The beads of rice bracelet is the correct bracelet to choose. The push-pull crown, however, was a bit stiff when setting the time. As I mentioned at the top, I’m all about the arena/cupcake bezel, with it’s contrasting brushed and polished crenellations. And the lume is pleasingly even between the hands and the markers. I took out the trash on a sunny day (about 10 paces each way out my back door) and when I came back in it was brightly lit up. Lume is surprisingly good for how little of it there is. Thanks to the anti-reflective coating, the white lume on the hands can play slightly purple or blue, but only if the light is just right (or maybe I should say wrong?). Great view of the effect of the blue AR coating here, and there’s no amount of radial subdials that is too much. But it is consistent with the original so here we are. And probably nothing one needs to make note of on a dial, given it’s ubiquity. Like the T’s that indicated the use of tritium on old Chronomasters, the L simply denotes the use of Super-LumiNova. You may be wondering about that little L, and so was I. Additionally it includes 3-minute hashes up to 9 minutes, a holdover from when pay phones (a) existed and (b) required payment every 3 minutes. The 30-minute chronograph dial features what Nivada calls a “yachting scale” for 5-minute countdowns prior to the race start. Here, I didn’t mind it so much, but I’d likely buy one of the models with baton hands. I’m usually no fan of broad arrows–they’re too big and often detract from the balance of the dial. They aren’t applied, but appear to be embossed.
One of the standouts on the dial is the raised dial text and markers. The bezel is bidirectional and stays put, while the bezel markers have a nice frost to them.
#CROTON SEA DIVER REVIEW FULL#
The box sapphire crystal is on full display here with that text reflection. (Not that you’ll see them in this review, since I got a bit lazy.) Dial Details However, the common lug width allows for easy strap changes, and the black-and-white color scheme allows it to carry a wide variety of straps. The watch comes with an option of leather strap or one of several bracelets, though as you’ll read below, not all of them are created equal. One of my favorite elements is what I call the outwardly sloped “arena” bezel (you could also call it a cupcake bezel). Finishing is very good, and everything functions as it should.
The Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster sits surprisingly well on the wrist, despite the limited case curve and minimal lug slope. Thanks to the broad arrow handset and the stark white against the matte black, readability is excellent. Aside from a size change to accommodate the modern movement, a sapphire crystal, and updated lume, the watch is almost indistinguishable from its forebear. The Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster is an incredibly faithful recreation of the original. The original Chronomaster (that’s a bit easier, isn’t it?) was released in 1963, but Nivada has brought us a recreation on the verge of perfection. Reviewed herein is the dry mouth-inducing Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver Broad Arrow Automatic 86001A. In 2018, the brand was revived with two reissues: the Antarctic and the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver. Since then, it has become a sweetheart of vintage watch hunters, especially their chronographs, which command hefty sums (whether branded with Nivada Grenchen, the American distributor Croton, or both). Founded in 1926, the company thrived until the 1980s, when it succumbed to the quartz crisis. Any watch lover who’s perused the vintage market over the last five or so years is likely familiar with Nivada Grenchen.
0 kommentar(er)
