  We report on multiwavelength observations of nova SMCN 2016-10a. The present
observational set is one of the most comprehensive for any nova in the Small
Magellanic Cloud, including: low, medium, and high resolution optical
spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry from SALT, FLOYDS, and SOAR; long-term OGLE
$V$- and $I$- bands photometry dating back to six years before eruption; SMARTS
optical and near-IR photometry from $\sim$ 11 days until over 280 days
post-eruption; $Swift$ satellite X-ray and ultraviolet observations from $\sim$
6 days until 319 days post-eruption. The progenitor system contains a bright
disk and a main sequence or a sub-giant secondary. The nova is very fast with
$t_2 \simeq$ 4.0 $\pm$ 1.0 d and $t_3 \simeq$ 7.8 $\pm$ 2.0 d in the $V$-band.
If the nova is in the SMC, at a distance of $\sim$ 61 $\pm$ 10 kpc, we derive
$M_{V,\mathrm{max}} \simeq - 10.5$ $\pm$ 0.5, making it the brightest nova ever
discovered in the SMC and one of the brightest on record. At day 5
post-eruption the spectral lines show a He/N spectroscopic class and a FWHM of
$\sim$ 3500 kms$^{-1}$ indicating moderately high ejection velocities. The nova
entered the nebular phase $\sim$ 20 days post-eruption, predicting the imminent
super-soft source turn-on in the X-rays, which started $\sim$ 28 days
post-eruption. The super-soft source properties indicate a white dwarf mass
between 1.2 M$_{\odot}$ and 1.3 M$_{\odot}$ in good agreement with the optical
conclusions.
