![]() Thankfully there was no evidence of this moisture on the dial. The plating had stopped any rust forming but a definite water stain was visible. With the dial removed, some moisture damage was apparent on the beryllium copper plating of the main plate. Dial removed and the broken jumper Broken setting lever jumper Removing the movement from the watch and then the dial from the movement confirmed a broken setting lever jumper. ![]() There was no click when the stem was pulled and no sense of any gears meshing within to adjust the hand position. The time however, could still not be set by pulling out the stem to its second position I could tell that something was likely broken within the keyless works. However, re-inserting the the stem and tightening the setting lever screw allowed the watch to be wound and run. Initially the watch would not wind or run as the crown and stem were so loose they fell out of the watch. The bent lug and the as-yet unidentified Swiss movement inside This is Why Watches Get Abandoned in Drawers The only side-effect of the damage seems to be a lug to lug distance reduced from the original 17mm to 16.5mm. The lug between 10 and 11 o’clock has been hit at some point bending it out of shape although there were no signs of cracks or damage to the solder at the base of the lug. Once the gold plate wares away there is nothing to protect the cheaper metal from those acidic oils and the metal literally vanishes into thin air.Ĭhemical erosion was not the only damage sustained by the watches lugs. Gold, being a chemically inert metal protects the base metal case from the elements, in particular, from the acidic oils that protect our own skin but can attack and corrode reactive metals. This is not uncommon with base metal, plated cases. Where the protective plating had vanished the base metal underneath had eroded badly. The gold plate had worn off in a number of places, particularly on the lugs. Unfortunately, the 60-year old case had not faired as well as the dial. The aged lume complemented the ivory dial perfectly and gave the watch a tasteful complementary color scheme overall. The gold-colored hands contained some lovely aged lume that had turned a rich ochre colour that matched both the lume spots on the dial and the gold case. A small seconds dial is placed at 6 cut below the embossed wave section. Around the outside of the textured central section is a smooth track punctuated by embossed gilt markers and numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9. The center of the ivory-colored dial comprises a series of embossed waves. The watch’s art deco dial immediately commanded attention, even under the scratched up dial. This long-standing business deal lead to the North American watches being co-branded Croton Nivada or as in this case, Croton Nivada Grenchen As received: John’s father’s watch By the late 1930s, the company had cut a deal with the New York-based Croton Watch Company to import and distribute Nivada watches within the US. The Wülliman Schneider Nivada company began manufacturing watches in 1926 in the town of Grenchen, Switzerland. John’s father’s watch was produced by the Nivada Grenchen company some time during the mid-60s. ![]() The condition of the dial, hands and movement however, indicated that this was a watch ripe for restoration. The plating on the case was missing in many areas and had clearly seen much use. ![]() I could not set the time and the crown fell out. It arrived dirty, corroded and not working. Details on the watch were scarce – John was not sure when nor how his father acquired the watch. A Family Hierloomįor this restoration workbench, long time friend of Beyond The Dial and occasional contributor John Drenning sent me his late father’s watch. Setting Lever Screw – A screw in the main plate that constrains the movement of the stem and crown for time setting and winding. Setting Lever Jumper – A component in the keyless works that defines the positions the stem can take and provides the tension to maintain those positions. Setting Lever – A component in the keyless works that controls the operation of the stem and crown in the various positions. Main Plate – The central layer of the movement to which all other components are fixed. Keyless Works – The manual winding, time and date setting mechanism attached to the crown and stem. ![]() Restoration Workbench 1960s Croton Nivada Grenchenīase Metal – A common and inexpensive metal, for example, iron, nickel, lead or zinc.īeryllium Copper – An alloy of copper with a small percentage of beryllium added to give the alloy superior strength and durability. ![]()
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