Croton Aviator Sea Diver Chronograph (Ref. 106/903006), 1970s

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

The Chronomaster range of watches from Nivada Grenchen and Croton were produced in a time when adventures and exploration were at the forefront of what was happening in the world and within the pop culture of the 1960s. Within the expansive world of vintage timepieces, there is no uncertainty that vintage tool watches hold a particular position within the minds of numerous collectors. The 1960s and 1970s were what we now know as the golden era of sports watch design where the form of a watch needed to meet its intended function to support the adventures that the watch was created for. Nivada Grenchen or Croton in the States was founded in Grenchen, Switzerland in the 1920s by Jacob Schneider, Nivada Grenchen was actually one of the first watch brands to manufacture automatic watches. Nevada encompassed another modern wristwatch innovations as well, creating waterproof and “rustless” watches that would stand up to the rigors of the outdoor adventures they were creating a watch for. This ref. 106/903006 utilizes a Landeron cal. 248 chronograph movement and features high contrasting white baton-style hands. The Croton ref. 106/903006 features a large stainless steel 38mm stainless steel case with long and angled lugs. The case is outfitted with an aluminum minute/hour bi-directional bezel that is not only unique but useful. The simple and no-nonsense dial is beautifully executed with a flash of red in the rightmost sub-dial that offers a 5-minute count down interval. The Aviator Sea Diver ref. 106/903006 covers all of these classic sport watch ques from this golden era of classic sports watch design. SPECS Stock # CPCAUTDV-3 Brand Croton Style Aviator Sea Diver Model 106/903006 Serial 27XXX Size Men's Material SS Dial Glossy Black Millimeters 38mm Bracelet 2pc Handmade Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The excellent case has been lightly polished in the past and retains its chamfers down the lugs and exhibit honest signs of use. The black hours/minutes bezel shows some honest signs of use and remains deep black in coloration. The unsigned crown and top pusher remain original, the bottom pusher was replaced prior to our acquisition. The caseback retains all of its original factory engravings in clear and visible condition. The watch will come supplied on a 2pc handmade leather strap. DIAL & HANDS The glossy black dial is in wonderful original condition, the white text is highly visible and easy to read. The tritium lume plots have taken on an excellent yellow patina and show no degradation under U.V. light inspection. The original tritium hands match the dial perfectly, the hand is starting the chip on the minute hand towards the center of the hand stack, under U.V. light inspection the tritium hands show no degradation or lume loss. ACCESSORIES