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Home » The Gruen Model Database » The caliber database » Unknown 18J 8L Caliber (Possibly 857 Extra Precision)
Re: Swamp finds... [message #14062 is a reply to message #14060] Sun, 06 December 2020 18:30 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Barney Green
Messages: 1755
Registered: February 2014
Location: Wolfsburg, Germany
Gruen Authority
Cool, good to see that you got this nice movement.

I would not have a caliber number for it, but the fact that it is 8 Ligne is supporting the Louis Cattin source ID.

Louis Justin Cattin was born October, 31st, 1865 in Les Bois near Bienne. Most likely his father was called Louis Cattin as well, there is a "Remonteur" of this name in Les Bois listed for the 1870s. Looks like Louis Justin learned the profession from his father but he must have moved to La Chaux-de-Fonds before 1892, most likely for making his own living there. In 1892 he married Amélie Fatton, a regleuse, probably a colleague, in La-Chaux-De-Fonds.
It looks like they did not have a friendly relationship to other Cattins all the time. There were quite some others in the watch industry as you already found out. But in death notices from the time they never were mentioned.
They moved a couple of times between 1898 and 1903, probably due to the birth of children. They finally settled in Rue de la Tourelles 45 in 1903.
Louis started as Remonteur but from 1902 onwards he was called "horloger", watchmaker.
1906 seems to have been the big year for Louis Cattin, he hired at least 20 people to assemble watches and movements, so this should be the birth year of his business. But it took four more years until 1910 Louis Cattin registered the company under his name.
From 1913 to 1926 he was listed under "Fabricants d'horlogerie" in the La Chaux-de Fonds address book.
In this year 1913 we can find the first pictured advertisement showing five ladies / wrist watch movements sizes 8 to 10.5 ligne. And yes, the 8 ligne movement is our mistery Gruen movement.

/vgforum/index.php?t=getfile&id=7375&private=0


Also in 1913 the first protection of a movement was made.
Later in 1916 and 1918 the already shown advertisement was placed, saying that the would produce 7 ligne to 13 ligne movements and movements for America.

1920 another pictured advertisement showing two registered movements (marked with Depose) and big surprise, we can identify two other Gruen movements: caliber 103, another 8 ligne Gruen movement and voila, caliber 845, an early 6 ligne Cartouche movement.

/vgforum/index.php?t=getfile&id=7374&private=0

The last advertisement I found was from 1924, now stating that they go down to 4 ligne in different form factors and the specialty is still movements for America.

/vgforum/index.php?t=getfile&id=7376&private=0

In June 1926 he died in the age of 61 and his wife took over the business which was called "Veuve de Louis Cattin" starting February 1927. But already in November 1927 the company was erased from the company register due to renunciation by Amelie Cattin-Fatton.

In 1934 the house and all the belongings were sold by the children of the Cattins, Paul-Emile Cattin, Henri Cattin and Marthe-Lina Vittori-Cattin, most likely Amelie died shortly before.


This is a short Louis Cattin biography showing 10 movements, but there must have been more. HOw many were sold to Gruen?

Barney

Gruen, Gruen, Gruen ist alles was ich habe... Gruen, Gruen, Gruen is all I have...(German folklore song)

[Updated on: Sun, 06 December 2020 18:30]

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