The gruen watch company site

The Gruen Watch Company site Copyright © 1999-2001 Paul Schliesser http://www.pixelp.com/gruen/index.html

THE GRUEN WATCH COMPANY

INTRODUCTION "Watchmaking was an 'art and a mystery' in those medieval days. It was an art because the bretheren of the guild loved their work and labored to produce perfect timepieces ... a 'mystery' because the secrets of the trade were jealously guarded."

—A Worthy Company of Watchmakers, 1918

"The great idea of [Dietrich Gruen’s] life was to effect a combination of what was best in the old and new in order to bring forth an ideal that was better than either.

"To produce the watch of his dreams, he must have two things. He must have American machinery of the most advanced type—and he must have the very best

craftsmen in the world—craftsmen in whom the old guild spirit of fine watchmaking still lived."

—1929 Gruen catalog

WELCOME Whether you're a watch collector, someone looking for information about a family heirloom, or are interested in the history of a vanished American industry, I hope you'll find these Gruen pages entertaining and useful.

I've ended the story at 1958, the year Time Hill was closed and the original Gruen company was broken up.

I started this project because I'm unhappy with most Gruen information in print; most is seriously flawed. Many watch collector's books state that Gruen was a Swiss company, founded in Biel, Switzerland, in 1874—every part of this statement is false! The company was American, and was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1894. Few histories make the connection between the Columbus and Gruen watch companies. Prehaps the saddest thing for

collectors is the lack of information about the watches themselves—price guides fail to correctly name most Gruen watches, and many dates are decades off. Even the best and most accurate histories written so far have been limited in scope, concentrating primarily on pocket watches.

In order to keep these web pages easy to read, I have not cluttered them with footnotes. There is a bibliography with comments on the sources page. If you'd like to discuss, dispute, challenge or seek further information about what I've written, please feel free to e-mail me. Although I've tried to be careful in my research, I'm sure there are errors and inconsistencies here, and I'm always grateful for corrections and criticism. If you'd be willing to share material in your collection, or if you can point me to new information, I would appreciate your help. I'm especially interested in hearing from Gruen collectors who will either send me pictures of their watches, or will allow me to photograph them.

Even when the book is finished, I plan to leave these pages up as a service to Gruen collectors and enthusiasts, and to keep updating them as I learn more.

I'd like to extend special thanks to Jack Goldberg, of NAWCC chapter 139, who generously gave permission to use photos from his Watches of the '99 Nationals CD-ROM. As a final note, I have no connection whatsoever with the past or present Gruen Watch Company—I am motivated simply by my love of the watches they produced.

Paul Schliesser NAWCC #0142558

THE GRUEN WATCH COMPANY

CONTENTS & TIMELINE

Each section below shows the contents of one page. Large red dates or titles link to the tops of pages; small red dates link to sections within a page.

This site is about the history of the Gruen Watch Company and their mechnical watches. If you're looking for information about quartz watches, please see the FAQ. INTRODUCTION What kind of title is The Art & Mystery of Watchmaking, anyway?

(Updated February 20, 2001)

1867-1894

Dietrich Gruen and the Columbus Watch Company 1867

Dietrich Gruen comes to America;

1874

he patents a safety pinion for watches;

1876

he starts the Columbus Watch Company;

1894

he is forced to leave the company (Updated May 29, 2006)

1894-1904

D. Gruen & Sons and the VeriThin 1894

Dietrich and his son form a new watch company;

1898

a second son joins and they move to Cincinnati;

1904

the VeriThin pocket watch (Updated May 29, 2006)

1904-1917

Early wristwatches sidebar

Gruen's other thin pocket watches;

1908

the first wristwatches;

1911

the Dietrich Gruen line;

sidebar

the confusing nature of early Gruen history (Updated October 24, 2000)

1917-1922

The Gruen Guild 1917

Time Hill;

1921

The Precision Factory (Updated December 19, 1999)

1921-1922

Rectangle and Pentagon 1921

the women's Cartouche wristwatches;

1922

the famous Pentagon pocket watch (Updated March 7, 2001)

1922-1929

Pocket watch accuracy on your wrist 1922

Consolidation of the Gruen Watch Company;

1924

the 50th Anniversary pocket watch;

1925

the Quadron men's wristwatches;

1928

Baguette, a slim watch for women;

1928

the Techni-Quadron "doctor's watch";

sidebar

the relationship between Gruen and Rolex (Updated April 18, 2000)

1929-1940

The Great Depression 1929

the Depression forces changes;

1931

the unusual CarrĂŠ;

1935

the Curvex, Gruen's most famous wristwatch;

sidebar

original watch prices;

1937

the Ristside driver's watches;

1938

the Veri-Thin wristwatches (Updated April 22, 2000)

1940-1958

WWII and the postwar era 1940

The War Instruments Division;

1945

the 24-hour-dial Pan American watches;

sidebar

Swiss watches invade the U.S. market;

1949

the American-made Gruen 21;

11th hour

Gruen's decline;

today

the remnants of an American industry (Updated February 12, 2000)

SOURCES A bibliography, with comments on the accuracy of Gruen information in various publications. This will eventually include corrections to some popular watch books. If you know of any books or other material that I've missed, I'd appreciate hearing from you.

(Updated February 17, 2001)

RELATED LINKS Links to several other watch history sites, as well as vintage watch sales sites and other links which might be of interest. I'd welcome suggestions to include here.

(Updated December 19, 2000)

1874 PATENT

The complete text and drawings from Dietrich Gruen's safety pinion patent.

(Updated December 19, 1999)

FREQUENTLY - ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) Where can I get my old Gruen watch repaired? Who makes the modern quartz Gruen watches? What is my old watch worth? What care does an old watch need?

(Updated February 18, 2001)

T H E G R U E N W A T C H C O M P A N Y 1867 - 1894

1867: One word from a woman's lips Although the Gruen Watch Company was founded in 1894, the company later traced its history back to 1874, following the early career of its founder.

Right: Dietrich Gruen (1847-1911), founder of the Columbus Watch Company and co-founder (with his oldest son) of the Gruen Watch Company; this engraving was printed in 1891. (Image courtesy of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.)

Dietrich Gruen (originally spelled 'GrĂźn') was born in Osthofen, Germany in 1847. After attending both public and private schools, at age 15 he was sent away from home to learn the watchmaking trade. He was an apprentice to a watchmaker named

Martens in Friedburg, Germany, and also worked in the towns of Carlsruhe, Wiesbaden and Lode.

In 1867 he traveled to the U.S. following his three brothers, who had immigrated several years earlier. One brother had been killed in 1863, in the American Civil War. During his visit, Dietrich met and fell in love with Pauline Wittlinger, a schoolteacher and the daughter of a Delaware, Ohio watchmaker. After working as a watchmaker in St. Louis, Cincinnati and Columbus, Dietrich married Pauline in 1869, moved to Delaware, Ohio, and went to work for her father.

Years later, a Gruen advertisement told how “one word from a woman's lip” (Pauline’s “yes” to Dietrich’s marriage proposal) changed horological history.

Dietrich and Pauline's first son, Frederick G. Gruen, was born in 1872. Fred was to become an important figure in the Gruen story.

1874: The Safety Pinion On June 12, 1874, Dietrich applied for a patent on an improved safety pinion, which was granted on December 22. He was 27 years old. Because this was his first important contribution to horology, in the future the Gruen Watch Company would take 1874 as its founding date.

Right: A detail from Dietrich's 1874 safety pinion patent drawings. See the patents page for the complete illustration and text.

In later years, alloys for unbreakable mainsprings were developed, but the large and powerful mainsprings used in older pocket watches tended to be brittle and commonly broke. The recoil, caused by the sudden release of the energy stored in the spring, could strip teeth off of wheels and snap pivots, doing tremendous damage to the movement.

The safety pinion, mounted on the shaft which also holds the center wheel, is the interface between the potentially destructive power in the mainspring and the fragile moving parts in the rest of the watch. Dietrich's invention consisted of a simple device which, in the event of mainspring breakage, uncoupled the pinion and allowed it to spin freely without passing the dangerous shock through the shaft to the center wheel and the rest of the mechanism. The pinion itself would not be injured and did not need to be replaced.

In his patent application, Dietrich gave his address as Delaware, Ohio, an indication that he was not yet making watches in Columbus.

1876: The Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company

Above: A view of the corner of Broad and High Streets in Columbus, probably taken in the 1880s. The Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company was located in the basement of Exchange Bank, the large building on the left. (Image courtesy of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.)

Dietrich started the Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company in 1876. The first offices were at 117 1/2 High Street in Columbus. Deitrich was President, and William J. Savage was Secretary and Treasurer. Although 1874 was used later by the Gruen Watch Company as a founding date, and is the date given in nearly all recent histories, I don't believe that this is correct. Articles, books and jewelers' newsletters from the 1800s all give 1876 as the founding date. The Gruen Watch Company itself used 1876 in advertising until about 1915.

Savage was the elder son of William M. Savage, one of Columbus’ most prominent citizens and most successful businessmen. (Note that William M. is the father and William J. is the son — several 1800s publications confuse the two names.) A watchmaker and gunsmith, the 1874 Columbus street directory lists the father’s trade as, ‘watches, jewelry, guns, revolvers and fishing tackle.’

Prior to 1875, William J. Savage was involved in the wholesale jewelry trade and also seems to have been trained as a silversmith. Savage sold his share of his father’s business in order to raise capitol to invest in the watch company. The

financial security his partner provided allowed Dietrich to concentrate on supervising the factory, coordinating production in Switzerland, and selling.

Right: 16-size, stemwind, lever-set Columbus pocket watch, with a 14k yellow gold case, 1870s. The serial number, 4277, means it was made during the first few years of production.

Note the logo on the dial, which is a stylized ‘C W Co.’ for ‘Columbus Watch Company.’ The logo, numbers and all other dial markings would have been painted by hand, using a finely-pointed brush.

In his Columbus workshop, Dietrich modified, finished and cased imported raw movements manufactured by Leo Asbey in Switzerland.

These new watches included his patented safety pinion. The size and wearing comfort of a pocket watch was always a concern of his, so Dietrich introduced 16-size watches as an alternative to the heavy and thick 18-size and larger watches that were prevalent at the time. It is also claimed that he introduced the first stemwind watches sold in the U.S. market.

A second son, George J. Gruen, was born in 1877.

In about 1878 or 79 the company moved to the basement of Exchange Bank, diagonally across the street from the Ohio capitol building. I had previously believed that this was the original location, (and all other histories that I have seen claim this). Dietrich’s son Fred later wrote that the company started here, but the 1870s Columbus street directories tell a different story. Instead, this is probably the first location that Fred, who was about six years old at the time, clearly remembered.

Output during this time was about 10 watches per day.

Sometime before 1882, the company moved to two floors in a commercial building a few blocks away. Fred Gruen described a home-made phone system using catgut to allow communication between floors.

Very little information exists for the early years of the company. The tables of dates and serial numbers used in collectors' guidebooks and price lists are educated guesses, but are skewed because they start two years too early.

1882: The Columbus Watch Company

Above: Interior of the Columbus Watch Company's Thurman Street factory, date unknown. Complete watch movements were designed and manufactured in this new facility. (Image courtesy of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.)

Under Gruen and Savage the Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company was small but very successful, and began to attract the interest of bankers and investors. In 1882, in collaboration with a number of new partners, the company was reorganized as the Columbus Watch Company and moved to a newlyconstructed factory building located on Thurman Street, in the 'German Village' section of Columbus. Dietrich was President of the new corporation.

The building was tall and narrow, with very large windows, to provide adequate light for the delicate work of building watches.

Above, left: Photo of the Columbus Watch Company building from 1889. The front building, on the left, is the original structure completed in 1882. In the rear, the small, dark brick building with the tall chimney housed a steam engine, which supplied power to the factory machinery via belts and pulleys (as

seen in the interior photo). From the pattern of windows, it seems that the interior photo was taken in the larger, middle building. The two front buildings were connected, forming an 'H' shape. (Courtesy of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.) Above, right: The original 1882 building, photographed in September 2000. This oldest section of the factory, now an office building, is the only portion still standing today. The current tenants are a large dentist's office and an advertising agency.

Joining the ranks of older established American watch companies like Waltham and Elgin, the new company designed and manufactured their own in-house movements, instead of finishing imported ones as Gruen had done previously.

Left: William F. Sauer, foreman of the Columbus Watch Company until 1890. In what seems a strange series of career changes, he became an agent for the Schlitz Brewing company, and in 1899 opened his own cafe. (Courtesy of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.)

By 1888 production was about 45 watches per day; the company would grow to 300 employees and output increased to 150 watches per day.

Although the company continued to issue stemwind watches, they also manufactured keywind movements for some of their lessexpensive models.

Starting when Fred was very young, Dietrich involved his older son in the business. During breaks from school Fred worked in the engine room, blacksmith and machine shops, and was later given more skilled jobs in the gilding and die departments. After earning a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Cincinnati, Fred was sent to Germany to study at one of the most respected European watchmaking schools, graduating with top honors from the Horological Institute of GlashĂźtte in 1893. During his studies, he designed and built both a chronograph and a repeater movement, according to small notices in an 1890s Jeweler's publication.

Fred quickly became an important part of the company. Shortly after returning from his studies, he began to streamline and reorganize manufacturing processes at the Columbus Watch Company, starting with the jewelling department, which up until then had been a bottleneck in the production of finished watches.

Left: The Columbus Watch Company as shown in an 1888 issue of the Columbus Dispatch. I do not believe the tower or the enlargements to the front section were ever actually built—the building as it stands today shows no trace of them. (Courtesy of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.)

Things had gone very smoothly for the young company, but this was not to last.

