These three letter codes refer directly to the brand with 'COW' referencing 'Croton, Nivada SA.' The import stamp lines up with the dial featuring only Croton branding, the US distributor and marketer. The Valjoux 23 movement is stamped 'COW' in no reference to the barn animal but as an indication that the watch was originally imported from Switzerland to the US. We are really loving the deeper patina to the lume on this one and the strong case. Add in the tachymeter scale on the periphery of the dial, the dueling 60-minute/12-hour markers on the rotating bezel, and the simple pump pushers, and you have all the ingredients of one of the most underrated sport watches out there. This example is really special, with a splash of red on the minutes sub-dial that can operate as a five-minute countdown timer in a pinch. Those include the broad arrow-style hands, the stepped sub-dials with radial numerals, and the hand wound Valjoux 23 movement ticking inside. Today's watch is considered to be more desirable than your conventional Chronomaster for its combination of external and internal characteristics. So much so that a group of collectors recently wrote a whole book about the watch called Chronomaster Only. The Chronomaster was produced in a huge variety of case, dial, and movement executions throughout its production years. As a result of the twosome's partnership, many Nivada watches sold in the United States were branded Croton (or Croton Nivada Grenchen).Īlongside the Antarctic, the Chronomaster chronograph is the best known (and most sought after) watch to come from the Croton (and Nivada) stable. You might recognize Croton from the company's long standing relationship with the Swiss brand Nivada Grenchen. The brand's main function in the watch world was as a distributor to the good ole, US of A. Growth necessitated a larger office, driving the company to a suburb of the city, Croton-on-Hudson, in 1963, which ultimately gave the company its name. The Full StoryĬroton Watch Company dates back to 1878 when a man named Jacob Horton founded the company in New York City. Why This Watch Matters A crisp, classically styled example of Croton's all-in-one chronograph, the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver.

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