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Caliber 879 — Guild A [message #12719]

Sat, 27 June 2020 04:25

Case
Messages: 1178
Registered: May 2019
Location: Cincinnati

Gruen Authority

Switching gears from Favre at long last. This one seems to have come into the arsenal ca1930, building “new for 1931” models. The lowest sn I’ve seen is Dr. Ranfft’s example (1.939mm). Edit: I’ve now seen 879 with sn 1920828.

The below is about 17,000 Aegler numbers later than his, but now has a different patent stamp and a Conoruma hairspring. Edit: corrected my bad math, and note below is a movement that narrows the gap to within 5,400.

This one has a Stern 0.935 Sterling dial.

Not sure what “Size: M” is or what was stricken from the plate above it.

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My two caveats:
1) I'm wrong many times a day --just ask my wife!
2) Always seeking to learn more

[Updated on: Wed, 01 July 2020 19:22]

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Re: Caliber 879 — Guild A [message #12720 is a reply to message #12719]

Sat, 27 June 2020 14:31

thesnark17
Messages: 654
Registered: January 2017

Gruen Master

Talk about using all the available space on that balance...

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Re: Caliber 879 — Guild A [message #12723 is a reply to message #12720]

Sun, 28 June 2020 03:06

Case
Messages: 1178
Registered: May 2019
Location: Cincinnati

Gruen Authority

Right? Gettin’ pretty tight in there! And all those long, thin spring arms—you can see one’s broken off on mine.

My two caveats:
1) I'm wrong many times a day --just ask my wife!
2) Always seeking to learn more

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Re: Caliber 879 — Guild A [message #12733 is a reply to message #12723]

Tue, 30 June 2020 15:29

Case
Messages: 1178
Registered: May 2019
Location: Cincinnati

Gruen Authority

Got my answer on the front plate marks: they are the Rolex standard marks, seen here on an earlier Rolex 250 (Gruen 833): item # 113707946808. So Rolex was stricken from the plate on the above movement. Size M their nomenclature for the 879, Size O for the 833. Cool beans!

My two caveats:
1) I'm wrong many times a day --just ask my wife!
2) Always seeking to learn more

[Updated on: Tue, 30 June 2020 15:30]

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Re: Caliber 879 — Guild A [message #12734 is a reply to message #12733]

Wed, 01 July 2020 06:01

Case
Messages: 1178
Registered: May 2019
Location: Cincinnati

Gruen Authority

Here is one I found in the spares drawer, to show the usual Gruen patent stamp on the front plate. It’s sn 1945102, marked Conoruma. So Conoruma appears sometime between 1939777 and here.

Would Conoruma be the same material used by Rolex, referred to as “Rolex hairspring”?

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My two caveats:
1) I'm wrong many times a day --just ask my wife!
2) Always seeking to learn more

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Re: Caliber 879 — Guild A [message #12736 is a reply to message #12734]

Wed, 01 July 2020 06:54

Ephemerald
Messages: 1039
Registered: October 2018
Location: City of Lake Salt

Gruen Authority

Not sure if it's the same Dan but I do have a fun Gruen fact for the week for you:

What does Conoruma mean?

CO=Compensation;
NO=no;
RU=Rust; or;.
MA=Magnetism.

Matthias

[Updated on: Wed, 01 July 2020 06:55]

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