The Panic of 1893 was devastating to the U.S. watch industry. This was one of the worst economic periods in American history, second only to the Great Depression, and lasted for several years. (What we now would call ‘depressions’ were once referred to as ‘panics’. In the early 1930s, President Herbert Hoover coined the term ‘depression’ to put a cheerful spin on the harsh economic conditions that his administration was being blamed for—the U.S. was not experiencing a panic, merely an economic depression. This term has stuck.)

American watch companies were forced to reduce prices and cut wages, and several did not survive. During this same time, Waltham and Elgin engaged in a vicious price war which hit the Columbus Watch Company very hard. Fred later wrote that he believed his father’s company was specifically targeted by these powerful rivals. The smaller and younger company did not have the financial resources to weather the crisis.

Left: Columbus 18-size pocket watch, circa 1893.

After a series of disagreements with the other partners, Dietrich and Fred left the Columbus Watch Company in 1894, shortly before the business went bankrupt. Dietrich had lost his share of the company to the investors, and was faced with the prospect of staying on as a salaried employee at the company that he had founded. He chose to leave rather than bear this indignity. After the departure of the Gruens the firm was reorganized, refinanced and renamed "The New Columbus Watch Company."

For collectors wishing to know if a Columbus watch is from the Gruen era: The Complete Price Guide to Watches indicates that the Gruens would have left around serial number 229,000. (As mentioned earlier, I question the accuracy of existing Columbus serial number lists, but I believe that later numbers are more credible than early ones.) After 1894, Columbus watches started to have names like Time King and Railway King. The pre-1894 models were not named.

Although after 1894 the official name was The New Columbus Watch Company,

many dial and movement markings still used the original name, most likely to use up existing parts that were already marked.

The New Columbus Watch Company survived until 1903. The contents of the factory, including all the tooling and stocks of movements, were eventually purchased by the Studebaker family, moved to Indiana (along with many key employees) and used to start the South Bend Watch Company. Some early South Bend watches were sold with signed Columbus movements in them.

Next: D. Gruen & Son >>

T H E G R U E N W A T C H C O M P A N Y 1894 - 1904

1894: D. Gruen & Son After leaving the Columbus Watch Company, Fred found a job with a large company in Cincinnati, Ohio, working at a watchmaker's bench in a basement, sitting next to noisy machinery. Unhappy with his working conditions and his prospects, he took the train to Columbus and met with his father at the train station. They had a long talk and decided to start a new watch company.

Right: Dietrich's oldest son, Frederick Gustavuus Gruen (1872-1945). This is his official portrait used in Gruen marketing materials from the 1920s. He was affectionately referred to as “Mr. Fred” by Gruen employees.

Using money borrowed from friends and relatives, Dietrich and Fred formed the partnership D. Gruen and Son. Together they began to design a completely new 18-size movement. Since Fred had studied in Germany, the watch was designed in the Glashütte style, but incorporated innovations by the Gruens.

Because of the economic situation in the U.S., Fred traveled to Germany and arranged to have the movements manufactured by Assmann in Glashütte. This was a highly respected watchmaking firm, originally started by Julius Assmann in 1852 with help from Adolf Lange (founder of A. Lange & Söhne). The Assmann firm was particularly known for the beautiful finishing of watch movements. Part of the agreement Fred reached required him to remain in Germany for a year, helping Paul Assmann modernize the factory along American lines. At this time, most German watchmaking was done in facilities

that were closer to cottage workshops than to factories. Among other tasks, Fred produced engineering drawings for new jeweling machines and supervised production of the new Gruen movements.

In addition to the watches manufactured by Assmann, the Gruens sold a beautiful repeater model with a LeCoultre movement.

Left: The earliest-known D. Gruen & Son movement, circa 1894. Serial numbers started around 62000. This example is 18-size with 21-jewels. It features a gold poised pallet and gold escape wheel. The finishing by Assmann includes gold-filled engraving and various forms of surface decoration and damaskeening; the winding wheels show the traditional GlashĂźtte "solar" pattern. (Thanks to Jack Goldberg for this photo.)

These first Gruen watches are of very high quality and are beautifully made. Both 18 and 16 size versions were manufactured, each in both open face and hunter styles, and in 18- and 21-jewel versions. The 18-jewel models had an extra cap jewel on the escape wheel to make removal of the escapement easier.

Above and below: A 16-size D. Gruen and Sons hunter-case model. The highly-polished movements are gorgeous.

Once production was underway and Fred had returned to the United States, he and his father handled sales, with occasional help from Fred's younger brother George. Fred claims that he spent 9 or 10 months per year on the road doing sales trips. The Gruens dealt directly with individual jewelry stores; there were no wholesalers or jobbers involved in the distribution of their watches.

1898: Moving to Cincinnati George Gruen, Dietrich's second son, went to business school instead of being trained as a watchmaker.

Left: George John Gruen (1877-1952) brought his business and accounting skills to the new company. This photo is from the 1920s.

After working for a time in accounting jobs, he joined his father and brother in about 1898 as treasurer and financial officer. The company name was changed to D. Gruen and Sons, then to D. Gruen, Sons & Company when the firm was incorporated.

Because of the continuing economic crisis, George's job was difficult and he often had trouble coming up with enough money to pay the company's bills. However, the persistence of the Gruens paid off, and within

a few years conditions had improved. The watches were selling well, and the small firm was building strong relationships with dealers.

In 1898 the company was relocated from Columbus to Cincinnati, occupying space in the Johnson Building on Fountain Square, in the heart of the downtown area.

The same year, the Gruens purchased the Queen City Watch Case Company and changed its name to the Gruen National Watch Case Company. Although run by the Gruens, it was kept as a separate company.

Right: 17-jewel D. Gruen and Sons 12-size pocket watch, early 1900s. Just as with the "C.W. Co." marking on early Columbus watches, if you didn't know the logo is "D.G. & S." for "D. Gruen and Sons," you wouldn't know you had a Gruen watch. This logo was used for a time after production was moved to Switzerland, and is sometimes seen on movements even when the dial is marked "Gruen."

Around 1900, the Gruens decided to take some movement production out of Germany. Many of the skilled workers in Glashütte were unwilling to embrace changes to their traditional manufacturing methods, and resented the fact that these changes were being brought in by an outsider, so Fred was forced to hire new employees and train them. There may also have been economic considerations involved in the shift. The Gruens would eventually take all their business to Switzerland, where the trend towards American-style mass production was greeted with more interest and enthusiasm.

Watches manufactured using German movements were signed “D. Gruen and Sons”. For a few years after the changeover to Swiss calibres, dials and movements were signed with a stylized “DG&S” logo. Starting about 1910 the watches were simply marked “Gruen”.

1904: The VeriThin "the most beautiful watch in America" Dietrich seems to have always been concerned with the size and wearing comfort of pocket watches. By the early 1900s, most Gruen watches had shrunk from 18to 16- to 12-size. Having made the watches smaller, the next goal was to make them thinner.

Right: Detail from a 1923 ad illustrating the VeriThin concept. The solid black area represents the thickness of the watch movement.

Attempts to build such thin movements had been made before, but Gruen's was the first that was technically and commercially successful.

Normally, a watch movement has wheels and other parts overlapping on four different levels. In the VeriThin movement, by making changes to the traditional layout, it was possible to reduce this to three levels, allowing the watch to be made much thinner.

Left: This watch, and a few that I've seens similar to it, are a mystery to me. Because of the hand-painted, porcelain dial I assume that this is a very early VeriThin, but this is only a guess. The movement is different from the usual models. A 1911 Gruen invoice at the NAWCC Research Library shows a Verithin logo similar to this one, but the watches shown in ads from 1911 onwards do not show dials signed like this. I'd welcome new information about these.

The Gruen-designed movements were manufactured in Switzerland. For the rest of their history, Gruen would continue to build movements there, and case and time them in the U.S. Gruen's new VeriThin was between 10- and 12-size and only about 7mm thick; this was a reduction of almost one-third compared to a normal 12-size watch.

These were originally seen as novelties, and the first batches had technical problems, but the VeriThins eventually became Gruen's most popular models, and helped steer the whole industry away from the large sizes that were still common at the time. These small, thin watches were very comfortable to carry in the vest pocket, especially in comparison to a thick and heavy 18-size watch, and after the initial teething problems proved to be very reliable. Models with Precision movements were guaranteed to meet railroad accuracy standards. To understand the place in the market Gruen carved out for itself, it is important to understand how important railroad watches were in the U.S. in the 1890s and early 1900s.

Above: A portion of a 1913 ad. Old Gruen marketing materials often give a vivid glimpse of the era in which the watches were made.

There was no way to communicate with it once a train had left the station—often, knowing whether another train was speeding towards your train in the opposite direction depended on both engineers knowing the exact time and keeping precisely to their schedules. This made accurate watches a matter of life and death. The tragic incident that led to the adoption of railroad standards for watches was a head-on collision between a passenger train and a high-speed freight train, which resulted in the deaths of the train crews and many passengers. Investigators blamed the crash on a four-minute error on one engineer's watch. The United States was to lead the world in the production of high-quality (and very expensive) railroad watches; before the 1930s many imported Swiss watches were merely cheap imitations of American watches.

Left: A VeriThin from the 1910s. This watch has a 17-jewel non-Precision movement. The original customer could choose a movement from one of three grades, marked (in order of increasing quality) Gruen Guild, Precision or Extra-Precision. Even the regular Guild movements were of excellent quality, and the two Precision grades were of extremely high quality. Initially some Precision movements had 15 jewels (men's pocket watches with as few as seven jewels were common from other manufacturers) but Gruen quickly decided that 17 jewels minimum were required for their Precision watches, and later even the lower grades got an increase from 15 to 17 jewels.

The "railroad watches" used by engineers, conductors and other railroad employees were required to be accurate to plus-or-minus 30 seconds per week, in addition to meeting a number of physical and technical requirements.

Railroad employees had to buy their own watches, from a list of approved models. There were payroll deduction plans to help with the purchase, since the cost might represent two month's salary or more. Railroad inspectors serviced and adjusted these timepieces regularly, and records were kept for each individual watch. American railroad pocket watches were among the most precise small timekeeping devices in existence at the time.

Many of the other U.S. companies were concentrating on railroad watches at this time; the larger railroads needed thousands of them, and the same watches were also offered to the public, who were assured of getting a superlatively accurate timepiece by purchasing a railroad-approved model. However, U.S. regulations stipulated that railroad watch movements be American-made, closing this lucrative market to the Gruens, even though their watches could meet all of the technical and accuracy requirements of railroad service. However, they were able to sell railroad watches in Canada, and these can be found with both German and Swiss Gruen movements in them.

Right: A VeriThin with a 19-jewel V2 1/2 Precision movement; late 1920s. The dial engraving is quite beautiful.

Offering watches that were approved for railroad service was a guarantee that a manufacturer's watches could pass the most stringent quality requirements of the era; this lent the manufacturer great prestige in the marketplace, and companies like Hamilton (whose "The Watch of Railroad Accuracy" banner graced Hamilton's ads until the 1950s) made much of this. This marketing advantage was denied to Gruen. Their strategy was to offer elegant, thin, dress watches instead of trying to compete with the large and heavy railroad models, yet they guaranteed the same accuracy as the much bulkier watches.

Above: The certificate sent to owners who registered a VeriThin watch with Gruen; this one is from 1926. Note that these were individually signed by Fred Gruen. The certificate states that if the watch fails to perform to railroad accuracy standards, any Gruen dealer will regulate it free of charge.

Unlike most other watches at the time, Gruen's pocket watches were always sold as complete, cased watches, in a presentation box. Most other firms sold only the movement, with hands and dial attached; these came in a small metal can with a paper label pasted on the top. When a customer shopped for a watch, he picked a dial/movement then picked a case that would fit it, and the jeweler combined them to build a complete watch. Some watch companies also offered a line of cases, but most did not sell these together as a finished watch. Because movements and cases came in standard sizes, they were (and still are) easily interchangeable. If a watch case started to look worn or became unfashionable, you didn't buy a whole new watch, you just replaced the case; if the watch movement was irreparably damaged or worn out, you'd have a new one installed in your existing case. There were hundreds of watch case companies to meet the demand.

The customer could also spread out the cost of an expensive watch by purchasing a good movement and housing it in a cheap case until he could afford a better one. Vintage watch dealers are still swapping these cases and movements around today, so if you're concerned about historical accuracy you should look carefully at each combination.

Gruen's method of selling complete watches assured that the movement had been regulated in its actual case, and did not need to be tampered with by a third party who might upset the delicate adjustments. The VeriThin movements are an

odd size (they are between 10- and 12-size), in addition to being thin, and will not fit standard-size watch cases.

Left: A VeriThin Louis XIV model with a 1920 presentation inscription on the dust cover. Note the engraved 14k yellow gold case, and the engraved and painted dial with applied gold numbers. Inside is a V4 Precision movement.

Fred Gruen revived the practice of using applied gold dial figures after a study of historical timepieces. The Louis XIV watches were introduced in 1915, and were the subject of one of Fred's many design patents.

Also unlike most other companies, Gruen watches were sold directly to Gruen dealers, as was mentioned above. There were no middlemen, distributors or wholesalers between Gruen and the local jewelry store. The company would eventually have a large sales force, and by the 1930s they would have around 1200 dealers.

Because Gruen dealt directly with dealers, without intermediaries, they were able to stay in touch with what their dealers, and the public, wanted.

Fred Gruen claims to have introduced the use of applied numbers and markers on watch dials. In the 1800s and early 1900s, watch dials were enamel with painted markings. After looking at very old clocks and watches in European museums, Fred decided to do some metallic dials with gold applied numerals.

