For sale we have a high-quality, mid-century dress watch from Gruen. The model is known as the Gruen Genève and was an attempt by Gruen to match some of the best in the Swiss watch industry. It has a thin and neatly designed 18ct gold case with British and Swiss hallmarking, with a wonderful dial with a mix of finishes and a high quality Gruen cal 415RSS movement inside.
A personal watch of Sean Connery’s, a Gruen Precision appeared on the wrist of James Bond in the film Dr.No. ID’d in the early 2000s, this led to the appreciation of Gruen wrist watches in the mainstream collectors market. After all, if it was good enough for James Bond, why not you?
The circular case measures 35mm and is formed of 18ct gold, having a polished finish. The lugs are thin with a neat curve to taper to the wrist. Unusually they take female spring bars. The case back is formed of 18ct gold. It is in worn condition. The main issue 5 dimpled dents due to the thin nature of the case back. Sadly, this is common with this kind of thin back 18ct case from the 1950s. It has a polished finish with surface scratching consistent with ageing. Inside it has British hallmarking for 18ct gold from Glasgow assay office, with the date letter “M”. This dates the watch to 1959. It also has Swiss hallmarking for 18ct gold. It is signed “Gruen Geneve, 179403, 416 1”.
The dial has a silver base tone with a satin shine to the centre sector. This has gold dot minute/second markers around the exterior and is surrounded by a gold tone chapter ring. The exterior of the dial is subtly curved to fit the profile of the case. It has a linear textured finish, with gold tone applied three-dimensional hour markers. They are of an arrow shape with a facet to the middle. The 9,12,3,6 markers have a double facet to the centre and are larger. This creates a beautifully balanced dial. The Gruen logo is applied below 12 O’clock with Gruen Geneve signing. The foot of the dial is signed Swiss. The hands are original. They are of Dauphine style and are a gold tone.
The movement is a Gruen Calibre 415RSS. It has a jewel count of 17, Incbloc shock protection and a sweep central second hand. It has a frequency of 18,000 BPH and a power reserve of 41 hours. The watch has been recently serviced by us. It has a daily gain of +13 seconds, with an amplitude of 300 degrees and a beat error of 1.9m/s.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
A further condition report is below.
Dial:
The dial is in good original condition. It is a silver base tone with a satin shine to the centre sector. This has gold dot minute/second markers around the exterior and is surrounded by a gold tone chapter ring. The exterior of the dial is subtly curved to fit the profile of the case. It has a linear textured finish, with gold tone applied three-dimensional hour markers. They are of an arrow shape with a facet to the middle. The 9,12,3,6 markers have a double facet to the centre and are larger. This creates a beautifully balanced dial. The Gruen logo is applied below 12 O’clock with Gruen Geneve signing. The foot of the dial is signed Swiss.
Hands:
The hands are original. They are of Dauphine style and are a gold tone. They are in good condition and the gold tone shines nicely in the light. The central second hand is also original.
Glass:
The acrylic crystal is a replacement and is in perfect condition with no marking.
Crown:
The crown appears to be original and has a neat coin edge finish. It has some light surface scratches but is in good condition.
Case:
The circular case is formed of 18ct gold and is in good condition. It has light surface scratching consistent with age. The case has a polished finish. The lugs are thin with a neat curve to taper to the wrist. They take female spring bars.
Caseback:
The case back is formed of 18ct gold. It is in worn condition. The main issue 5 dimpled dents due to the thin nature of the case back. Sadly, this is common with this kind of thin back 18ct case from the 1950s. It has a polished finish with surface scratching consistent with ageing.
Inside it has British hallmarking for 18ct gold from Glasgow assay office, with the date letter “M”. This dates the watch to 1959. It also has Swiss hallmarking for 18ct gold. It is signed “Gruen Geneve, 179403, 416 1”.
Strap:
It is a new genuine leather Meyhoffer German strap. It will fit from a up to an 9-inch wrist diameter.
Movement:
The movement is a Gruen Calibre 415RSS. It has a jewel count of 17, Incbloc shock protection and a sweep central second hand. It has a frequency of 18,000 BPH and a power reserve of 41 hours.
The watch has been recently serviced by us. It has a daily gain of +13 seconds, with an amplitude of 300 degrees and a beat error of 1.9m/s.
Case dimensions:
Case width: 35mm
Case width with crown: 36.5mm
Case length: 34.5mm
Case length lug to lug: 40.5mm
Case Depth: 8.5mm
Lug width: 18mm