Nivada Grenchen Wanderer, ca. 1960
Clearly designed with the 1960s jet-setter in mind, this one features both an alarm (using the Vulcain Cricket 120 movement) and a rotating 12-hr bezel for keeping track of a second time zone. Most of the alarm watches from the period are on the dressy side, so finding one like this with a sportier style is a little unusual.
There are a few variants of this model, sold under both the "Croton" and the "Nivada Grenchen" brand names (both owned by the same company; I suspect one may have been used in the US and the other in Europe). I've had the opportunity to examine two side-by-side and found some interesting differences; the most obvious is the black-on-silver vs. silver-on-black bezel, but there are some other subtler differences as well - see below for pics.
The legendary Cricket movement is not often seen outside of a Vulcain case - Nivada/Croton is one of the few to whom Vulcain sold this movement. While I find the control interface of the Vulcain 120 to be a little finicky, it's solid, reliable, and friggin' loud, all of which help to account for its relative ubiquity.
While I had the two side-by-side, I took the opportunity to compare some subtle differences between them. The most obvious is the color of the bezel. The color of the dial is slightly different; the dial on my original is a straight bright silver, while the black-bezel one is a warmer champagne color. Mine also has a detailed seconds register around the edge of the dial and red military-time numerals (13-24) at the outside of each marker; on the black-dial version, there is a simpler seconds register and no numerals. The placement of these numerals also necessitated moving the luminous dots from the outside of the markers (on the black-bezel version) to the inside (on the silver-bezel version). Finally, the alarm hand is red on mine and black on the other.
There are also some interesting differences between the two movements. First, the alarm barrel one one is signed Cricket, while the other is plain (though this could conceivably have been replaced by a watchmaker at some point. The patent engravings are different - both bear the US patent number (2844294), but the one on the right (the silver-bezel version) bears the additional inscription J3MW/04708. The central bridge on the one on the right reads (left to right):
CROTON NIVADA S.A. GRENCHEN
SEVENTEEN 17 JEWELS
SWITZERLAND
while the one on the left reads
NIVADA GRENCHEN
SWISS HA
17 JEWELS
Most notable are the differences in the pallet bridge and the balance bridge. The pallet jewel is press-fit in the one on the left, and secured with a screwed cover in the one on the right. The shape of the balance bridges is significantly different between the two, and the one on the right bears the additional engraving COW. Finally, the balance on the left features shock protection and fine regulation, both of which are missing from the one on the right. I assume that these differences are the result of having been produced and assembled in different years and/or by different subcontractors (though I'd welcome any readers who may have more information to contact me). Unfortunately, the serial number is not visible on one of these specimens, so it's not possible to date them relative to one another to infer more about these differences.