The firm that Gruen contracted to make these dials initially resisted the idea, but they quickly became very popular and were soon copied by other manufacturers.

From the 1930s through the 1960s, almost every watch manufacturer in the world used a metal dial with applied figures on at least some of their watches.

Although he had taken out many patents on behalf of the company, Fred later regretted not having taken out a patent on applied dial figures.

T H E G R U E N W A T C H C O M P A N Y 1904 - 1917

VeriThin, SemiThin, Very-VeriThin, UltraThin, Ultra-VeriThin

Above: A comparison of pocket watch sizes and thicknesses. Top right: 1880s Columbus 18-size watch, typical of the time; middle left, early-1900s DG&S 12size; bottom left (with blue dial numbers): early VeriThin; bottom right: Dietrich Gruen UltraThin.

The VeriThin pocket watches were popular and became Gruen's signature watch.

Prices for these models started at $50 USD (which would be roughly $1250 USD today). Adding the best Precision movement and a precious-metal case could take the price up to several hundred dollars.

Some of the old, thicker movements were kept in production and became the SemiThin pocket watch line, priced in the $25-35 USD ($625-$875 USD) range.

These were not offered in Gruen's Precision grade. Interestingly, many of the SemiThin models have very ornate cases and dials, while many of the more expensive VeriThin models are very plain. Gruen was one of the most expensive and prestigious watch brands available in America. A SemiThin might cost only $25 USD, but this was still not cheap. Truly inexpensive watches were from companies like Ingersoll, and sold for as little as $1 USD.

Right: A Gruen SemiThin from the 1920s, with a gold-filled case. Although originally priced at about two-thirds the cost of a comparable VeriThin, its movement, case and dial are of high quality.

Very-VeriThin models combined ordinary VeriThin movements with extra-slim case designs that made the watches look even thinner.

The very expensive UltraThin, movement, building on the VeriThin concept, managed to reduce the number of operating levels in the movement to two. These watches are impressively thin; practical considerations, such as the structural rigidity of the case, would preclude a watch much thinner than this, even if an appropriate movement could be developed. The UltraThin models were part of the pricey Dietrich Gruen line, which will be described later. The cost of an UltraThin, as shown in the 1929 catalog, ranged from $375 USD for a model in an 18k gold case up to $1250 USD for a platinum-and-diamond cased model ($9,375 to $31,250 USD in today's dollars!).

Above: a Dietrich Gruen UltraThin with a solid gold case.

The Ultra-VeriThin was a less-expensive alternative to the UltraThin, occupying a niche between the UltraThin and the regular VeriThin. The Ultra-VeriThin watches were Precision grade; prices started around $100 USD (about $2500 USD

today). Like other models, adding a precious-metal case could make the price substantially higher.

Above: A detail from a 1923 ad comparing the SemiThin, VeriThin and UltraVeriThin concepts.

Gruen's thin watches soon prompted their competitors to offer thinner and smaller watches as well. With the exception of railroad watches, which by regulation had to be 16-size or larger, the trend in the industry moved towards the smaller sizes. Gruen's Precision models were guaranteed to meet railroad accuracy standards, so there was no advantage to carrying a chunky 18-size watch in your vest pocket all day.

1908: Wristwatches Gruen made both men's and women's wristwatches starting in 1908, but these proved popular only with women. Gruen was one of a very few companies to take wristwatches seriously this early, seeing their potential in spite of disappointing early sales to male customers.

Above: A convertable watch attached to a neck chain. This watch has beautiful blue enamel decoration on its gold case. Below: A convertible watch attached to a silk ribbon so it can be worn on the wrist. Convertible watches allowed a woman to own a single watch that could be worn in different ways.

One design that was popular with women was the convertible watch. These were shaped like a very small pocket watch. In addition to the bow on the top (the metal ring or loop that allowed it to be attached to a chain), these included a second, small ring on the bottom, to allow attachments at both ends. Included

was a bracelet or ribbon that clipped to the top and bottom of the watch to form a wristwatch, but the watch could also be worn on a neck chain, could be pinned to the clothing or used with a pocket watch chain. Because these small watches were so expensive, the design allowed a woman to own one watch that could be worn in different ways. The tiny movements from watches like this were also used in the first men's wristwatches, since they were the smallest watch movements available at the time.

Left: A woman's convertible watch made by Gruen in the mid-1910s; 26mm in diameter. This type of watch was the predecessor to the wristwatch, and continued to be made until about 1920. This dial is in Gruen's Louis XIV style, which recalled the look of classic watches from the 1700s.

Gruen also made true wristwatches (women's models were usually called "wristlet watches") with a bracelet permanently attached.

Most men saw wristwatches as being extremely effeminate and continued to carry pocket watches. Things began to change after the military on both sides used wristwatches during the First World War. When huddled in a muddy trench or flying an airplane, a wristwatch proved to be much more practical and convenient than a pocket watch, and was easier to protect from damage. This helped to remove the wristwatch's feminine stigma, making them acceptable for men to wear in civilian life. However, most manufacturers, including Gruen, were careful to call them "strap watches" since "wristwatch" still sounded effeminate to male customers.

Right: An early Gruen man's wristwatch— date unknown, but I believe this is pre-WWI. The 29mm-diameter case is made of silver, and has a hinged back and inner dust cover just like a pocket watch. The 15-jewel movement was originally designed for a woman's pocket watch. Note that, when wearing it, you must hold your arm vertically to read the time. This was not unusual for early wristwatches, but is awkward, and eventually the dial orientation we use today became standard.

Gruen made both wrist and pocket watches for the military during World War I. Most had silver cases, which would tarnish but would not corrode under adverse conditions. To satisfy U.S. military regulations, these watches all have luminous dial markings and hands. The luminous material used at the time contained radium, and was painted onto the dials by hand. The dangers of using such a potent radioactive material were not understood at the time, and appropriate precautions were not taken. This had tragic consequences for many dial painters

(who were mostly women). Watches from the 1950s onwards use the mildlyradioactive element tritium instead of radium, and today many watches use new materials that are not radioactive at all.

Above: A World War I-era Gruen military-style wristwatch. The 32mm case is solid silver, and is surprisingly heavy. The back snaps on, unlike the round man's wristwatch shown previously. The dial is porcelain; the hands and numbers would originally have been luminous. The 15-jewel movement is signed both "DG&S" and "Watch Specialties Company." Watch Specialties was a Gruen subsidiary that imported non-Gruen movements during the 1910s. To the right is a detail from Gruen's 1918 book, A Worthy Company of Watchmakers, showing this watch with the company's "Liberty" strap. A metal "shrapnel guard" was available which protected the glass; a pattern of holes allowed the time to be read with the guard in place. After the War, watches identical to the one shown were sold until about 1922 as sports or outdoor watches.

Gruen also made a military version of the VeriThin pocket watch, which had a luminous dial and hands as the military wristwatches did. These came in either solid gold or gold-filled cases. Gruen's 1918 book, A Worthy Company of Watchmakers suggested that officers needed to carry two watches; a pocket watch for accuracy and a wristwatch for convenience. Later in the 1920s, the company would offer the same advice to civilians.

Above: "Moisture Proof Military Wrist Watch—Gruen Patent," from the 1918 book. The actual watch is hinged inside an outer case with a screw-on bezel and crystal. The watch is completely sealed inside the outer case, so the bezel must be unscrewed to get access to the watch to wind and set it. The angled rim of

the bezel is milled to enable the owner to get a secure grip when loosening or tightening it. The milled bezels on some modern wristwatches (many Rolex models have these) are purely decorative elements based on this originally functional detail. In the early 1920s, this model (in your choice of solid silver or solid gold case) was sold to sportsmen as a "Rough N' Ready, Out O' Doors" watch.

Many early waterproof watches used a double-case system similar to this, and experienced similar problems. Constantly unscrewing the bezel for daily winding would result in rapid deterioration of the case's seals, so the watch's original water resistance would not last. This problem is part of the reason that self-winding watches were originally developed—a self winding watch could be sealed in its case and largely left alone.

1911: The Dietrich Gruen watches "nothing finer known to the watchmaker's art" Right: Dietrich Gruen's best-known portrait.

Dietrich died suddenly in 1911, while he and Fred were nearing the Italian coast on board the steamship Berlin.

Fred was on one of his frequent business trips to Europe. His father had been suffering from a heart ailment since 1905, and was en route to a spa at Bad Nauheim, Germany, which he visited annually for treatments. Fred, who succeeded Dietrich as President, later wrote that stress was the cause of his father's death. The years since leaving the Columbus Watch Company had often been difficult, and Dietrich had refused to "take it easy" in spite of his heart problems and his doctor's orders.

"He was a lovable character," Fred wrote about his father, "a hard worker who knew his business, a square shooter, a man you could trust and fine to work with, and I will give him credit for giving George and me full swing and authority in the business. He used to say, 'I would rather have you make some mistakes as long as you don't repeat them, than not have responsibility and always be afraid to make a decision.' I am awfully glad he did that, for it gave us the opportunity to develop the ability to make our own decisions and make them quickly. If it had not been for that, we would never have gotten where we did."

A series of new, thinner pocket watch movements had been under development, which Dietrich did not live to see put into production. In his memory, this new line of watches did not have the normal Gruen logo, but were simply signed "Dietrich Gruen" in script on the dial. These were Gruen's finest watches at the time, and were thin, elegant, and expensive. Until the advent of the 50th Anniversary watch, these were Gruen's most prestigious models.

Left: 23-jewel Dietrich Gruen with up/down (power reserve) indicator. "A thin model watch pronounced by jewelers and horological experts to be the World's Finest Pocket Timepiece." (Photo by Jack Goldberg) A 1917 ad reads, "Planned by Dietrich Gruen himself as his last work, and carried to completion by his sons and associates, this watch sets a new standard in watch construction and finish, and is in every respect worthy of the name of this Master of Watch Craftsmanship."

The original line had three models: one with a winding indicator ($300), a minute repeater ($465), and a combined minute repeater and split-seconds chronograph ($650). In today's dollars, the prices would be about $9000, $13,950 and $19,500 USD, respectively.

The Dietrich Gruen watches had their own unique family of fully-adjusted movements, which are designed differently from Gruen's other movement lines.

Cases came in several shapes, including round, octagonal and square. Later models were housed in Pentagon cases. When the UltraThin movement was introduced, it became part of the Dietrich Gruen line.

1911 also marked the debut of Gruen's first national advertising campaign. A very early adopter of such advertising, the Gruens had the sophistication, under the guidance of the J. Walter Thompson agency, not to expect quick results. The strategy was to build an image for the Gruen brand name slowly over many years.

Fading history Problems and confusion with Gruen's early history started after Dietrich's death.

I believe that this is partly because Gruen history was rewritten by the company for marketing and PR purposes, and partly because the early history was genuinely forgotten.

Although the company was started by Dietrich and Fred in 1894, by 1900 they were claiming 1876 as a founding date (this is the year the Columbus Watch

Company was founded). Starting in 1915, Gruen's advertising used 1874 instead of 1876. 1874 has remained Gruen's official founding date ever since; the company that makes quartz "Gruen" watches today still stamps "since 1874" on the boxes.

Right: A detail from a 1913 ad. Note that it claims 1876 as Gruen's founding date. The ad's headline (not shown) spells the company name "GRU-EN" to indicate the correct pronunciation.

For marketing reasons, the Gruen Watch Company wanted to take credit for what Dietrich Gruen had achieved prior to 1894. To this end, they absorbed the founding date and the early history of the Columbus Watch Company into their own official story, but never mentioned the earlier company by name.

This practice is followed by many watch companies, most notably in Switzerland.

While some Swiss watch companies may claim founding dates as far back as the 1700s, few can actually demonstrate a genuine, continuous history going back that far in time. (The modern Blancpain company, which claims a 1735 founding date, is actually about 20 years old). In an industry that emphasizes long traditions, most watch companies claim the oldest date that they can possibly justify. Many venerable company names, long defunct, have been revived in recent years, and along with the brand name comes the venerable founding date of the original.

Beyond the founding date, there are problems with the official company timeline. The 1929 dealer's catalog claims that Gruen (actually the Columbus Watch Company) had introduced stemwind watches to the U.S. market in 1878 and 16-size watches in 1880. Actually, Dietrich seems to have been making them earlier then this: Columbus watch serial number 572, in the museum at the American Watchmakers Institute, is both 16-size and stemwind; number 4277 is also 16-size and stemwind. An earlier Gruen publication claims that Dietrich offered 16-size watches as early as 1874 (but substitute 1876 for 1874); this seems more accurate, based on the evidence provided by actual watches.

I've found two timelines of Gruen history. One is in the little 1918 book, A Worthy Company of Watchmakers (published by Gruen), the other is in the 1929 Gruen dealer's catalog. These dates and company names are given in both timelines: 1874: Dietrich Gruen 1879: Gruen & Savage 1894: D. Gruen & Son

1898: D. Gruen & Sons 1900: The D. Gruen, Sons & Co., Gruen Watch Mfg. Co. 1911: Gruen Watch Makers Guild Early in my research I had been pleased to disover this timeline and it formed the skeleton of my original outline of Gruen history. I found no reason to question it; how could the company itself be wrong about these dates? However, with more research it became clear that this timeline is not completely accurate.

The company name between 1876 and 1894 should be the Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company/Columbus Watch Company. The company was reorganized in 1882, but this is not shown.

The 1879 date for Gruen's partnership with Savage is interesting, but Gruen and Savage were already partners before this. The first time that the company shows up in a Columbus street directory, in 1878, Dietrich is listed as president and Savage as secretary and treasurer, so Savage was part of the company from the start (and it had been Savage who financed the partnership).

