my son inherited a vintage unknown 14k (watch &band) squarish dress watch from his maternal grandfather that doesn't function.
mostly designed for looks I would say..very thin and fancy with diamonds (original?) where the numbers should be.
Says Croton Nivada Grenchen on the dial. Guessing not much of a watch function wise, but it is an heirloom and I admit the gold feels nice to the touch.

is it a model worth servicing in an attempt to make it function?
or not?

 

pictures man! pictures!

 

Yeah I know, but I am on an ipad an resizing challenged. I will try but wondering if this brand is a known function able name Brand even worth repairing?

 

I've run into Croton but will admit to knowing little about them, but its not often someone puts a crap movement into a 14K case and band.

So its likely worth servicing, especially as its "family"

By the way....were nor computers (including iplods) supposed to make our lives easier?

 

Supposedly
So now you have me on the ap store downloading aps that will help me post pics. Probably easier to pull the laptop out I suppose

 

As Fritz said, it is a family heirloom so even if it costs more to service than it is worth, it should be done. I have my great grandfather's pocket watch that was made in the 1920s by a local watchmaker - I presume using an un-branded movement in his own case, - and it costs almost as much to have serviced as it is worth - but to me it is priceless

 

So have I - at the salad bar.

Damn straight - heirlooms get top priority.

One word: Skynet.

 

Get the back off and post a picture! At lot of 1920s "local watchmaker" or private label watches were made by very good companies, Illinois was especially good at this.

My own heirloom watch is Grandad's old nickel cases lump bought at Thomas J.Porte of Winnipeg (says so, right there on the face!)
Imagine how happy I was to open it up and find a fully jeweled 1905 Longines movement with a precision regulator. (still keeps good time, in spite of Grandad's habit of cleaning his watch himself by soaking it in lamp oil (um,... kerosene) and then leaving it open on the porch to drain in the sun)

pictures! All of you! post 'em! post 'em now!!!

 

OKFritz. I can't believe I was taking pictures of a watch at 00:10 on a Sunday morning.
To save you straining your eyes, it says R J Barfoot & Co. 62 North Street, Brighton
That must have been quite an adventure in those days because that would have involved a train journey to travel 15 miles south to get to Brighton.

 

Croton (for Croton-on-Hudson, NY) was the American company that marketed Nivada Grenchen watches. Sometimes "Croton" appears with Nivada Grenchen on the dial, sometimes by itself, sometimes on the case back and movement. Nivada Grenchen made some excellent watches, but they never made their own movements. Croton has continued as something of a mall watch company, and vintage Nivada Grenchen watches that are branded or co-branded "Croton" tend to sell for less than identical models with only "Nivada" or "Nivada Grenchen" on the dial. The same sort of thing happens with Movado and Zenith.

To sum it up and try to answer your question, Croton Nivada Grenchen is a known brand that made some nice watches, but in a lower tier among Swiss watch companies because they didn't make their own movements... and the Croton name seems to detract a little value from Nivada Grenchen models. The watch is worth repairing if it means something to you. I have a few Nivada Grenchen's that I like an awful lot.

This one has a Vulcain Cricket movement:



This one a Valjoux 23:



I don't know the movement in this one, but it's so shiny that who cares?



All right Fritz, let's see the Thomas J. Porte.

 

Thanks for the feedback!
someone else suggested that watch companies didn't typically install crap movements in 14k housings so hopefully they didn't.