 1956.  Since then, Nivada has become known for its Antarctic’s robust and reliable performance in extreme conditions.  
 
Operation Deep Freeze I (1955–1956)
As part of the multinational collaboration for the International Geophysical Year (IGY) 1957–58, Byrd was appointed as officer in charge of the U.S. Navy Operation Deep Freeze I in 1955–56, which established permanent Antarctic bases at McMurdo Sound, the Bay of Whales, and the South Pole.  This was Byrd's last trip to Antarctica, and marked the beginning of a permanent U.S. military presence in Antarctica.  Byrd spent only one week in the Antarctic, and started his return to the United States on February 3, 1956.
 
Operation Deep Freeze evolved to become the code name for a series of U.S. missions to Antarctica, beginning with Operation Deep Freeze I – Admiral Byrd’s expedition – followed by Operation Deep Freeze II, Operation Deep Freeze III, and so on.  Given the continuing and constant US presence in Antarctica since that date, Operation Deep Freeze has come to be used as a general term for US operations in that continent, and in particular for the regular missions to resupply U.S. Antarctic bases, coordinated by the USMIL.
 
For a few decades the missions were led by the U.S. Navy, though the Air National Guard and National Science Foundation are also important parts of the missions.  In Antarctica, when the polar dawn starts late in the year things begin warming up and the mission usually runs from late in the year to early the next year before the months of darkness and cold return.  During that time bases will over-winter until the next year and Deep Freeze mission.
 
Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer, and pioneering aviator, polar explorer, and organizer of polar logistics.  Aircraft flights in which he served as a navigator and expedition leader crossed the Atlantic Ocean, a segment of the Arctic Ocean, and a segment of the Antarctic Plateau. 
 
Byrd is also known for discovering Mount Sidley, the largest dormant volcano in Antarctica, and he claimed to be the first to reach both the North and South Poles by air.  He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the U.S. Armed Forces' highest military decoration, and the Navy Cross, the second highest honor for valor given by the U.S. Navy.
 
Nivada was prevented from using its name during the 1960s and 1970s due to its phonetic similarity with Movado, so the products were labeled "Nivada Grenchen."  In the U.S., Croton (formed in 1878 in Italy, later headquartered in New Jersey) became a U.S. distributor for Nivada products, so many were sold under the "Croton Nivada", "Croton Nivada Grenchen", and simply "Croton" names, avoiding the issues with the similarity to the Movado name.