CROTON (NIVADA) Chronograph Ref.109B, 1970s

— The Croton Nivada line —

A watch from the golden age of the 1970s sports chronograph. The company was founded in 1879 as Nivada Grenchen; the American firm Croton acquired it in 1926, and it continued as Croton Nivada.

It is best known for the Chronomaster, used by Antarctic expeditions, and although the quartz crisis took the name off the market it returned as Nivada in 2019. That complicated history is part of what this watch carries.

— Deep blue, 1970s —

Elegance inside a blunt 38mm cushion case. Markers and hands that have gained a little character with age answer the heavy brightness of stainless steel, and a navy blue dial like a night sea holds the attention.

— Calibre Valjoux 7733 —

The movement is the Valjoux 7733, one of the great hand-wound chronographs, used by a number of prestigious houses.

The click of the crown under the fingers and the movement of the hands driven by a strongly beating balance make for a conversation with a machine that no digital watch offers. Half a century on, it is still accurate.

— A shape that does not date —

A cushion form with a volume current watches do not have. The hairline-finished case represents the leading edge of its period, and makes itself felt every time it appears from a cuff.

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