Vintage Gruen: The caliber database » Engraved Extra Precision Caliber 119

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Engraved Extra Precision Caliber 119 [message #20431]

Sun, 28 June 2026 07:41

ytony2876
Messages: 21
Registered: March 2026

Gruen Apprentice

Hi everyone,
I wanted to share this Extra Precision caliber 119 movement with engravings and see what you guys think.
A few interesting points about this one:
1.It originally came in a solid gold case, but unfortunately, the seller melted the case down.
2.This is not a 50th-anniversary model. From what I’ve heard, the original factory description refers to this surface treatment as a "Guild style" finish.
3.There are visible milling marks on the edge of the bridge. It almost seems like it might have been modified from a caliber 117 to a 119.

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Re: Engraved Extra Precision Caliber 119 [message #20432 is a reply to message #20431]

Mon, 29 June 2026 14:46

JackW
Messages: 2210
Registered: May 2013
Location: Denver

Gruen Authority
Head Janitor
Site Admin

This is a cool movement and I’d like one someday in its case. Sad it was scrapped.

There is some earlier discussion that some 119 calibers originally started out as 117 movements. Yours appear to be like this with the location of a nominal 117 marking milled out.

There is this thread that discusses theQuadron 40 and was a source of information for when I got mine.

Hopefully you’ll get a case someday for your movement.

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

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Re: Engraved Extra Precision Caliber 119 [message #20436 is a reply to message #20432]

Mon, 29 June 2026 15:24

Gary
Messages: 2496
Registered: May 2013
Location: Seattle

Gruen Authority
Cheerleader

Who knows, even stranger, a 123 in a 117 case. I suspect these movements were special ordered and went into whatever the owner had or what Gruen had on hand.

[Updated on: Mon, 29 June 2026 15:25]

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Re: Engraved Extra Precision Caliber 119 [message #20438 is a reply to message #20432]

Wed, 01 July 2026 14:49

ytony2876
Messages: 21
Registered: March 2026

Gruen Apprentice

Thanks for the link. I did check out that thread, and I learned a lot from it.
Since solid gold cases are just too expensive, I'm planning to look for a gold-filled case to house this movement instead. I actually bought a 157-27 case with a broken crown this time to try and fit it in, but to my surprise, the 119 movement is slightly smaller than the 157.

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Re: Engraved Extra Precision Caliber 119 [message #20439 is a reply to message #20436]

Wed, 01 July 2026 14:53

afire
Messages: 1431
Registered: May 2013
Location: Wisconsin

Gruen Authority

Gary wrote on Mon, 29 June 2026 10:24

I suspect these movements were special ordered and went into whatever the owner had or what Gruen had on hand.

Personally, I think these movements were exclusive to Import Quadrons and occasionally migrated to other cases after the original Swiss cases were scrapped. In the 1929 catalog and 1931 supplement, these movements are described only on Swiss cased models.

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Re: Engraved Extra Precision Caliber 119 [message #20441 is a reply to message #20436]

Wed, 01 July 2026 14:59

ytony2876
Messages: 21
Registered: March 2026

Gruen Apprentice

There really are so many things that are hard to figure out about early Gruen. The only way is to just keep buying them and looking closely. But I guess that’s exactly what makes it so fascinating.

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Re: Engraved Extra Precision Caliber 119 [message #20445 is a reply to message #20438]

Wed, 01 July 2026 15:46

JackW
Messages: 2210
Registered: May 2013
Location: Denver

Gruen Authority
Head Janitor
Site Admin

ytony2876 wrote on Wed, 01 July 2026 08:49

Thanks for the link. I did check out that thread, and I learned a lot from it.
Since solid gold cases are just too expensive

Don’t give up looking, I’ve twice now picked up karat gold Quadrons in the last year for well below their scrap value. Still a few $100 cost, but still.

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Re: Engraved Extra Precision Caliber 119 [message #20476 is a reply to message #20445]

Mon, 06 July 2026 13:27

ytony2876
Messages: 21
Registered: March 2026

Gruen Apprentice

I actually check eBay twice a day, every morning and night. But since I'm in the GMT+8 time zone, it's really hard to spot the good stuff and buy it right away when it's first listed. However, I'll keep at it and continue checking eBay constantly. Laughing

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