Released in 1963, the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver (or, in its earliest iteration, the Chrono graph Aviator Sea Diver) had much in common with other sporty chronographs like the Omega Speedmaster or the Heuer Carrera. In a period marked by exploration, watch brands released scores of watches to meet explorers’ every need. This watch, the Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver, is one of them. Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, the brand launched a succession of sports watches that are desirable even now. The brand prided itself on the rugged durability of its products, and Operation Deep Freeze only proved them right. This hardy nature was certainly not limited to the watches Admiral Byrd and his crewmen wore. Through all these tests, kept perfect time.” They were dropped and knocked against ice. In a letter to Croton, Admiral Byrd had this to say of the watches: “They were subjected to prolonged immersion, extreme altitude and high-magnetism. Throughout their travails, their watches-made by Croton Nivada Grenchen-kept ticking. The seven crew members sheltered overnight from the punishing Antarctic cold, and-on sleds and skis-made their way for Okuma Bay, where the U.S.S. One of the planes, a VX-6 UC-1 Otter, crash-landed on a plateau over 2700 feet above land. Flights from this airstrip allowed the crew to survey over 800,000 of the continent that, for many years, had been little more than a blank spot on the map.ĭespite these advances, the expedition was not without its hardships. Soon, the crew set up a base, and even a landing strip. Byrd and his flotilla of six ships-crewed by 1800 men-broke their way through the dense pack ice of the Ross Sea with the intention of establishing permanent research stations on the continent. As the least explored area on the planet, the continent proved ripe for scientific study. Navy expedition led by Admiral Richard Byrd ventured to the Antarctic.

Croton chronomaster aviator sea diver