Deitrich does not show up in the Columbus street directory until 1877; in that year Deitrich is listed as a watchmaker and Savage is listed as a wholesale jeweler by professsion. The next year, 1878, they are both listed as officers of the Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company.

These old street directories date from before the telephone. The goal was to document the name, address and occupation of every adult male. The listings were compiled by individuals going door-to-door and neighborhood-toneighborhood and talking to each resident. This would be a time-consuming process; by the time the survey was completed and the data was compiled, edited, typeset and published, some of it would already be out-of-date. If the partnership was formed in 1876 it might not show up in the 1877 directory but it should definitely be in the 1878 directory — and it is.

A different interpretation could be that the official timeline shows Dietrich working on his own before his partnership with Savage; if the second date were 1876 instead of 1879, this would fit. 1879 would have been the third year of their partnership, however, so this is still puzzling.

If something significant did happen in 1879, I don’t know what it would have been. Around this time, the move to the basement of Exchange Bank took place.

The 1911 change to "Gruen Watch Maker's Guild" was not an actual name or organizational change; the 'Gruen Guild' theme was simply part of a long, ongoing marketing campaign that was started in 1911 (see the 1917 page). The true significance of 1911 was that control of the company passed to Fred upon Dietrich's death.

The 1929 catalog includes a chart showing historically-significant Gruen watches, but it shows at least one watch that is obviously incorrect, in order to avoid showing a watch with the Columbus name on the dial.

I believe that 1876 is the correct date for the start of the Columbus Watch Company, since this is the founding date that was used by the company and those who wrote about them in the 1800s, and because 1876 was used by Gruen before 1915. I believe that the 1874 date is simply the pinion patent date, and was (and is) used because it is the earliest evidence of Dietrich Gruen's watchmaking activities. Eugene Fuller, in The Priceless Possession of a Few, reached the opposite conclusion. He chose to give the later company records greater weight, while I have chosen to give the earlier material, closer in time to the actual events, precedence.

The fact that 1876 was used while Dietrich was alive and in charge of the company is a compelling argument. Some very early Columbus watches have an 1874 patent notice on the dial or movement, but this is the patent date, not the date the watch was made. I also feel that the later Gruen Watch Company's public relations and advertising people would have wanted to present a simpler and less-confusing early history. It is, of course, possible that Dietrich Gruen made or finished earlier watches before starting his company. I am continuing to research this subject.

I would encourage readers to be very skeptical about everything in print about the early Columbus Watch Company, including what I've written on these web pages. So much has been lost! next: Time Hill >> T H E G R U E N W A T C H C O M P A N Y 1917 - 1921

1917: Time Hill With their continuing success, the Gruens were outgrowing their Cincinanti offices and workshop. They also wanted to get away from the dirty, smokey downtown area. Watches need to be assembled in the cleanest environment possible; in a time when there were still horses on the streets and everyone burned coal, downtown was not the best place for a watch company.

In 1913 the company purchased Nanny Goat Hill, a pasture just outside of Cincinnati, and renamed it Time Hill. Today, this site is on MacMillan Avenue near Interstate 71. The facade is not intended to represent a Swiss chalet, as is commonly thought—instead, Fred was inspired by Medieval guild halls he had seen in Belgium. The building was designed by architect Guy C. Burroughs at a

construction cost estimated at $50,000 USD (today this would be about $1.5 million USD). The company moved to the new location in 1917.

Fred Gruen had a passion for landscaping, and Time Hill's dramatic hilltop setting was enhanced by carefully planted trees and shrubs, and by a small artificial waterfall that cascaded down the rocks in front. The hill does not look very impressive from MacMillan Avenue, because you can see only the top portion. Actually, MacMillan Avenue is a viaduct; you're not aware of it, but you're actually so high above ground level that another street passes under you, next to Time Hill.

Above: Time Hill, detail from a 1921 ad. This image shows the first phase of construction. Note the figure with knapsack and walking stick climbing the path. The large windows were important, to provide light for the watchmakers inside.

After the move, the guild and guild hall became a major theme in Gruen's marketing and advertising, and images of the Time Hill building were used everywhere—on ads, on booklets, on store displays, on watch boxes. Large photos of the building were used in window displays and hung on dealer's walls.

Gruen's early steel watch-case alloy was called "Guildite," and Gruen's dealers were "guild members." Many Gruen ads from the 1920s and 30s refer to the company as the "Gruen Guild," although there was never an official name change. Most advertising and marketing materials from the 1920s feature illustrations designed to look like old woodcuts, with scenes of Mediaeval and Renaissance craftsmen. There are often stories about famous watchmakers in the ads, or historical tales about individuals upholding the ideals of their craft. The long-running advertising campaign was very sophisticated for its time—rather than selling individual watch models, the ads attempted to attach an aura of history, craftsmanship and tradition to the Gruen name. Often only a single, small watch was shown near the bottom of the ad, the modern product of Gruen's adherence to the spirit of the old guilds.

Above: Time Hill, from an advertising postcard. This image shows the second of three phases of construction—the front (left in the photo) section of the building has been nearly doubled in width. If you look closely, you can see the seam in the roof where the newer section was added on—the newer section to the left is slightly lighter in color. Note also the hourglass on top of the signpost and the two radio antennae on the roof. Time Hill appeared not only in Gruen's own advertising postcards, but also in postcard sets showing notable Cincinnati landmarks.

The guild theme was not simply a marketing ploy. Time Hill was part of an environment the Gruens tried to create, where watchmaking would be practiced as an art and a noble craft. Fred expressed this philosophy in a speech given to a group of business leaders in the 1920s: "It has always been our aim, ever since I started the Guild idea, to foster those ideals of the ancient guilds, of quality and craftsmanship; to make useful things in a beautiful way, under ideal surroundings. We believe in applying art to industry as exemplified in all of our activities, from building a plant whose style of architecture suggests craftsmanship, to making the watches most beautiful, with greatest accuracy obtainable."

Above: By the 1930s, the building had been significantly enlarged. This is an east view from a 1937 advertisement. This photo is taken from exactly the opposite direction from the two views shown previously—the farthest-right section is the rear of the front, which is on the left in the two earlier views.

At Time Hill, movements imported from Switzerland were combined with American-made parts to build the finished watches. Solid gold cases, glass crystals and leather straps were made in-house. Gold-filled cases were sometimes manufactured as well, but most of these were contracted out to other firms. In addition to housing these manufacturing operations, Time Hill contained the service shops, company offices and parts warehouse. There was a side entrance where local watchmakers could pick up parts.

As mentioned, Gruen sometimes made gold-filled cases at Time Hill, but normally these came from the Wadsworth Case Company, located in Dayton, Kentucky, only a few miles away. These cases often have a tiny Wadsworth "W" logo engraved on the backs, and are signed "Wadsworth" in script inside the case back. A few cases used by Gruen were proprietary Wadsworth designs, and were also used by other companies—an example is the Triad pocket watch case.

Wadsworth was one of the more important American watch case companies, making many of the classic cases for Hamilton, Elgin and other U.S. manufacturers.

Gruen's platinum and diamond cases came from a facility in New York.

Shortly after Time Hill opened, Gruen advertised custom services which included the restoration and refurbishment of older watches. They offered to melt down your old, un-trendy watch case and use the gold to make you a new, fashionable one.

Right: This fanciful illustration from a 1920s ad shows the symbolic image of Renaissance craftsmen going to work at Time Hill. All of Gruen's advertising and marketing from this time period emphasized the guild theme.

In some early images of the building, various antennae can be seen on the roof. The wireless was still relatively new technology in 1917. Commercial radio broadcasting and even voice communication were still in the future— messages were sent in Morse Code. Time Hill was fitted with one of the most powerful radio transmitter/receivers in the American Midwest, with a sending range of 300 miles and a receiving range of 3000 miles.

The wireless enabled the company to receive time signals from the U.S. Naval Observatory in Arlington, Virginia. The ultimate timekeeping reference is astronomical observation, and the Naval Observatory keeps the official time for the United States. Accurate time signals were important to Gruen—one of the major activities at Time Hill was regulating (referred to as "timing") their watches. If the factory's time reference varied, and was slightly fast or slow on any day, the watches adjusted to match the reference would also run slightly fast or slow. The radio provided Gruen with the most accurate time signals available.

Shortly before the U.S. entered World War I, Fred sent the U.S. Secretary of War a telegram and letter offering free use of Gruen's powerful wireless station to the government.

Pleased with both the building itself and the positive reception it had received, the Gruens decided to build a large, permanent facility to house the Swiss branch of the firm as well.

c. 1921: The Precision Factory Sometime before 1910, the Gruens set up a small factory in Biel, Switzerland.

Although several outside firms produced movements, they increasingly manufactured their own from this point onwards. About every year, according to Fred Gruen, the company moved to a larger space. Finally, in 1921 or 1922, Gruen started building a large, very modern factory in Biel. The building's design, which has a family resemblance to Time Hill, was a collaboration between Time Hill architect G.C. Burroughs and a local Swiss architect. Fred had to fight with the local authorities to get the factory built in the style he wanted— the Swiss found the building to be too elaborate and frivolous. However, it became a symbol and a source of pride for the Company just as Time Hill in the

U.S. was. Fred felt that the building lent prestige to the company and helped them attract the most skilled workers. From his writing, he was obviously personally quite proud of both buildings.

The Biel factory was also sometimes referred to as Time Hill, but was normally called the Precision Factory or Precision Workshop ("workshop" sounded better in ads about the old guilds). The highest-quality Gruen movements were produced there, and only the watches containing these better calibres were marked "Precision" on the dial and movement. For many years, less-expensive movements were still purchased from outside firms, but by the late 1930s all Gruen movement production was consolidated at the Precision Factory.

Above: The Gruen Precision Factory in Biel, Berne, Switzerland, in a photo from the 1929 Gruen Dealers' catalog. Note the "Precision" logo above the bottom two windows on the far left of the building.

In German, Gruen means "green." The company made a point of using green tile for the roofs of both Time Hill and the Precision factory, and Fred Gruen used green tile on the roof of his own house.

Continuing with the company's interested in the wireless, Time Hill established regular two-way radio communications with the Swiss facility.

The early 1920s were a very productive time for Gruen, and their new Swiss factory was busy from the start. The watch market in the United States was booming. In contrast, much of the rest of the Swiss watch industry was in serious trouble. The effects of the First World War had devastated the national economies in most of Europe and Asia. The United States had its own flourishing watch industry—Gruen, Hamilton, Bulova, Elgin, Waltham, Illinois and others supplied the middle and high end of the market, while cheap Swiss imports supplied much of the bottom end, along with American companies like Ingersoll.

More expensive Swiss watches made up only a small percentage of U.S. sales.

This left many of the better Swiss companies with no place to sell their watches; some had to cut their work forces by as much as half, leaving many skilled workers unemployed. Seeking cheaper watches, many distributors farmed out production to termineurs, small Swiss sweatshops which produced very cheap watch movements from mass-produced parts. This took still more work away from the larger Swiss companies. Fred Gruen campaigned to have U.S. import laws changed, since they offered tax incentives to these cheaper watches and penalized better quality ones.

Since many highly-skilled watchmakers were unemployed in Germany and Switzerland, Gruen hired some of the best ones and brought them to America.

Fred, who had learned to design and build watch movements from scratch at the Royal Horological Institute at GlashĂźtte, tested for similar skills and abilities in the candidates for these jobs. He supplied specifications and materials, from which a new watch movement had to be designed and constructed. This required the ability to plan the layout and compute the correct gear ratios for the various wheels, and the physical skills needed to machine, fit and finish the parts. If this task was completed to Fred's satisfaction, the candidate would be given transport to the U.S. and set up as a Gruen employee. An elite group of these Germanspeaking watchmakers worked upstairs at Time Hill.

Right: Detail from a 1929 ad. Gruen took the "Precision" marking very seriously—this was an indication of their bestquality watches. Although the picture shows Time Hill in Cincinnati, all Precision movements made after 1921 came from the Precision Factory. The starting price of $50 for the leastexpensive Precision watch would be the equivalent of about $1275 today.

Up until at least the late 1920s, all Gruen pocket watches with Precision movements came with a beautiful, full-color certificate printed on parchment.

The certificate includes a guarantee that the watch will perform to current railroad accuracy standards. After the sale, the purchase information was recorded by the dealer who then sent the certificate to Time Hill, where Fred Gruen personally signed and returned it.

The company kept meticulous records of customers and individual watches.

Unfortunately, almost all of the Gruen Company's paperwork has been lost or destroyed.

next: the Cartouche >>

T H E G R U E N W A T C H C O M P A N Y 1921 - 1922

1921: The Cartouche "the logical wrist watch shape"

Above: An illustration from Gruen's 1929 catalog. The diagram compares the round movement used in all other women's wristwatches with the Cartouche.

The caption reads, "Note that although the Cartouche appears much smaller and more attractive, the wheels and parts are actually larger because the movement fills out the entire case space."

Wristwatch popularity began to steadily rise in the 1920s, especially among women. Fashion quickly moved away from the early 'pocket-watch-on-a-strap' look—the tonneau (barrel) and rectangle became popular. Thinking it was not worth the effort and expense to design and build special wristwatch movements, most companies used the small, round movements made for women's pocket watches. Putting a round movement into a long, rectangular case meant that most of the interior volume of the watch was wasted.

Gruen's first movement designed specifically for wristwatches was the Cartouche, released in 1921 and used in a line of elegant women's watches. The Cartouche name comes from its shape—a long rectangle with rounded ends.

Because it fills the case, the Cartouche was able to use larger and sturdier parts,

and was more accurate and reliable than the smaller round movements would have been. The Cartouche also allowed Gruen to offer sleeker watch designs, since the case didn't have to disguise the bulge of a round movement inside.

