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Re: Circa 1926 Swiss-Cased 14k Green Men's Tank [message #15458 is a reply to message #15456] Fri, 10 September 2021 17:16 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
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Location: Cincinnati
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afire wrote on Fri, 10 September 2021 10:58
And my rule is that when I have a serviced watch with a clean dial, I'm not letting my grubby hands anywhere near it. Taking it out for pictures is the farthest I'll go.
Ditto to that!

So I'm getting more and more convinced your watch is indeed from 1925, but I think the model was released earlier (1922-23) which is why it's not in the Master book.

For 1925, we've got the engraving & the buckle. Your buckle was made between August 1924 and early 1925. Patent from Feb 1925.
/vgforum/index.php?t=getfile&id=8468&private=0

There's also the 18j [url=https://vintagegruen.org/vgforum/index.php?t=msg&th =39&goto=15455&#msg_15455]tank[/url] with Swiss case # 7278. Gruen was advertising these 18J tank upgrades in 1923, so your 7979 would be after that.

Finally, there's the Kind catalog image. I've seen these Kind catalogs, but I've never tried to pin down firm dates for them (there are no dates listed in the actual catalogs). Dates listed for them appear to be guesses.

Here's a crack at it:
-"1924" catalog: Has multiple named Quadrons, including Quadron 1 with the Ben Hur band, and elsewhere has several Sesquicentennial items--so I think it is actually from 1926. This is evidence that Kind was up to date with their models: 1926 new Gruen models shown in 1926 catalog.
-"1920" Catalog: Has a Pentagon that I think may pre-date the Master Book, and it shows DGS watches--I think it is actually more like 1921-22.
-"1925" Catalog: The catalog Jenneke's image came from still advertises 25-year cases, plus several 1921-23 Gruen & Longines watches. It does have a Pentagon in it that I think is perhaps in the master book but no reference to it or the Tank being patented. The biggest clue is, there is now a reference to "reinforced gold" listed as a case option. Gruen introduced "reinforced" with the Tank, first nationally advertised "reinforced gold" in June 1923 (see first ad in 1920s section) but all lines had reinforced options advertised in 1923. I would say the catalog is 1923-24. But fair warning: it also has a Gruen platinum cartouche that is a dead-on match to Master Book model 3G107. Caliber 107. So who knows!

[Updated on: Fri, 10 September 2021 18:13]

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