Vintage Gruen

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Forum: 1940's

Topic: Gruen "Chrono-Timer"

Re: Gruen "Chrono-Timer" [message #19977 is a reply to message #19976]

Thu, 06 November 2025 07:06

Passion
Messages: 42
Registered: July 2025
Location: France

Gruen Apprentice

Hi,
Gary, Afire and JackW, thank you for this valuable information.
And if I can still steal your time, what year was this chrono-timer made in what year? I have seen different models of cases, hands, dials... but don’t really see any date information apart from 1940 to 1955.
Now I have to go back to work ;-)

A ship in a harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for...

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Re: Gruen "Chrono-Timer" [message #19978 is a reply to message #19976]

Thu, 06 November 2025 07:11

Passion
Messages: 42
Registered: July 2025
Location: France

Gruen Apprentice

JackW wrote on Wed, 05 November 2025 19:43

...Guildite editions...

Je voie souvent ce mot "guildite" dans les posts. Chez Gruen, qu'est ce que ce mot signifie ?
I often see the word "guildite" in posts. For Gruen, what does this word mean?

A ship in a harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for...

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Re: Gruen "Chrono-Timer" [message #19980 is a reply to message #19978]

Thu, 06 November 2025 14:33

Gary
Messages: 2385
Registered: May 2013
Location: Seattle

Gruen Authority
Cheerleader

The chrono timer was made starting in 1947. They stopped making them shortly thereafter. Probably they couldn't compete with other chrono makers. Here is a good read.

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Re: Gruen "Chrono-Timer" [message #19982 is a reply to message #19980]

Thu, 06 November 2025 19:42

JackW
Messages: 2089
Registered: May 2013
Location: Denver

Gruen Authority
Head Janitor
Site Admin

Gary wrote on Thu, 06 November 2025 07:33

The chrono timer was made starting in 1947. They stopped making them shortly thereafter. Probably they couldn't compete with other chrono makers. Here is a good read.

Gruen published a series of parts catalogs that showed the movements. The cal 450 is shown in the catalog that is assumed to be from 1945. So it is possibly earlier than 1947. The first and only advertisement for the chrono-timer is from 1947. Scroll down the page and it is shown here at this link.

My personal opinion on why these were so short lived, as a production and sales item is related to the vertical clutch system to engage the chrono seconds. The design is pretty cool but having worked on a few of these now, the mechanism is susceptible to seizing should a watchmaker inadvertently lubricate the clutch. It should be dry. The lubrication will eventually gum up, especially the lubricants of the time in 1945-47 which were natural oils and greases (think whale). They degrade and become thicker. Even with synthetic oils, small amounts of dirt or even the high cohesion of oils will "lock" the clutch together and cause the chrono function to cease working and stopping the watch. My guess is that Gruen was immediately swamped by warranty service requests. Secondly, like what Gary suggested, there advent of high-quality column wheel chronos, like the Valjoux 23 or cam shift chronos like the Venus 188 were hard to compete with for reliability. Also the 450 is small compared to these other chronograph movements. Styles were changing.

All I know is based on hard work & writing by others. I can only aspire to augment this body of knowledge. If I am wrong it is because of my own failings. -me

"If I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Newton

[Updated on: Thu, 06 November 2025 19:55]

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Re: Gruen "Chrono-Timer" [message #19983 is a reply to message #19978]

Thu, 06 November 2025 19:43

JackW
Messages: 2089
Registered: May 2013
Location: Denver

Gruen Authority
Head Janitor
Site Admin

Passion wrote on Thu, 06 November 2025 00:11

JackW wrote on Wed, 05 November 2025 19:43
...Guildite editions...

Je voie souvent ce mot "guildite" dans les posts. Chez Gruen, qu'est ce que ce mot signifie ?
I often see the word "guildite" in posts. For Gruen, what does this word mean?

Guildite is the trade name that Gruen used for stainless steel.

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