Reference Material, Documents, Photographs, Fun and Serious Educational Stuff
This page is crammed with links to 100s and 100s of pages of Gruen documents and research findings. Spend some times exploring. Each link often goes to a page that you can drill down a very long ways into the vast amount of reference material.
This stuff was gathered, purchased, scanned, photographed, etc (i.e. lots of energy expended) so that you can be better educated about Gruen watches. Most importantly, it is meant to be a springboard for further research. These documents are not the end but rather the beginning of the Gruen story.
Gruen Publications
Enormous numbers of pages of documents coming straight from Gruen. THIS is where the factual history is located!
Annual Shareholder Reports 1936-1956
These are your Gruen history books! 342 pages of wholly factual information. Perhaps the most important documents on this site!
Booklet - How To Select and Care for a Fine Watch
25 page booklet that was pasted into the Guild Book. Has Gruen's recommended maintenance info PLUS many watch models with their names and specifications
A list of all model names of Gruens for sale for the year 1951 found in documents required by the government
Gruen internal company newsletter. A RARE treat. The inner workings of Gruen. Fascinating and fun reading.
25 pages of invoices from Gruen sent to jewelry stores. Has a LOT of information crammed into them. Who would know that something so pedestrian could become so valuable to researchers
1917 "Blue Book" and 1918 Price List
A pocket calendar book with prices, models, and reference information. Full of company mottos and core values. 42 pages
Portions of the book A Matter of Time. These 79 pages use Gruen as an example to explain how watches are manufactured. Great rare photos from inside Gruen factories. Unique historical information about the Gruen company and specific employees such Benjamin Katz
"A Worthy Company of Watchmakers"
A 1918 book published by Gruen that has a number of watch models shown along with company history. One of the handful of Gruen publications that is good for helping with watch identification
Two books were published by Gruen in the 1920s that cataloged their watches for sale. These were the 1927 Stock Record Book and the 1929 Watchmakers Guild Book.
1929 Gruen Alpina Sales Conference
An original high resolution photo from the Alpina Sales Conference that Gruen printed in the 1929 Gruen Guild Book.
Original Sketch from Gruen Book
An original sketch used in the Gruen Book "A Worthy Company of Watchmakers"
Price list of Gruen watch models from 1940. Fantastic resource for finding what watches were being sold in 1940.
Publications Available To Buy
These books and publications are available to purchase. NO sales pitches nor pressure... just facts....
:earn about the MANY Gruen books you can buy today that will greatly help your education in Gruen, their specific watch models, and even how to learn watchmaking!
Movements and Cases
Technical information & Serial Numbers
List of movements from Quadron and Curvex models. If the movement isn't listed, the watch isn't one.
For 405 Family of moments including 405, 406, 410, 420, 421, 425, 426
Chart of lifespans of Gruen movements. Cool visual way of seeing production lifetime
How to find the caliber number of your Gruen movement
A list of mainspring sizes in BOTH Metric and Dennison. Only Metric sizes were published by Gruen
Table of the Gruen movement types and sizes
A graphical look at Gruen movement use. A uniquely Gruen look at how much and when each caliber of movement was used.
Schematics for the caliber 335 movement. Amazingly detailed and rare documents.
Simple movement diagrams Gruen used in ads were very effective
Find the date your Wadsworth case was manufactured using the case serial number. GREAT resource.
Advertising
Advertising was baked into Gruen's DNA. Much can be learned about Gruen from their advertising effort
Technical analysis of several Gruen ads demonstrate that the artists traced watch photographs to achieve the level of precision Gruen demanded
A collection of post cards and analysis of how they were drawn.
1930s Carre Advertising Photos
Photographs of Carre watches being held by then famous Hollywood actresses
Walter Pitkin Advertisement's Book
Read the book that this famous Gruen advertisement references, "How to Get a Good Job and Keep It!" by Walter Pitkin. Practical advice for any new graduate.
1950s Era Gruen TV Commercials
Two TV commercials for Gruen watches made in the early 1950s
A presentation Fred Gruen made before the Ways and Means committee of the House of Representatives on Tariffs.
Crammed with facts about watch manufacturing
Briefs and articles pertaining to legal issues Gruen faced
Other Stuff
High Resolution Time Hill Photos
A collection of rare Time Hill photos taken around 1917. Scanned at HIGH RESOLUTION and posted for your enjoyment!
Add a Pan American dial to your Pebble Smart Watch
Fred Gruen's Watchmaking Notes
Some of the notes Fred took while attending watchmaking school in Switzerland
Award given to Gruen that they were quite proud of. Pictures of Gruen's lobby show it was prominently hung on the wall.
This is something very special. I am releasing the contents of Fred's 1934 train trip diary. This trip he took with George from Chicago to Yellowstone. The contents of this diary are unknown. You will be reading and learning right along with me. He's clearly a genius and my bets are that he's a good writer. But, who knows?! Let's read on and see!!
Permission for re-use or distribution, in any format, is neither implied nor granted.
