Vintage Gruen: 1940's » Zephyr circa 1947

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Zephyr circa 1947 [message #722]

Fri, 21 June 2013 22:10

brtime
Messages: 21
Registered: May 2013
Location: Wisconsin

Gruen Apprentice

Here's another one from my inventory:

Model name : Strap 577 (from my Gruen book) advertised as the "Zephyr"
Type : Precision Veri Thin
Period/date : Circa 1947
Gender : Men's

Case Maker : Wadsworth
Case Material : 10kt gold filled front and back
Case Serial : G948968
Case Style no : 558

Caliber : 335
Movement Maker : Gruen, Switzerland. Later, these 335s were made at a Norwood, Ohio, facility, but this is a Swiss one
Movement Serial: 610384

Bracelet : none

Other info : (strictly my opinion here, folks): Gruen came out with several very handsome swivel lug driver's watches in the 1940s. I love this particular model because of the heavily scalloped bezel. It corresponds to "Strap Model 577" on page 145 (top center) of my Gruen book. If anyone knows whether this model was assigned a "name" by Gruen, let me know and i'll update this listing. Takes a 16mm band. I photographed the watch without the band to show off those lugs in all their glory. They span a whopping 53mm when measured end to end. (That's one mm longer than the Majesty!) Forum members have since ID'd this model as being the "Zephyr." Thank you for this. The ads show the watch with the band sliding underneath the lug rather than over the top like many of the other models of these drivers' watches. This is nice, because it shows the lugs nicely, rather than hide them.

index.php?t=getfile&id=377&private=0

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Sincerely,

Bruce Shawkey
brtime

[Updated on: Sat, 22 June 2013 02:38]

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Re: A very nice hinge lug driver's style [message #723 is a reply to message #722]

Sat, 22 June 2013 00:09

JackW
Messages: 1931
Registered: May 2013
Location: Denver

Gruen Authority
Head Janitor
Site Admin

This is a great one! Has the 21-jewel 335 that is marked Switzerland. So not Norwood made. Very nice.

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: A very nice hinge lug driver's style [message #724 is a reply to message #723]

Sat, 22 June 2013 00:55

Bazzab
Messages: 181
Registered: May 2013
Location: Tampa Bay Fl

Gruen Guildsman

Bruce
I think it maybe called a Zephyr. Check out goantiques.com
B

http://www.watchesoftheguild.com/

[Updated on: Sat, 22 June 2013 00:57]

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Re: A very nice hinge lug driver's style [message #725 is a reply to message #724]

Sat, 22 June 2013 01:18

MikeTheWatchGuy
Messages: 319
Registered: May 2013
Location: North Carolina

Gruen Guildsman

Bazzab's right on the money. It's a Veri-Thin Zephyr.

You can find it in "The 1950's" from my Decade Series books, on page 53 with a date of 1950.

I saw an ad from 1948 as well for one of these.

You can use this image from my book as an aid in the verification if you wish. It's the one I reference from page 53.

index.php?t=getfile&id=382&private=0

Attachment: 1950 Veri-Thin Zephyr.jpg
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Re: A very nice hinge lug driver's style [message #726 is a reply to message #725]

Sat, 22 June 2013 01:49

brtime
Messages: 21
Registered: May 2013
Location: Wisconsin

Gruen Apprentice

Thanks, everyone. I made the appropriate edits/corrections to my original post. This is the goal, correct? To make the model identifications as correct as possible for posterity?

Interesting that the ad for the watch on goantiques.com and also Mikethewatchguy shows the watch with the band/bracelet going under the lugs rather than over them, as is done with other models like this (the Elgin wire lug model comes to mind.) This is nice because it shows off the lugs nicely, rather than hides them.

Just for kicks, I searched for "Gruen Zephyr" in google books, and came up with the following Gruen ad from an October 1, 1940 issue of Life magazine

index.php?t=getfile&id=383&private=0

So once again, we see Gruen "re-using" names of models past!

Attachment: zephyrlifemag10.1.40.JPG
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Sincerely,

Bruce Shawkey
brtime

[Updated on: Sat, 22 June 2013 02:25]

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Re: A very nice hinge lug driver's style [message #727 is a reply to message #726]

Sat, 22 June 2013 03:32

MikeTheWatchGuy
Messages: 319
Registered: May 2013
Location: North Carolina

Gruen Guildsman

Righto on the re-use. I have the 1940 version of the VT Zephyr shown on page 30 in the Gruen Model ID Guide Vol 1.

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Re: A very nice hinge lug driver's style [message #728 is a reply to message #727]

Sat, 22 June 2013 06:06

JackW
Messages: 1931
Registered: May 2013
Location: Denver

Gruen Authority
Head Janitor
Site Admin

This whole thread has made me happy to see the Gruenites getting on so well!

Why you may ask?

Well, why was Gruen using a Swiss-made 335 in one that was obviously made after the start of production at the Norwood facility (1948/49, yes)? Although, case number 558 is 1948 so maybe this was an early offering on the 335 line?

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Re: A very nice hinge lug driver's style [message #742 is a reply to message #728]

Mon, 24 June 2013 13:32

Thojil
Messages: 650
Registered: May 2013
Location: Concorès, France

Gruen Master

JackW wrote on Sat, 22 June 2013 08:06

This whole thread has made me happy to see the Gruenites getting on so well!

Why you may ask?

Well, why was Gruen using a Swiss-made 335 in one that was obviously made after the start of production at the Norwood facility (1948/49, yes)? Although, case number 558 is 1948 so maybe this was an early offering on the 335 line?

From my perspective it all fits using all dating sources that are available today.

1. Wadsworth "G9" case number dates the case around 1948/49 according to Jack Wood's study.
2. As you said style number 558 dates it around 1947 according to Mike Barnett & Barry Cooper's research.
3. Cal. 3351 start of production date is not exactly clear to me, but according to Mike's "Repairers Reference" it should be 1949. However Mike also issued "Movement New Model Lifetime" table showing the start of production in 1942 (Mike can you confirm?).

From all this you can conclude that the case was produced about 1948, which would match with the Swiss produced 3351. They would still have fitted stock movements from Switzerland for some time after Gruen started production in the Norwood facility in 1948 or '49 (assuming this date is confirmed)

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