Most women's wristwatches from the 1920s were worn on silk ribbons, as shown above. Later, in the 1930s, many owners changed these to chains or bracelets as the ribbons went out of fashion.

The Cartouche was popular and successful—Gruen made over 500 different Cartouche models.

Most of Gruen's competitors would not start designing true wristwatch movements for several more years.

1922: The Pentagon "the Croix de Guerre of American achievement"

Gruen's most distinctive pocket watch case was the Pentagon. Even if it is fully adjusted, a watch will run much more consistently if it stays predominantly in one position. The flat bottom of the Pentagon kept it sitting upright in the wearer's pocket. Round watches tended to turn sideways, because of the weight

of the crown and bow at the top. Ads proclaimed that the Pentagon was the "watch that won't tip over in your pocket."

Right: A Pentagon reinforced green gold model from the 1920s, with a V4 VeriThin movement.

Perhaps more important than the technical reasons for the shape were its attractiveness, distinctivess and the fact that it was protected by one of Fred Gruen's design patents. No other company could make a five-sided watch, so a Pentagon would be easily recognized as a Gruen even from a distance. The watch fit in well with current trends; pocket watch cases had been getting more eccentric for several years.

The Pentagons were not just an ordinary Gruen watch mounted in a shaped case. They made up their own distinct, very upscale model line. The 1929 catalog, far from lumping them into the pocket watch section, gives the Pentagon its own section equal to the pocket watch section. All Pentagons have Precision-grade (or higher) and VeriThin (or thinner) movements. There were no cheap models; prices for a normal round VeriThin started at $50 USD (around $1275 USD today ), but the cheapest Pentagon model was $75 USD ($1875 USD today). $75 was only the starting price; upgrading the case or movement could raise the final cost considerably.

Above: A graphic from Gruen's 1929 catalog, showing some of the case shapes they had used for pocket watches. During the 1920s, wristwatches were rapidly rising in popularity for every-day use, while pocket watches were increasingly becoming specialized as a formal-dress accessory. Below: A selection of Gruen pocket watch shapes. The watch on the upper left (with gold hands and dial numbers) is in a Triad case, and is a SemiThin. All of the others are VeriThin models.

The company encouraged customers to pick the Pentagon as a presentation watch, and ran numerous ads promoting this concept. There was even a Pentagon kit available for the presenter, containing a helpful book outlining the suggested ceremony. Ads listed prominent men who owned or had been awarded a Pentagon, and the company generally tried to create an aura of prestige and exclusivity around them. Gruen constantly referred to this watch as the "Croix de Guerre of American achievement." The idea was that the Pentagon should be a badge of honor for a man in civilian life, much as a medal would be to a soldier.

Croix de Guerre("war cross") refers to a military decoration.

Left: A 1920s ad by C.D. Peacock, a large Chicago jeweler, predicting the demise of the round pocket watch and suggesting some alternatives that they'd be happy to sell you. The ad includes the Hamilton Decagon ($52), the Waltham Cushion ($40), the Howard Octagon ($125), the Elgin Paris Square ($35), the Gruen Pentagon ($75) and the Illinois Cushion ($55). The 1920s were a period of playful experimentation with pocket watch designs. Except for the Pentagon, most of these companies, including Gruen, had made pocket watches in all of these shapes.

The 1920s were the last great decade for pocket watches. When he introduced men's wristwatches to America in 1908, Fred Gruen had eventually been forced to make deals and "dump" many of them. Now, in the early 1920s, wristwatches were on their way to dominating the market. When the Pentagon made its debut in 1922, pocket watches still lead in popularity, but the upstart wristwatches overtook them in 1927 and had left them far behind by the early 1930s. The pocket watch would linger, however. It would still be a while before it was acceptable to wear a wristwatch instead of a pocket watch with a tuxedo, and pocket watches would continue to be used for special presentations.

Below: A trio of Pentagons. Left, a 14k yellow gold Ultra-VeriThin. Although the dial is marked VeriThin, this watch has an Ultra-VeriThin case and movement. Note how the dial shape and its decorative center section, the seconds subdial and even the bow (the attachment for the watch chain) all echo the case's five-sided shape. Center, another Ultra-VeriThin, this one in white 14k gold. Both models were priced in the $150 range (about $3750 today). Right, the back of a reinforced white gold VeriThin with a 17-jewel V4 movement, showing one of the standard engraved case backs that were available. Since these watches were often used for special presentations, many of them were ordered with plain backs, in order to receive personalized engraving.

next: the Fiftieth Anniversary pocket watch >>

1922: Consolidation of The Gruen Watch Company There were three Gruen companies: D. Gruen, Sons & Company; The Gruen National Watch Case Company of Cincinnati; and The Gruen Watch Manufacturing Company of Biel, Switzerland. In 1922 all three businesses were merged to form the Gruen Watch Company, with Fred as President.

1924: The 50th Anniversary Watch "we present the supreme example of our art and science" In 1924, Gruen released a special pocket watch in an edition of 600 to commemorate their 50th anniversary (50 years since Dietrich Gruen's 1874 pinion patent). Each watch in the 600 represented one month of the 50 years.

This was one of the most extravagant and expensive watches that had ever been made. Gruen promoted this watch as, "the priceless possession of a few."

The plates, bridges and wheels were made of gold, with ornate foliage patterns engraved into their surfaces. The original plan was to use 14k gold for the plates, but they were changed to 12k for engineering reasons. The 23-jewel movement (which included faceted diamond cap jewels on the balance and escape wheels) was "extra-Precision," adjusted to 8 positions and temperature.

Above: Gruen 50th Anniversary watch number 513, in a white gold case. This example is from the first series of 600. The close-up shows the beautiful finishing and engraving on its movement. Every screw fits into a steel sleeve in the solid 12k gold plates. The cap jewels on the balance and escape wheels are faceted diamonds. (Both photos by, and courtesy of, Jack Goldberg.)

Most watches were housed in an 18k yellow or green gold Gruen Pentagon case, but the customer was invited to order his own custom case. (Gruen means "green" in German; especially during the 1920s the company seems to have tried to popularize green gold, although white gold was much more fashionable at the time.) Externally the Anniversary looks similar to Gruen's other Pentagon models, which lent prestige to and helped sales of these other models—this was part of Gruen's deliberate marketing strategy. Included was a magnificent leather-covered, locking jewelry box with gold and brass fittings. The standard model cost $500 USD, the equivalent of about $15,000 USD today, but many owners chose custom cases at a much higher price. The more ostentatious owner could even choose a solid platinum case studded with diamonds.

Right: Full page advertisement from the February 9, 1924 issue of the Literary Digest. Note the leathercovered wooden box with gold and brass fittings.

Fred Gruen gave the design, manufacturing and sales of this watch his personal attention, and everything was handled with great ceremony. The only way potential customers could even arrange to see the watch was to make a request in writing to Fred Gruen, personally.

The Anniversary watches were not distributed to, or displayed in, any stores. After the sale, the name of the owner was recorded in a large leather-bound book at Time Hill.

Many of these watches were used for special presentations—General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing (commander of the U.S. forces in World War I) was given an Anniversary watch when he retired from the Army. Other notable owners include the executives of auto companies Dodge, Ford and Nash, several newspaper publishers including Dallas publisher George Dealy, governors, senators, and noted aviators Howard Hughes and Eddie Rickenbacker. Since the movement was so highly decorated, display backs were an option, but many of these watches were sold with solid backs to hold elaborate presentation engravings.

When production of the 50th Anniversary ended, it was discovered that there were enough parts to build an additional 50 movements. While watches in the first series each represent one month and were numbered 1 to 600, each of the second series represents one year, and were numbered 01 to 050 (the "0" before the number indicates the second series), making a total edition of 650.

Above: Detail from the Gruen 1929 Dealer's catalog. At a casual glance, the watch doesn't look much different from a typical Pentagon model. Part of the strategy behind this watch was for it to lend its status to the rest of Gruen's Pentagon line.

The Waltham and Howard companies had done similar very expensive watches—there was a sort of competition in the teens and early 1920s to see which company could claim to offer the most expensive, most prestigious and highest quality pocket watch in America. The editions of these expensive watches often took years to sell out. By the early 1930s, Gruen had sold less than half of the Anniversary watches. Since customers were encouraged to customize these watches, the movements were stored at Time Hill and were not cased until an order was placed. During the lean years of the Great Depression and later, most of the remaining movements were sold off at bargain prices in 14k or gold-filled cases. The last four 50th Anniversary movements were still in stock in 1958 (Gruen's 84th anniversary). Three of these were sold and one was retained by the company for historical reasons.

1925: The Quadron "the nearest approach to pocket watch accuracy for the wrist"

Above: Detail from a 1930 ad.

Having been used by soldiers and pilots, the wristwatch started to look more acceptably masculine to civilians after the War. Many ads from this era were careful to refer to men's wristwatches as "strap watches," to avoid the long-held stigma of the wristwatch as a feminine accessory. These ads often listed rugged, manly professions and activities for which the strap watch was suited.

Just as was true for women, styles for men's wristwatches quickly moved to tonneaus and rectangles, and away from the round shape associated with pocketwatches. Round wristwatches would not become popular again until the 1950s.

In 1925, Gruen introduced the men's Quadron. Similar in concept to the women's Cartouche models, these were rectangular watches containing very high-quality 15-j or 17-j tonneau-shaped movements. A larger movement is generally more reliable and accurate, and is generally more rugged, than a smaller one of the same quality, so the Gruen Cartouche and Quadron, with their case-filling, purpose-built movements performed much better than the small, round movements used by most of their competitors at the time. Round movements were still used in the less expensive rectangular Gruen wristwatches.

Above: A typical Quadron model from the late 1920s, with a white gold-filled case and luminous hands and dial. This particular model has a 'crown guard' case—note how the slight projections on the side of the case protect the winding crown from knocks.

According to their advertising, Gruen submitted a consecutive run of 200 ordinary Quadron movements for observatory chronometer tests in Switzerland.

There was not a category for wristwatches in 1925, so they were tested to pocket watch standards. Each of the 200 were granted a certificate for timekeeping excellence, which Fred Gruen believed to be a record at the time.

These were the earliest American wristwatches to qualify as serious timekeeping instruments on par with a pocket watch. The efforts of companies like Gruen during this era helped change the public's negative attitude towards men's wristwatches.

Above: A white-gold Quadron (left) with radium dial numbers and hands, shown next to a women’s Cartouche (right) with a blue sapphire crown on a black silk ribbon with adjustable buckle.

The Baguette "as narrow as a cigarette" A much smaller rectangular women's watch was the Baguette, with an exceptionally tiny 17-jewel movement. Like the Cartouche, these movements filled the small cases. These were the more expensive Gruen women's watches in the late 1920s and early 1930s—many had diamond-encrusted 14k or platinum cases and bracelets.

1928: The Techni-Quadron "for exact time in seconds" The famous Techni-Quadron "doctor's watches" are so-called because the large seconds dial was handy for timing a patient's pulse. These were not sold only to doctors, however. The watch was advertised as a timepiece for technicians and "radio and mechanical engineers"—anyone who needed to measure time in seconds. The 877 movement, manufactured by Aegler in Biel, was also used in the Rolex Prince; this unusual movement gives the watch its distinctive "dual dial" design. Hours and minutes are confined to the upper half of the dial, while the entire lower dial is dedicated to seconds. The Techni-Quadron provided a useful alternative to the tiny seconds hands on most watches from this era, which can be as little as 2mm (one tenth of an inch) long, and are not practical to use for timing.

Left: All Techni-Quadron models have a long case and a large seconds subdial, as large (or nearly as large) as the hour/minute portion of the dial. The "dual dial" layout is a distinctive feature of this line.

This particular watch is slightly unusual—most have dials that are more functional and less ornate.

Compare this dial to the catalog illustration below, which is more typical. (Photo courtesy of Jack Goldberg.)

Other rectangular Gruen models from this era, even if they have large seconds subdials, are not doctor's watches. The Techni-Quadron does not have the hour and minute hands attached at the center of the dial— as other watches do—on the contrary, these hands are attached above where the crown enters the case. The seconds are in their own subdial, which is symetrically placed outside of and below the hours/minutes portion of the dial.

Because these watches are sought after by collectors, other models are often represented as Gruen "doctor's watches" when offered for sale.

The Techni-Quadrons were extremely accurate, and like other Quadron models, did well in European chronometer tests.

Some Techni-Quadron models originally came with "expanding buckles." These look nearly identical to modern deployant buckles, but their purpose was different. With the buckle closed and locked, the watch could be worn normally.

However, if the buckle was unlatched, making the strap loose, the wearer could slide the watch up the arm until it fit snugly just above the elbow, keeping the hands and wrists free. A 1929 advertising photo shows a doctor wearing his watch this way. These buckles were available on metal mesh bracelets or leather straps. A smaller version of this buckle was offered for women.

Above: An illustration of a Techi-Quadron with an "expanding buckle" from the 1929 catalog. The buckle allows the watch to be worn either normally, or above the elbow, as shown in the photo.

Another interesting Quadron wrist attachment was the "Ben Hur" bracelet, made

by Wadsworth. This was a perfectly smooth, gold-filled, single-piece flexible metal strip, with a concealed clasp. When worn, it looked like the watch was held by a shiny wrist band of solid metal.

After Gruen moved all production to the Precision Factory and stopped buying movements from Aegler, they made some dual-dial watches that are superficially similar to the Techni-Quadron, using modified versions of Gruen's calibre 500.

Gruen, Rolex and Aegler One of the most deeply-held myths about Gruen is that Gruen and Rolex at one time manufactured movements for each other's watches. This is not true, although both firms did use some of the same movements—the best known examples are the Gruen Techi-Quadron and its twin, the Rolex Prince. In reality, these movements were manufactured by a third company, Aegler, who was a very close neighbor to the Gruen Precision Factory.

