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Curvex Strap 541 [message #3349] Sat, 22 March 2014 01:39 Go to next message
kastner is currently offline  kastner
Messages: 339
Registered: May 2013
Location: Pasadena CA
Gruen Guildsman
Model name : Strap 541, very likely the Comet
Type : Curvex, wrist
Period/date : 1946
Gender : Men's

Case Maker : Wadsworth
Case Material : 10K YGF
Case Serial : G835947
Case Style no : 544

Caliber : 440
Movement Maker : Gruen
Movement Serial: Unknown

index.php?t=getfile&id=1375&private=0, index.php?t=getfile&id=1371&private=0
index.php?t=getfile&id=1374&private=0

[Updated on: Sat, 22 March 2014 16:54]

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Re: Curvex Strap 541 [message #3350 is a reply to message #3349] Sat, 22 March 2014 01:55 Go to previous messageGo to next message
mikey is currently offline  mikey
Messages: 709
Registered: May 2013
Location: Paris, Ontario
Gruen Master
I have one with the same numbers (440 - 544) that was previously identified as the 'Eclipse' model. But, mine has different lugs than yours does.

index.php?t=getfile&id=1377&private=0


Still here....

[Updated on: Sat, 22 March 2014 02:14]

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Re: Curvex Strap 541 [message #3352 is a reply to message #3350] Sat, 22 March 2014 02:09 Go to previous messageGo to next message
kastner is currently offline  kastner
Messages: 339
Registered: May 2013
Location: Pasadena CA
Gruen Guildsman
Not sure about that Mikey. I've uploaded a new photo that really shows off the "double" lugs and it doesn't look like either of the Eclipse models in the 1940s decade book.

Edited to add: The photos make this very interesting. I'm a novice in my knowledge, but I can't recall reading about other times where the style number and caliber are the same, but the dials and cases are different. I acquired this watch as part of a lot and there's at least one other watch from that buy that was mismatched with a case that didn't match the movement. Is it possible that this one suffers from the same issue?

[Updated on: Sat, 22 March 2014 03:12]

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Re: Curvex Strap 541 [message #3358 is a reply to message #3352] Sat, 22 March 2014 04:29 Go to previous messageGo to next message
afire is currently offline  afire
Messages: 1329
Registered: May 2013
Location: Wisconsin
Gruen Authority
Style numbers really only ID the crystal size and shape, not the case details or dial design.
Re: Curvex Strap 541 [message #3363 is a reply to message #3358] Sat, 22 March 2014 16:21 Go to previous messageGo to next message
MikeTheWatchGuy
Messages: 319
Registered: May 2013
Location: North Carolina
Gruen Guildsman

There are a number of Caliber - Style Number combinations that have quite a few different model names that use the same numbers.

One of the ones that fall into this category is 440 - 544. The Curvex Eclipse, Curvex Governor, Curvex Comet, and quite a few others reuse this 544 number. I believe there are 3, maybe 4 that are similar in the larger number of reuses than the others. I was reminded after this post that the Style Number Dating paper needs an appendix added that speaks to this so that these potholes are in the least identified.

There are also some numbers that have a mixture of calibers that use them. This can easily be seen in the large table in the paper, Figure 6 - Style Caliber Table. You can scan down the list of Style Numbers and find the number of time it was reused by multiple calibers. Some are from what we called "movement migrations", others are a simple reuse. The newest Style Number Dating software ver 2.1 now shows all of the calibers that use the style number so that it's easy to tell when you've hit one of these. Number 498 is a good example
498 - 335 422 430 435 440 3351
It should be noted that 335 and 3351 numbers are likely referring to the same watch model. Additionally the 440-498 combination was reused by several different models, the Curvex Captain being one of those for example.

You would think Gruen would have reused the same crystals for their watches quite often, but they described in one of their document why this isn't so. The height and angle of the hands along with the curvature of the dial dictated, at least to Gruen, that a new crystal was needed for most of their watch models.

Thank you for the reminder that the update needs to be added. The paper does address this situation but does not go into specific Style Numbers that fall into the heavily-ish reused category.

Re: Curvex Strap 541 [message #3366 is a reply to message #3363] Sat, 22 March 2014 16:52 Go to previous message
kastner is currently offline  kastner
Messages: 339
Registered: May 2013
Location: Pasadena CA
Gruen Guildsman
Thanks for the information Mike, I had forgotten about Figure 6. And looking more closely at the pictures it seems likely that this watch is the Comet.
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