Mine is signed ‘Croton’, which is the name Nivada Grenchen used for their watches sold in the US. The first generation style like my example here with the large arrow hands was made from 1963 to about 1970 when they switched over to the classic ’70’s ‘stick’ hands. Most variations are a two register chronograph with subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock, and a sixty minute elapsed time diver’s bezel.
The Chronomaster made its debut in 1963 and continued production until about 1978.
This name has all the bases covered! Fortunately, it’s not just a cool name, this is one cool watch as well. But what we have here is a versatile timepiece, at home in any environment you wish to wear it.What’s in a name? Sometimes a whole lot! There are some great model names in the annals of watch history like Speedmaster, Submariner, Sportsmatic and Snorkel….but there’s one that takes the cake: The Croton Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver. The hour markers and hands do show signs of age, having mellowed to a handsome even patina, and the case back likewise shows signs of light use. The bevels on the lugs are as sharp as they must have been when this watch first rolled off the assembly line. While these watches are by no means scarce, one in this condition-and with a box-is rare indeed. Another nod to the diving heritage is the engraving on the case back, which denotes water resistance up to 20 ATM. Because, as you can guess from the name, this was meant to be a dive watch as well. With 18,000 bph and a smooth action, the Valjoux 23 remains superlative.Īnother salient feature of this watch: the bi-directional bezel, showing 60-minute elapsed time as well as a GMT function. Ours has the venerable Valjoux 23, that column-wheel movement that powered chronographs by Rolex and Heuer, among others. The Chronomaster also used many different movements, from the Valjoux to the Landeron 248. Nivada used broad arrow hands during the 1960s before transitioning to stick hands in the 1970s it's the latter style that you see here. The registers are black on black, with a red triangle in the 30 minute subdial for timing regattas.
The most common iteration, featured on this watch, has two chronograph registers at 3 and 9 o'clock, and later versions had the addition of a date window. It came in many different flavors throughout its fifteen-year run. due to a copyright dispute with Movado, because "Nivada" clearly sounds like "Movado") introduced the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver in 1963 and produced it until 1978. Not only is it a chronograph (a chrono master, even), it can be used at sea and in the air. No model of Nivada's typifies this more than the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver. Croton, Nivada, or Nivada Grenchen: by whatever name they go by, these watches were meant to handle anything.
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