Above: The Aegler factory in Biel. Aegler made movements for Rolex (which had no manufacturing capability at the time), and this building is the main Rolex factory today. Up until the early 1930s, Aegler was partly owned by Gruen.

Gruen and Rolex were Aegler's biggest customers, and were both large shareholders as well—the full company name at one time was, Aegler, Societe Anonyme, Fabrique des Montres Rolex & Gruen Guild A. Gruen and Rolex both occasionally showed pictures of the huge Aegler factory in their advertising, making the implication that this was a Gruen- or Rolex-owned facility, although ownership at the time was divided among Gruen, Rolex and Aegler itself. Gruen sold their Aegler shares in the 1930s, after they moved all production to the Precision Factory. After this time, Aegler became increasingly tied to Rolex through the sale of stock. Today, the main Rolex building in Biel is the old Aegler factory, and though it is now owned by Rolex, it is still run by the Aegler family. next: the Great Depression >>

The Great Depression By the early 1930s, men's wristwatches had overtaken pocket watches in popularity, although wristwatches were not yet considered appropriate for formal dress. Gruen pointed out in advertising that if a customer wanted to be properly fashionable, he needed to own both a wristwatch and a pocket watch.

They helpfully quoted authorities on etiquette who supported this claim. Gruen even offered watch boxes that held one watch of each type.

Right: Benjamin Samuel Katz (1892-1969), who succeeded Fred Gruen as President of the Gruen Watch Company in 1935. Photo from the 1940s.

The U.S. economy was staggering under the effects of the Great Depression—watch sales in the U.S. had gone from over five million to around 800,000 per year, and most of these were in the lower price range, not the upscale watches that Gruen had sold previously.

After 1929, Gruen began to offer many less expensive watches than they had before, and ad headlines started to mention value and price. The shrinking market and reduced output is probably what prompted Gruen to divest themselves of ties to Aegler and to bring all outside movement production into the Precision Factory.

In 1935 Fred Gruen, now 63 years old, became Chairman of the Board and Benjamin S. Katz was brought in as President of the Gruen Watch Company. In 1935, Gruen was about $1.8 million USD (roughly $36 million USD today) in debt; nervous stockholders and investors were behind the change. Katz came from Katz & Ogush in New York, a watch case company that made 14k, 18k and platinum cases for lady's watches. Fred would retire in 1940, but continued to sit on the board for the rest of his life.

Gruen was not the only company to suffer—some of their competitors went out of business entirely. As bad as things were for Gruen, they were actually in a strong position relative to others in the U.S. watch industry. Hardest-hit were companies which had failed to move into the wristwatch market, like Howard, Hampden and South Bend, all three of which folded during this time. (South Bend had been the last surviving remnant of Dietrich Gruen's old Columbus Watch Company.)

1931: The Carré "the very chic Gruen that clicks open at a finger touch"

Above: Detail from a 1931 ad. Note that this CarrĂŠ has luminous hands and dial numbers, making it convenient to use as a bedside travel clock.

The CarrĂŠ, an innovative and unusual watch and a wonderful example of Art Deco design, had three intended uses: as a man's pocket watch, as a woman's purse watch, and as a small, portable table clock. The case was available with or without an attachment for a chain. Sliding the button on the side causes the case to spring open, revealing the diamond-shaped watch inside. The clever case design would stand upright when opened, making it useful as a small desk or bedside table clock, a convenient accessory for traveling.

The CarrĂŠ contains a round, 15-jewel movement similar to those used in early1930s men's wristwatches.

Above: A Carré in an aluminum case with a man's pocket watch chain attached, shown both open and closed. Aluminum would have been considered an exotic metal for a watch case, much as titanium is now. The closed case is 31mm square and 9mm thick. The spring-open cover must have been quite a conversation piece. Notice how the conical shape of the winding crown visually creates a square corner on the top of the watch case (“Carré” is the French word for "square").

The watch was available in a number of finishes, from solid 14k gold to nickle.

The outside case came in a number of colorful variations, including two-tone lacquer finishes (among them orange/black and green/cream; both with bright nickle trim), a number of exotic and colorful leather coverings, with engraved patterns, or with geometic patterns done in enamel inlay.

As clever and elegant as the Carré is, it seems not to have been a big commercial success. Its last appearance in advertising was in 1934, three years after its introduction. Prices started at $55 USD, and solid gold models were $125 USD (roughly $1375 to $3175 USD today). Perhaps if it had not been released during the early years of the Great Depression, it would have found a larger audience— the early 1930s were not the best time to sell a pricely luxury item like this.

1935: The Curvex "your curved wrist deserves the world's only truly curved watch"

Above: A detail from a 1944 ad showing a man's model, the Curvex Governor, and a woman's model, the Curvex Queen.

The most famous Gruen wristwatch was the Curvex. These watches are one of the greatest examples of 1930s streamlined design. The patent for the movement was applied for (in both Switzerland and the U.S.) in 1929. U.S. patent 1,855,952 was granted on April 26, 1932 to Emile Frey of Bienne, Switzerland, but assigned to the Gruen Watch Company. It was later reissued as Re. 20,480 under Gruen President Benjamin Katz's name in 1937, after Frey's death. The first watches went on sale in 1935.

Right: Diagram from a 1938 advertisement, showing the Curvex concept.

During the mid-1930s, the fashion was for longer and more curved rectangular watches for men. However, the thinness and curve of the case was limited by the need to put a flat movement inside. As the case got thinner and more curved, the only conventional option was to use a smaller and smaller movement. By a clever internal arrangement of the wheels and bridges, Gruen solved this problem by building a curved movement—this allowed them to put a bigger and more reliable movement into a thinner and more curved case than their competitors could. Since the design was patented, these curved movements were exclusive to Gruen. The Curvex was very successful, and was soon followed by women's models.

There were four men's Curvex movements. The original 1935 model was the long, thin calibre 311. This was soon replaced by the more curved 330 (1937), also long and thin. As fashions changed, later Curvex models used the short, squarish-oval 440 (1940) and the short and wide 370 (1948). Watches with the 330 were called Custom Curved and 370 models were called Curvametric in Gruen advertising, although the dials are all marked simply Curvex and Precision. Any man's watch that does not contain one of these four movements is not a Curvex, no matter what is on the dial or how persuasive a seller might be.

Dials can be redone or swapped with another watch; it's the movement inside that counts.

Having said this, many collectors have an obsession with the Curvex and ignore many of the other interesting models. Gruen was responsible for some of the most creative watch styling of the 1930s, and produced many other unusual and elegant designs during this period.

Above: The Curvex Majesty, an early model using the 311 movement. At 52mm,

this is the longest Curvex model that Gruen made. The box shows off the watch's curved shape. (Photo by Jack Goldberg.)

Prior to the Curvex, Gruen made other curved wristwatches, many using long, thin movements like calibre 500. Although sellers and collectors will often refer to any rectangular, curved watch (Gruen or otherwise) as a Curvex, this is incorrect—the name was a Gruen trademark, and referred to the movement, not the case design. Curved models incorporating variations of calibre 500 were kept in Gruen's line as lower-cost alternatives to the Curvex. Although the 500 and 501 movements are related to the 311, and were made in curved versions (a "C" after the model number is for "curved") and have many parts in common with the 311, they are 15-jewel movements and are not Precision grade. These watches cost around $35 USD. All Curvex models have 17 jewels and are Precision grade; the cheapest Curvex prices started around $50 USD, and many models cost significantly more.

In 1936 the first Curvex models for women were produced, with the tiny calibre 520 curved movement.

The Curvex, for both men and women, was Gruen's flagship product from the mid 1930s until the late 1940s. The last models were made around 1954.

Above and below: Women’s watches in the 1930s and 1940s, including the Curvex, were extremely small.

The price of a good watch In this age of cheap quartz watches, it's easy to forget how expensive a quality mechanical watch once was. In the mid-1930s, prices for men's Curvexes started at $50 USD for gold filled models, which is the equivalent of about $1000 USD today. Although cheaper watches could be purchased in the 1930s, the leastexpensive watches with jeweled movements cost around $25 USD, or $500 USD in today's dollars. Unlike today, when the cheapest quartz watch keeps time nearly as well as the most expensive luxury watch, the durability and accuracy of a watch were directly related to price. Pin-lever watches from companies like Ingraham and Ingersoll (which would later become Timex) were much cheaper, but might run several minutes fast or slow and wore out quickly because they lacked jeweled bearings. (Pin-levers were the same type of movement used in inexpensive children's and novelty watches.) In the 1930s, many workers made less than $3 USD per day, so even the cheapest jeweled watch would have been a major purchase. Because young people starting their adult lives could use a good watch, but could seldom afford one, a watch was the traditional gift from parents to children at graduation. Gruen, as well as their competitors, always ran special advertisements at graduation time.

1937: The Ristside driver's watches "in direct line of vision when driving or working"

Above: Detail from the April, 1938 ad, the first national advertisement for the "driver's" watch (shown is the Curvex Lord). Previous ads had only hinted at what this watch would look like.

Among the rarest and most collectable of Gruen wristwatches are the "driver's" models—the Ristside ("wrist side") and Curvex-Ristside models. Designed to be worn on the side of the wrist, they place the dial in line with the base of the thumb. When driving, you can see the dial without turning your arm or letting go of the steering wheel.

Left: The 1938 Curvex Coronet (original price $50). Note the side view: the case is too short and bends much too sharply for it to be worn like a normal watch. (Both photos by Jack Goldberg.)

Hamilton and other companies quickly brought out driver's models of their own. These are some of the most fascinating, unusual and collectable wristwatches of the 1930s.

The Ristside models feel very strange to wear the first time you try one on—the watch feels as though it's projecting out of your wrist bone. Reading the time is very convenient, however—you don't need to twist your hand palm-down to see the dial, you simply bend your elbow and leave your hand in its relaxed position.

This feels very comfortable and natural.

A normal leather strap is awkward to use with these watches, because the buckle ends up on the little-finger side of the wrist, opposite the watch. Some originally had special straps, which were extremely long on the buckle end, but very short on the other end. Although they look strange, when worn these straps correctly place that the buckle on the underside of the wrist. Ads show many Ristside models on a scissors-type expansion bracelet. Since these have no buckle, they are espeically convenient to wear with this type of watch.

Right: A 1937 Jeweler's ad for the Curvex Lord, one of the first Ristside models. The illustration exaggerates the thinness of the watch, which is identical in form to the Curvex Coronet, above.

The main difference between the two models is that the Curvex Lord has a decorative pattern of parallel lines on its case. Another model, the Curvex Admiral, has a plain, undecorated case. All three models use the Curvex 330 movement.

Interestingly, the Ristside models seem to have been marketed mainly to young people, and tended to show up in ads around graduation time. Several models were made in 1937-38, then after a long absence, the Curvex-Ristside Fraternity showed up in 1950. Most Curvex-Ristside models use 330 Curvex movements.

One model, the Varsity, is not a Curvex, but uses Gruen calibre 401. The CurvexRistside Fraternity which had long, stepped, hinged lugs, used the 440 Curvex.

(The Fraternity is often described as the "angel wing" driver's watch) Only the Fraternity and one other very similar model have hinged lugs.

Gruen made very few driver's models; the line was apparently not commercially successful. They were introduced with great fanfare, then quickly vanished again.

Because these models are so sought after, you often see other Gruens incorrectly identified as driver's watches. Some sellers seem to think any watch with hinged or hidden lugs is a driver's model, even if it is round! The style of strap attachment does not make a watch a driver's model. The true driver's watches are all rectangular, but have much more extreme curves than a normal Curvex.

Except for the two models with hinged lugs, these watches are impossible to wear normally on top of the wrist.

The modern Gruen company made gold-plated reproductions of several classic Curvex models in the 1990s, at least one of which was a driver's model. All contain quartz movements. If you are looking for a vintage Curvex, beware of buyers misrepresenting these reproductions as the real thing.

1938: The Veri-Thin wristwatches "gloriously styled— and so practical!"

Above: A size comparison between an Ingraham Wrist-O-Crat (top), an inexpensive 1930s watch, and a typical man’s Veri-Thin model (bottom).

Continuing the success of their VeriThin pocket watches, Gruen also launched a series of Veri-Thin wristwatches. Contemporary Curvex and Veri-Thin movements often are closely related, and can share many parts. By the 1940s, most Gruen wristwatches were either Veri-Thin or Curvex models, although a few cheaper models with older movements were still produced.

Like the Curvex, the Veri-Thin was developed to honestly fill fashionable watch case shapes, and was an alternative to using a smaller, less-durable and lessreliable movement. Veri-Thin calibres are shaped to be thicker in the middle and thinner around the outside edges. Their dials are curved or domed, and the movement bulges up into the dial shape. The shape of movement, dial and case is designed to present a very thin edge when viewed at an angle, and to disguise the fact that the watch is thicker in the center. These styling tricks are very effective—many of these models look impressively thin and flat when worn. As styles changed, later models often had boxy, flat sides, and did not have the thin, flat look of the early models.

Some Veri-Thin models have curved cases and most have curved dials, so it is common see these incorrectly represented as Curvex models, since Curvexes command higher prices. There are a huge variety of Veri-Thin models, which include some of Gruen's most outrageous designs. There is no need to misrepresent these watches—they are interesting in their own right.

Note: Gruen spelled the early pocket watch name (pre-1930) as one word— VeriThin. The pocket watches from the 1930s and later and the wristwatch name always have a hyphen—Veri-Thin. next: World War II >>

T H E G R U E N W A T C H C O M P A N Y 1940 - 1958

World War II As U.S. industry geared up for wartime production, Gruen formed a War Instruments Division at Time Hill. The new operation, which made gauges and indicators for the military, was Gruen's first forray into electronics.

