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Stainless Steel Quadron
Sun, 27 September 2015 19:45
Model name : Unknown, possibly Quadron 118
Type : Quadron
Period/date : ~1935-ish
Gender : man's
Case Maker : Gruen shops in Cinci.
Case Material : Guildite/Stainless
Case Serial : 6025839
Case Style no : 8
Caliber : 157
Movement Maker : Gruen Guild (via Marc Fabre)
Movement Serial: 1114728
Bracelet : none
Other info : Case is plain without any engravings or decorations. There is a monogram on the back of the case.
Images...
cased...
dial...
Movement...
Case parts...
detail of inside case...
Gruen markings on outside...
Images are as it came to me. Won it last week on eBay.
Now that I have it and have looked through the information I have on Quadrons and Bruce's and Mike's books, I'm wondering if this is mash-up of two different watches. However, still factory original. Except the crown.
The case is surely the match to Quadron 118 in Bruce's book on page 22. The dial however isn't, but seems to match exactly the dial on the Quadron 57 which would presumably date to the 1920s. The book states that style is the 50th anniversary "157 with gold-plated movement". Say what???? The Quadron 157 didn't come out apparently until 1925; after the anniversary in 1924. Has anyone seen a cal 157 with gold-colored bridges? Seen the gold-bridges on the earlier 119 (or is it the 123?). A gold-bridge cal 157 is a new one to me. I digress... Now those with Bruce's book may say that the Quad 133 dial is similar, but look at the 12 and 6 indices and compare with the Quad 57. Hence, why I say the 57 dial is a better match.
The movement serial is similar to another Quadron (its only a few hundred difference) I have that came out of a trashed Quadron 70 which I'm pretty sure is from the early 1930s. I don't know the name but it appears in Vol. 1 (p.36) of Mike's ID Guide under 1930 and on page 37 of Mike's 1930 decade book under 1932. So I'm calling this date the lower date limit.
I have to admit that I look at pretty much every Quadron that runs through eBay. Many are in the spreadsheet. I've not seen this case before. I've no doubts that it is legit as being originally made by Gruen. It however looks more like the solid gold cases in its construction than any of the cases that were non-precious metal. Its case construction and marking are also similar to the watch I posted the other day... check out the serial numbers. Surely made by the same company and I would suspect that both were in-house by Gruen. If I had to guess on the date of this watch... I'd go with 1935. This late date may explain why the dial is from a different and earlier design and the shift into stainless seeming stamped out of the same molds for the solid gold cases is consistent with a struggling Gruen during the mid-1930s when they were trying to use up stock to to sell watches in a spend-thrift economy.
After I get the 705 finished, I'll get this one COA's. I love Quadrons, wish I had more of them but I am also trying to stick with the concept of buying only solid metal cases. No more goldfill with eliminates a lot of the Quadrons I could afford. I'm quite pleased to have a solid metal Quad for the cost of one of the goldfilled ones.
Peace!
Post script... Maybe I should repost the other Quadron I have, looks similar to this one in a white GF case (but with an engraved side)
edit - wrong link to online database. sorry.
edit 2 - now I have the link fixed. gack!
1930's |
12 comments
Gruen Dartmouth
Fri, 31 July 2015 16:15
Model name :Dartmouth
Type :Autowind
Period/date :1952-1954
Gender :Gents
Case Maker :
Case Material :
Case Serial :
Case Style no :
Caliber :
Movement Maker :
Movement Serial:
Bracelet :
 Hi. I was wondering if you can help identify this watch. (Gruen Automatic)
L378477 480 729 SS is on the case.
I was trying to look it up and found that 729 is the Style and 480 is the caliber.
Year 1950
BUT, I can't find any pictures of this exact watch with these lugs! I found the dial, but not this EXACT watch.
Help! 
1950's and Up |
1 comment
Veri-Thin Time Hill
Gruen 335; Thu, 09 July 2015 17:20
Model name : Time Hill
Type : Veri-Thin
Period/date : 1949
Gender : male
Case Maker : Gruen
Case Material : 10K gold fill
Case Serial :
Case Style no : 651
Caliber : 335
Movement Maker : Gruen Norwood, OH
Movement Serial:
Bracelet : Metal
Other info : Identified by Mike and his Gruen Identification Guide. Thanks Mike!
This one was brought in last night to look at and the dial was quite interesting. I've seen only one other example here or on ebay. Under the loupe the lettering is enamel not print, I'm almost certain the dial is original.
This also got me thinking that this was leftover inventory from the demise of the company?
1940's |
2 comments
Ladies 885 10 1/2'" octagon wristlet
Wed, 13 May 2015 02:39
Model name : Unknown
Type : Octagon wristlet
Period/date : c1925
Gender : ladies
Case Maker : -
Case Material : Ultra Quality. Unmarked, but presumably white gold filled
Case Serial : 5011448
Case Style no : -
Caliber : 885
Movement Maker : 15J Gruen Guild, 3 Adj
Movement Serial: 102703
Bracelet : Appears to be original and the design matches that of the case
Other info : (Thanks to timeliz for her input). Recently acquired from ebay, I bid on this because it appeared to be a match set of watch, band, and case. Now that I have it in my possession nothing suggests that it isn't all original. This has the odd looking 885 that timeliz posted about in http://vintagegruen.org/vgforum/index.php?t=msg&goto=286 1&#msg_2861, and our SNs are very similar.
Notice that the case material matches the material for the similar era parts cases. The booklet was included and it folds up and fits nicely but there is nothing that identifies the date or printer.
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1920's |
1 comment
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