#TBT A Suspiciously Familiar Pontiac Jumping Chronograph
I liked the Pontiac Jumping Chronograph instantly. I remember spotting Pontiac watches multiple times, but I never had an urge to jump on any. So I took this as an opportunity to also look briefly into this sonorous-sounding brand’s history.
It took me some time to realize why the Pontiac Jumping got my attention so swiftly. Just for the fun of it, before you go on, look at it, close your eyes, and tell me, what chronograph does it remind you of the most? I could name a few similar-looking models, but there is one that comes to my mind first. Blame the bold frame around the date, orange hands, and minute totalizer with a 45-minute mark sitting between 10 and 20. It’s the Nivada Dato ref. 4368.
Image: @vintagereloj
Exploring Pontiac watches
When we editors finish writing our stories, we always select the applicable name(s) from our list of brands so you can filter all the articles related to that watchmaker. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I find a particular pleasure in adding a story about a watch from a brand we haven’t featured before. I’m too lazy to go back and count, but judging from the nature of my mission to dig up unusual watches, I’ve probably had that pleasure dozens of times. Well, Pontiac is the brand in question today, another one making its debut on the site.
Image: @vintagereloj
A Benelux thing
The Pontiac watch brand (not the identically named American car brand) was founded in the early ’30s by Ali Kinsbergen, who was also an agent for Omega and Tissot. He and his three brothers launched Pontiac in Belgium but also sold watches in the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The timepieces then became available in France, Italy, and even Germany, but Pontiac’s preferred market remained Benelux. Pontiac watches were even sold in Indonesia, then a Dutch colony, by one of the brothers who settled in Jakarta. Today, the Pontiac brand is still alive, but its current production has nothing to do with the original manufacturer.
Image: Harrington & Co.
The Pontiac logo
If you’ve seen Pontiac watches before, I’m sure you’ll remember the early brand logo with a large “P” that stretches over the other letters. I always liked it. The Kinsbergen brothers may have been inspired by the famous Pirelli logo from the early 1900s. Anyway, later Pontiac watches, such as the Jumping chronograph, got the “P” squeezed down. Some of the watches even got a star or three added under the logo. If you find a statement that the stars relate to the movement quality, laugh loudly. Just a brief scouting of historical models disrupts the theory that the star marking has anything to do with the quality of the movement installed. You can find Pontiac watches powered by many movement makers, including AS, ETA, or even Venus.
Image: @vintagereloj
Back to the Pontiac Jumping
Pontiac watches didn’t stand out much, and that’s probably one reason why there isn’t any particular model you would recognize spontaneously. If I didn’t already have a Nivada Dato, I might be triggered to add this model. Its contrasting black tachymeter scale matches the sub-dials, and the orange details make the watch fresh and sporty. I’ve always liked a date complication as I find it practical. This integration into the chronograph is decent and elegant. I’m not sure what the “Jumping” designation refers to (perhaps the jumping minute counter), but it appears on many models from the era. If you are looking for a budget vintage chrono under €1,000, a Pontiac Jumping will do the job.
