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Home » The Gruen Model Database » 1940's » Veri-Thin Airman (Strap 417)
Re: ID please [message #7355 is a reply to message #7350] Sat, 15 October 2016 03:06 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
JackW is currently offline  JackW
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Gruen.watch wrote on Fri, 14 October 2016 23:37
Just to add to Barney's information: The watch has the style number 0460 and belongs to the family of "Veri-Thin" wristwatches, which were produced from 1938 until 1957. The 406SS movement has 15 jewels and is therefore not considered'precision' grade. There are also watches around which look identical and have the same style number but use the 405SS movement with 17 jewels. Mostly those watches show additionally the word 'precision' on the dial.
Last but not least I know also watches with style number 0460, which have the same case but do not have a sweep second hand. They use the 405 movement with a subdial and 17 jewels.
You can find pictures of all different types here: http://gruen.watch/?product_cat=veri-thin
The VT Airman, which is pictured above doesn't use the same but nearly identical looking case as the VT Nomad or VT Viceroy. All three as far as I can tell were contemporaneous. The VT Airman case is designed to accommodate the indirect seconds function where as the Nomad or Viceroy won't fit together correctly. The Airman and the Nomad/Viceroy use different size crystals too. The difference between the Normad and the Viceroy is slight variation in the case design... one has slightly more tapered side and in fact having had both cases in hand, I'm not sure which is which... I think the Viceroy may have come only in karat gold. The Nomad seems to have come in both Goldfilled and karat gold. The Airman seems to have only come in a goldfilled model (although absence of evidence isn't logical) but these also came in sterling base and the non-war production nickel base.

I've a 14k Nomad on my bench now and in the last month sold a sterling-goldfilled Airman... well traded to another forum member.


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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