Along with other companies doing war work, Gruen showed their military products in ads. This was a way to demonstrate that they were doing their patriotic duty, and a way to keep the Gruen name in the minds of consumers while there was a shortage of watches. Among the items shown in these ads were gauges on electric-knife and metal-detector control units—both were devices used in surgery. The metal detector helped locate bullets, shrapnel and other metal fragments in the bodies of the wounded, and the electric knife cauterized the incision as the surgeon cut with it. The metal detector was ready at the start of the war, and was used during and after the Pearl Harbor attack.

Ads also showed gauges and indicators used on aircraft radio direction-finders and antiaircraft-gun aiming mechanisms, and the roll indicators used for electrically firing the guns on battleships.

Right: A Gruen ammeter, formerly part of an aircraft electrical system. Signed "Made in the U.S.A. by the Gruen Watch Co." around the top of the dial, and "The Gruen Company, Cincinnati Ohio" on the back. Base metal with a glass crystal; 70mm in diameter.

There was a huge need for Gruen's new products. A newspaper article about Gruen's changeover to military production claimed that a submarine required 150 gauges and indicators, a bomber 250 and a ship over 1000. Gruen made the changeover to this new type of production on its own initiative, without the need for government grants or loans.

The U.S. Army Signal Corps, responsible for radio communications, used large numbers of Gruen gauges on their electrical and electronic equipment. Many of these gauges had second lives after the War, serving amateur radio operators.

The Cincinnati Enquirer later revealed that Gruen instruments had played a role in the development of the atomic bomb.

Gruen was classified as an essential industry, and Time Hill employees went on a 48-hour workweek during at least part of the War. They also starting running two shifts, which they had not done previously.

Left: A Gruen employee in the War Instruments Division at Time Hill, from a 1943 issue of Gruen's employee magazine. The gauge in front of her looks similar to the one above. 98% of Gruen's war manufacturing was done by women.

The Precision Factory in Switzerland continued to produce civilian watches without interruption, but these were not imported in the same quantities as they had been in peacetime. Competitors like Hamilton, which had facilities only in the U.S., suspended all non-military watch production until after the War. Gruen did not make timepieces for the U.S. military, since their watch production depended on their overseas factory. For strategic reasons, domestic sources for material were preferred, if possible, for all WW II military production by the United States.

One serious problem for the Company was the fact that trans-Atlantic phone calls for commercial purposes were forbidden during the War years, so all communication between Time Hill and the Precision Factory was by surface mail. This made it impossible for the two parts of the Company to coordinate with each other in a timely fashion.

On an amusing note, in 1943 the company sent each employee who was away serving in the military a cigarette lighter as a Christmas present.

Above: Although Gruen did not manufacture watches for the U.S. military, they offered the public a collection of eight military-style watches, to be used as personal watches by (or gifts to) men and women doing military service. Each model was intended for a particular branch of the military—the Veri-Thin Dix, above, was for the Army. Selling for $39.75 in 1941, ads show it with a Guildite (Gruen's steel alloy) bracelet, but this one has a contemporary-looking khaki strap. The Guildite case is 28mm in diameter; the gray dial has luminous hands and numbers under a plexiglass crystal. Because Time Hill was busy with War work, these were imported as complete watches; the cases were not Americanmade, as was normal for Gruen.

Gruen President Benjamin Katz was called to become a member of the War Planning Board, and spent much of his time in Washington D.C. The Board was made up of top business executives, and was formed to help the government manage and coordinate wartime production among the thousands of companies and factories involved. Board members were paid a token salary of one dollar per year.

Having gotten a taste of large military contracts, Gruen would continue to pursue them after the War ended. This would eventually lead to the company's downfall.

The Swiss invasion Wartime production and military service meant that the U.S. suddenly had nearly full employment. Emerging from the shadow of the Great Depression, many people found themselves with spending money for the first time in over a decade; many, (especially women with wartime jobs) for the first time in their lives. This caused a large demand for watches, but because the watch companies

were exclusively doing War work, no American-made timepieces were available to civilians.

The better Swiss brands were virtually unknown in the U.S. prior to this time, but many retailers started importing them to fill the huge demand. This enabled the Swiss to establish a strong presense, building brand recognition, establishing dealer networks and distributorships, and gaining a secure foothold in the U.S. while the domestic U.S. watch industry was temporarily absent. In the prosperous times after the War, Omega, Longines, LeCoultre and other Swiss companies held on to this new market, aided by the fact that many U.S. companies were not able to resume normal production until considerably after the end of hostilities. Competition from the Swiss in the middle and high-end price ranges, where there had been no foreign competition before, was one of many factors eventually leading to the demise of U.S. watch manufacturing, aided by the almost universally short-sighted and self-destructive behavior of most of the U.S. companies.

The dual American/Swiss nature of Gruen was a big advantage to the company.

The Precision Factory was ready to resume normal business, enabling Gruen to recover quicker than many competitors, who had to complete their War contracts and then undergo a painful re-tooling.

1943: The Pan American "the thin, smart watch of the future"

Above: A selection of Pan American models. Left to right: an early (I believe) model with a 28mm yellow gold-filled case and a rose gold dial; the Pan American Ace (30mm gold-filled case); Pan American Official with 31mm rose gold-filled case and white lugs; a woman's model in yellow gold-filled (19mm x 28mm across lugs); the Pam American Challenger (24mm x 31mm).

Starting about 1943, Gruen produced a series of pilot's watches with 24-hour dials for Pan American World Airways. During the war, the airline dropped all commerial operations and flew exclusively for the U.S. military. Pan American's network of bases and airports in the Pacific and Asia became a valuable military asset.

The Pan American wristwatch models all have sweep seconds (still fairly unusual in the 1940s), Arabic numbers for 1-12 around the outside of the dial, and an inner chapter ring with the numbers 13-24. There was still a glamorous mystique to aviation and airplane travel in the 1940s, and Gruen ran several ads showing pictures of their pilot's watch with the famous Pan American Clipper flying boat.

The watches were supplied only to the airline and were not actually available for civilian use—the ads were run to create customer awareness of these watches, which Gruen had big plans for once the War ended.

Finally, an October 1945 ad announced that the Pan American line would go on sale to the public. The company believed that postwar consumers would make increasing use of 24-hour time, especially for airline travel. They also reasoned that, having just come through a major war, many people would have become accustomed to military time and could easily make the transition. Gruen published several articles in their dealer newsletters praising the advantages of dials indicating "the 24 hours of the air-world day," and advising retailers to stock up on Pan Americans to meet the anticipated demand.

Gruen offered the Pan American in a number of models and variations, in Guildite, gold filled and solid gold cases, for both men and women, and with a variety of lug and case shapes. There were two-tone versions and versions with square cases and dials. There were a variety of dials as well, but just like the original pilot's watches, they all share common features: a 24-hour dial with an inner 13-24 chapter ring and a red sweep seconds hand. As was the practice with the Curvex and Veri-Thin lines, "Pan American" was part of each watch's name: Pan American Challenger, Pan American Eagle, Pan American Navigator. The round watches use the excellent VeriThin 420SS movement. Although the public did not adopt 24-hour time as enthusiastically as Gruen had anticipated, during the late 1940s these watches seem to have been very popular, as they are fairly common on the vintage-watch market today.

1949: The Gruen 21 "marks a man whose time is precious"

Above: A selection of Gruen 21 models, all using the 335 Veri-Thin movement.

Using factory space rented from the American Playing Card Company, in the Cincinnati suburb of Norwood, Gruen set up a facility to build American-made movements. Special permission had to be obtained from the Swiss government in order to export the necessary machinery. In 1949, the company introduced their first watches made entirely in the U.S., a line of 21-jewel men's models. The movements are marked "Cincinnati" or "US" instead of the usual "Switzerland."

The 21 models use a 21-jewel version of the tonneau-shaped 335 Veri-Thin movement. There is a playful variety of both round and rectangular case styles in the series, in both 14k and gold filled. Since these are the only Gruen watches produced entirely in the U.S., and are not marked "Switzerland" or "Swiss" on the dials, you will sometimes see sellers incorrectly describe them as redials because they don't have any small text at the bottom of the dial. Early models are signed Veri-Thin 21; later models have simply a 21 under the Gruen logo, sometimes enclosed in a gold shield shape.

At the Norwood facility Gruen also built some men's 17-j and women's 17- and 21-jewel movements. However, the bulk of Gruen watches still had imported Swiss movements. It is interesting that Gruen, who had manufactured their movements in Switzerland since about 1900, started U.S. production at a time when most other U.S. watch companies were moving production overseas.

1958: The eleventh hour Fred Gruen retired in 1940 and died in 1945, and his brother George died in 1952. In 1953 the Gruen family sold their interest in the company.

The same year, Gruen president Benjamin Katz was forced into retirement after a scandal, and in 1954 the company bought out his shares for $2 million USD.

With the changeovers in management and the loss of the Gruen family's involvement, the company lost focus and direction. In 1953, the Gruen Watch Company had its highest sales in its entire history. By 1958, the company (which had changed its name to Gruen Industries) was facing massive legal problems, had laid off most of its employees, and was selling off its properties, including Time Hill. Gruen Industries was so deeply in debt, and had already borrowed so much money, that they were unable to secure additional financing. The board of directors and stockholders were making newspaper headlines with petty squabbles and proxy fights. The company was falling apart, having seriously neglected the watch business as they pursued other activities (watch manufacturing was now relegated to a subsidiary division of Gruen Industries).

The company bought the Canadian branch of Waterman Pen in May of 1956, selling off Gruen's own Canadian watch distributorships to finance it, then sold Waterman again in November of the same year, at a loss. To add to their problems, an $8 million USD military contract was cancelled and the company was hit with anti-trust lawsuits by the U.S. government.

The "eleventh hour" title of this section was taken from a 1958 newspaper headline. Stories from this period make depressing reading. In 1958, Gruen Industries was broken up and sold in pieces.

Under new ownership, Time Hill was closed and the Gruen watch business moved to New York, continuing to produce mechanical watches for about another 15 years. All of the pre-1958 factory records, of no interest to the new owners, were destroyed. Rolex eventually purchased the Precision Factory (it's just across the street from Rolex's main factory) and now it's a Rolex administration building.

According to the Cincinnati Business Record, this incarnation of the Gruen Watch Company failed in 1976—the article states that poor management and lack of direction caused the firm to go bankrupt. The changeover from mechanical watches to quartz, which devastated the watch industry worldwide, could not have helped matters.

M.Z. Berger and Company, located in New York, currently has the license to sell watches under the Gruen brand name in the United States. The company distrubutes a number of brands of cartoon-character and novelty watches (such as ‘Hello Kitty’), as has the rights to some other old American brand names in addition to Gruen. In the early 1990s they made some reproductions of a few original Gruen designs — the Swiss-owned, modern Hamilton made similar reproductions around the same time. M.Z. Berger’s Gruen watches have been primarily quartz, but in the last few years they have introduced some Swiss mechanical models as well.

Today in the United States you can walk into discount department stores and see watches with the Waltham, Elgin, Illinois and Pulsar brand names on the dials.

All these names have rich histories. Waltham was making pocket watches before

the American Civil War, and Elgin was started shortly afterwards. The Swiss were shocked by the very high quality and low cost of Waltham watches from the mid-1800s; this provoked the Swiss into modernizing and industrializing.

Illinois was formerly a famous and respected manufactuer of railroad watches.

Hamilton’s Pulsar ‘Time Computer’ was the very first quartz wristwatch; it cost $5000USD when introduced in 1970. American watches were once among the highestquality watches in the world—they timed the railroads, coordinated the movements of armies, and provided the time reference for air and sea navigation, but the original companies are nearly forgotten. Along with Gruen, these old brand names, today seen only on the dials of foreign-made quartz watches, are the last, lingering ghosts of the American watch industry.

Postscript: Time Hill today

Above: I was shocked the first time I walked around the side and saw the large brick block that had been built on Time Hill's east side.

After Gruen's watch business was sold and left Cincinnati, Time Hill was occupied by a calendar company. The interior was extensively modified. The magnificent lobby, with a 20-foot (7 meter) ceiling, huge fireplace, tile floors and very large, unusual chandeliers, was stripped, chopped into two stories and turned into offices. During the 1990s the building was housed an insurance company, and today is owned by the Union Institute, an adult-education school.

Right: The Precision Factory today, used

by Rolex as an administration building.

Notice how the facade has been simplified, and no longer shows exposed wooden beams matching those on Time Hill. This change was made sometime before the early 1960s. Although not visible here, "ROLEX" is spelled out in huge red letters on the roof.

(Thanks to James Dowling for this photo) The Union Institute is doing restoration work on the Time Hill building. They have successfully located some of the original fixtures, and have fabricated reproductions of others.

The destruction of Gruen's company records is especially unfortunate for collectors. The lists of serial numbers, dates of manufacture and production quantities, which are available for most vintage watch brands, no longer exist for Gruen. The meticulous records, which tracked each individual customer and watch, are no more. However, if such information were readily available, there would be no reason for these web pages.

I am always looking for material from or about Gruen. Please contact me if you would be willing to share material in your collection, or if you can point me to new information. I am always happy to hear comments, corrections and criticism.

For those interested in my source materials and comments on some of the Gruen information in print, see sources.

T H E G R U E N W A T C H C O M P A N Y sources

SOURCES Books in print are linked to the appropriate listing on Amazon.com. This is for your convenience and to provide additional information; I have no connection with Amazon.com.

The Priceless Possession of a Few, A supplement to the Bulletin of the NAWCC, Inc., by Eugene T. Fuller.

