This Croton Nivada Grenchen Chronograph Aviator Sea Diver is clearly one of the most coveted ones: the Brian Kelly, undoubtedly the first to be sold in the United States.
This rare model stands out from the rest. It can be identified by its white subdial hands and center seconds. All the examples we have seen have a brown tropicalized dial. It appeared in many photos of the time on the wrist of actor, Brian Kelly, known in the sixties for his role in the popular TV series Flipper. This is why we have nicknamed this model after him.
The watch is in very good condition, 100% conform, and is fitted with an aftermarket Oyster style steel bracelet. It is probably the only one Brian Kelly CASD model available on the market.
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This Croton Nivada Grenchen Chronograph Aviator Sea Diver is clearly one of the most coveted ones: the Brian Kelly, undoubtedly the first to be sold in the United States.
This rare model stands out from the rest. It can be identified by its white subdial hands and center seconds. All the examples we have seen have a brown tropicalized dial. It appeared in many photos of the time on the wrist of actor, Brian Kelly, known in the sixties for his role in the popular TV series Flipper. This is why we have nicknamed this model after him.
The watch is in very good condition, 100% conform, and is fitted with an aftermarket Oyster style steel bracelet. It is probably the only one Brian Kelly CASD model available on the market.
The Chronomaster model wasn’t just a chronograph. It was more like a Super-Chronograph. It in fact had an astonishing number of functions. Such a purpose is accurately reflected in the model’s name: CHRONOMASTER AVIATOR SEA DIVER, which suggests a clientele of professional racing drivers, pilots and divers. The multiple functions have also been evoked in advertisings of the 1960s: THE WORLD’S BUSIEST WATCH – HAS MORE USES THAN EVER COUNTED.
The models fitted with the Venus 210 caliber are the first representatives of the Chronomaster dynasty, yet they don’t have that name on their dials. Instead they are inscribed CHRONOGRAPH. The first watches appeared in 1961. They are immediately recognisable by their small pushers and their wide broad arrow hours hand. These are perhaps the most emblematic of the Chronomaster models and the most exemplary in the collective imagination of collectors.
Nivada, also called Nivada Grenchen, was founded in Grenchen, Switzerland in 1926 by Otto Wüllimann, Hermann Schindler and Jakob Schneider. In the first 50 years of its life, the company developed a wide range of watches, housing calibers supplied by various Swiss movement manufacturers. It then began to offer several professional watches in its collection. These include the Depthmaster, waterproof to 1,000 meters and the Chronomaster, a super-chronograph with a lot of fuctions. In the 1970s, Nivada failed to withstand the quartz and oil crisis and remain silent until its rebirth in 2020.
The purpose of this document is to determine whether the constituent parts of the watch are conform to the model reference /period or not, and to value their condition and importance.
All the watches are provided with a digital certificate (the Watchfid-ID), that will be uploaded on your protected and anonymous digital wallet.
This document presents each watch in the most objective and detailed manner possible, thanks to a substantiated analysis, high-resolution photos designed to highlight all elements of the watch and an innovative rating system. Available in printed and digital versions.
On request and when available, an extract of the archives from the manufacturer can be obtained.