Published 1974. Although long out-of-print, this is the most detailed early history of Gruen that I have found. The author's

focus is directed primarily at pocket watches. The book covers the Gruen 50th anniversary watch (the "Priceless Possession" of the title) in great detail. I keep returning to Mr. Fuller's work—this is not only the most detailed early history, but the only one that is carefully footnoted and which includes a detailed listing of his sources. My original readings of this booklet formed the core of what I know about Gruen during the pocket watch era.

Historical Facts about the Development of the Gruen Watch Makers Guild, by Fred G. Gruen, manuscript dated 1940. One of the most important documents about early Gruen history. Robert D. Gruen and Fred's daughter Margaret left a copy at the NAWCC research library, and it was one of Eugene Fuller's primary sources for The Priceless Possession of a Few. Other than his father, Fred was the most important figure in Gruen history. Many of the dates he gives are inaccurate—I would guess that he was writing from memory and that the manuscript was never carefully edited. He was two years old when his father started making watches and 67 when this manuscript was written, five years before his death. He makes some interesting comments about working in a dark, smelly factory lit by gas and oil lamps. The only time this document has been published is in the back of the book Buckeye Horology, now out-of-print.

A Brief History of the Gruen Watch Company, by Robert Dietrich Gruen. Published by KenRo Printing Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1991. This is a briefer history than Fuller's but covers a broader time span, and is a very enjoyable read. I believe that this is now out-of-print. The late author was a grandson of Dietrich Gruen, and spent his later years trying to keep Gruen's history alive.

The Complete History of Watchmaking in America,

by Charles S. Crossman. Printed by Adams Brown Company, Exeter, NH, published circa 1888. A series of articles about the various U.S. watch companies, reprinted from the Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review 1885-1887. The Columbus chapter is the earliest and most detailed history of the early Columbus Watch Company that I've found. It begins, "The company is an outgrowth of the Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company, which was started in 1876 as a private enterprise, and consisted of Mr. D. Gruen and Mr. W. J. Savage, under the firm name of Gruen and Savage." This is the only source I've seen that includes "Manufacturing" in the original company name. The chapter ends, "The company is

still in its infancy and has yet to make the greater part of its history, but so much as has been accomplished reflects credit upon those having the management of the company's affairs in their hands." This chapter was reprinted in the February 1888 Jewelers' Circular. My thanks to Sharon at the NAWCC Research Library for finding this book and article.

1922 Yearbook of the National Retail Jewelers' Association, compiled by Edw. H. Hufnagel and A.W. Anderson. Fred Gruen's article, "The Watch Import Situation," contains information not only about the title subject, but a few clues about what was going on in 1922 at the newly-built Precision Factory.

The Jewelers' Circular and Horological Review, various issues. A number of small articles and notices about the Columbus Watch Company and D. Gruen and Son appeared during the 1880s and 1890s.

A Tribute to Business Character, by Elwood E. Rice.

Published by Rice Leaders of the World Association, 1930. This small, very beautifully printed book commemorates an award given to Fred and George Gruen at the Cincinnati Club, to honor them for their "business character." To belong to the Rice Leaders of the World, a business had to be financially secure and must have conducted all of its affairs in an ethical manner. Among the companies certified by Rice, Gruen was singled out for this special award (the first of its kind) on the 10th anniversary of their acceptance into the orgianization.

The book contains speeches by Dr. Rice, Fred Gruen and George Gruen. Fred's comments elsewhere in the site, about his philosophy behind the guild theme, are from his speech here. This volume is in the Rare Books department of the Cincinnati Public Library.

Columbus Illustrated, published by the International Publishing Company, 1889. This old book contains a photo of the Columbus Watch Company and a brief history of the firm up to that time.

The History of the City of Columbus, by Alfred E. Lee, published by Munsell & Company, New York and Chicago, 1892. This 108-year-old book contains biographies and engraved portraits of several prominent Columbus businessmen from the 1890s, including the bearded portrait of Dietrich Gruen shown on the 1867 page. The biography furnished some important details about Dietrich's early life,

which I have not seen elsewhere.

Gruen Watches: A Special Collection, by Robert Dietrich Gruen. Published by the American Watchmakers Institute; no publication date. This small booklet contains photos and detailed descriptions of about 30 Gruen watches that Robert Dietrich Gruen donated to the AWI Museum, as well as a condensed company history. The collection covers 70 years and provides an excellent overview of Gruen's pocket watches.

This book helped me understand many of Gruen's pocketwatches in a historical context, and provided many extremely valuable tidbits of information. I deeply regret that I was never able to speak or correspond with Mr. Gruen.

NAWCC Bulletins, published by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. Several Gruen articles have been published; there are probably more that I've missed: "The Gruen Verithin Pocket Watch," by Jack Goldberg; vol. 38/1 no. 300, February 1996. Mr Goldberg, both in this article and in correspondence, has been very generous with his Gruen knowledge, and has provided some of the photos used in these pages. He has also been compiling statistics on Gruen pocket watch models.

"An Early D. Gruen & Son Minute Repeater or Fishing in Heavy Seas," by Robert B. Lautner, vol. XXIV/5, no. 220, October 1982. This small article reveals that LeCoultre made the early Gruen repeater movements; however, these may have been finished by Assmann.

American Wristwatches: Five Decades of Style and Design, by Edward Faber and Steward Unger. Published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 1996. ISBN 0-7643-0171-3. This book was very useful to help put Gruen in perspective with its contemporaries, and I like this book very much. This book contains the only history of the Bulova Accutron that I've seen.

On the negative side, the captions for many of the individual Gruen watches contain incorrect information, and many of the Gruen watch names and dates are incorrect.

Complete Price Guide to Watches, by Cooksey Shugart & Richard E. Gilbert. I referred to this book for information on several watch companies, especially Assmann and Columbus, as well as general information about pocket watches. The book incorrectly lists some long, curved Gruens as being Curvex models, and most of the dates given for Gruen watches are wrong—some by 20 years. Since this is the most commonlyused collector's reference book, these errors are unfortunate,

but are typical of the misinformation about Gruen that is prevalent. The book correctly places Dietrich Gruen's early work in the Columbus Watch Company section, and starts the Gruen section with 1894. Columbus is classified as American and Gruen is classified as Swiss, because Gruen movements were manufactured there, although Gruen was, of course, an American company. The Gruen pocket watch listings are very incomplete.

The Best of Time: Rolex Wristwatches: an Unauthorized History, by James M. Dowling & Jeffery P. Hess. Published by Shiffer Publishing Ltd. 1996; ISBN 07643-0011-3. This book provided information about Gruen's relationship with Aegler. I am indebted to both Mr. Dowling and Mr Hess, who corresponded with me on the subject. The authors do a good job of telling the story of the Rolex company as well as giving detailed information about the watches themselves—I've found many other watch books disappointing because they only did one or the other well.

Gruen Master Book Identification and Price Guide, Roy Ehrhardt, editor. Published by Heart of America Press, Kansas City, MO, "limited first edition" 1993. This book is a Xerox reproduction of one of the Gruen Company's scrapbooks, in which they pasted a small photo of each watch case style they produced. Each watch is numbered, but these numbers don't correspond to the Gruen case numbers, and the case numbers (which are engraved inside each caseback) are not listed. In the men's pocket watch and wristwatch sections, the Ehrhardts have made an attempt to make this into a Gruen price guide, replacing the original handwritten annotations with typeset labels. A very few watch model names have been added, but many of these are wrong. Even considering the age of the book, the prices seem completely arbitrary. Since the book doesn't date or name the watches, it is not an identification guide—it's just pictures with no information.

This book has been very helpful in my research, but I'd find it hard to recommend to the average collector. It does show the bewildering array of models that Gruen offered—there are over 1500 men's models, and even more for women. I've been using my copy as a place to record notes about individual watch models.

Automatic Wristwatches from Switzerland: SelfWinding Wristwatches, by Heinz Hampel. Published by Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 1997; ISBN: 0-8874-0609-2. This is an extremely valuable reference book that I would recommend

to any vintage watch collector with an interest in these watches. It contains a historical overview of the development of the automatic movement, then lists the calibres manufactured by Swiss companies. Most listings include photos of a complete watch and movement, then a partially disassembled movement. The book claims that Gruen was a Swiss company, and the brief Gruen history is flawed, but I found the coverage of Gruens' automatics to be very informative. Since Gruen's autos were built at the Precision Factory in Biel, they are covered in this volume. There is a companion book by the same author: Automatic Wristwatches: From Germany, England, France, Japan, Russia and the USA. A Worthy Company of Watchmakers, published by Gruen, 1918. This is a small hardback book which contains a brief history, a selection of watches available in 1918, and a small section on Gruen movements. Time Hill had just been built the previous year, and there are numerous drawings of the building in the book. It contains the earliest example I've seen of Gruen's official time line, which shows a continuous history back to 1874.

Gruen dealers' catalog. Much more than just a catalog, this large, leather binder was intended both for the jeweler's own use, and to be shown to customers. Originally published in 1929, my copy includes updates for 1931 and 1934. This catalog was an extremely important source of information—it has sections on the Gruen sales organization, sections on company history, a section showing all the Gruen buildings, and an overview of Gruen's movements. It also contains a wealth of technical information from its era.

Gruen advertising and marketing materials. I've collected hundreds of Gruen ads, ranging from the early teens to the early 1960s, as well as store displays, boxes, postcards, etc. One thing I hope to do is get the correct names for popular Gruen watches back in use—most of these are forgotten, and many of the names seen in collector's books or in common use are wrong.

Patents. The downtown branch of the Cincinnati Public Library has very complete resources for researching patents.

On an amusing note, many of the Gruen patents (and only the Gruen patents) in the annual patent almanacs have tiny check marks by them—obviously, I'm not the first person to go through these almanacs looking for Gruen information.

Because of the age of these volumes, it could have been as long ago as the 1930s that these marks were made.

Newspaper articles. Almost 200 stories about or related to Gruen have run in Cincinnati newspapers during the 20th century; I'm still reading these on microfilm.

The Research Library of the Cincinnati Historical Society. The collection contains some interesting Gruen material, including issues of the company newsletter.

NAWCC Research Library. Especially interesting are Robert D. Gruen's donation of a packet of assorted Gruen material and notes.

I have also collected or made copies of numerous miscellaneous printed pieces either from or about Gruen— sometimes even the most mundane bit of information, in combination with something else, can provide a clue. Much more work remains to be done!

SPECIFICATIONS OF PATENTS—DECEMBER 22, 1874

157,913. CENTER-PINIONS FOR WATCHES. Dietrich Gruen, Delaware, Ohio. [Filed June 12, 1874] To all whom it may concern; Be it known that I, DIETRICH GRUEN, of the town of Delaware, in the county of Delaware and the State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in CenterPinions for Watches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

My invention has for its object to provide against the injury to the train of wheels in a watch in case the mainspring breaks or becomes otherwise detached, so that the train will not receive the shock caused by the recoil when the spring gives way.

The nature of my invention consists in the shaft of the center-pinion being provided with a screw-thread, upon which works a collet, which is also provided with a corresponding screw-thread, in combination with a small spring and slot made in the pinion-wheel, in which said slot or groove works a corresponding bar or rib, which is

rigidly secured to the said movable collet.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Figure 1 represents, in elevation, the shaft of a center-pinion of a watch, showing a

screw-thread. Fig. 2 represents, in plan, the center-pinion. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the pinion-wheel detached from the shaft. Fig. 4 is a vertical central section of my improvement in operative position. Fig. 5 is a vertical central section of my improvement when out of gear. Fig 6 is an elevation of screw-nut. Fig. 7 is an elevation of the collet.

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the spring.

Letters of like name and kind indicate like parts in each of the figures.

H represents the shaft upon which the center-pinion of a watch is placed. P represents a screw-thread, which commences near the top of the shaft, and extends downward to about the middle of the pinion, more or less, when the pinion is in its position upon the shaft. Below this screw-thread the shaft is made smaller in diameter, so as to allow the collet B to work freely upon the shaft when it has been run down off the screw thread, at which time it becomes so disengaged that no power or motion is transmitted to the train.

This screw-collet is provided with a rib or bar, q, which fits closely but loosely in the slot or groove r in the pinion-wheel W. S shows a spring, which is secured to the shaft H in such a manner as to act upon the screw-collet. (Shown in Fig. 5.) N represents a screwnut, which secures all the parts of my invention in their proper positions.

The operation of my invention is simple and may be readily understood. When the pinion-wheel is turned to the right it will be seen that by the action of the spring S the screw collet is forced up and becomes engaged with the screw-thread on the shaft, and at the same time the screw-collet is carried up and becomes engaged with the screw-nut, and thus becomes rigid with the shaft sufficiently to impart motion to the whole mechanism of the watch for keeping time. In case the mainspring breaks or becomes otherwise detached the action is reversed, at which time the collet runs down off of the thread on the shaft, the pinion is carried along from the barrel by the recoil of the spring, and so brings down the screw-collet below the thread, which gives it entire looseness, so as to relieve the strain upon the train.

It is well known that many watches are made for which no provision is made for the protection of the train of wheels against the recoil of the mainspring in case it breaks or becomes detached. In such a case the whole force of the recoil is brought upon the train so suddenly that it is not able to resist it, and the consequence is that very often many of the teeth or pivots are broken and the watch greatly damaged. By my invention this difficulty and danger is entirely obviated; besides, in case the mainspring breaks, a new one can be replaced without the necessity of taking the watch apart.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is— The shaft H, provided with a screw-thread, P, spring S, in combination with a movable screw-collet, B, and pinion W, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purposes set forth.

DIETRICH GRUEN.

Witnesses: Geo. C. Eaton D.H. Potter