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Quadron 139 with Caliber 355 movement
Sat, 16 November 2013 12:15
Model name : Quadron 139
Type : Quadron
Period/date : 1930s
Gender : Male
Case Maker : Cannot identify
Case Material : 10kt yellow gold filled
Case Serial : 2305466
Case Style no : 197
Caliber : 355
Movement Maker : unknown
Movement Serial: 309392
Bracelet : Leather band (aftermarket)
Other info : I have come across a Gruen that, as best as I can tell, is ID'd in the factory records at "Quadron 139." The case is marked with the style number 197, and the watch contains the Precision (17J) Caliber 355 movement. According to factory records, Gruen only made 25 models with this caliber (possibly more, but 25 is the number pictured). The case style number of 197 would seem to indicate manufacture circa 1935 according to the Barnett/Cooper dating chart. I don't believe I've ever had a Gruen with a 355 movement before, so I have to believe these are kind of rare, or at least unusual. I love the patina on this older refinished dial ... a rich caramel color. I did a search of "355" on this forum, and came up empty, even on the Caliber database. I would enjoy hearing comments from Forum members, and of course will update the template with more information if anyone knows who made the case, the movement, etc. I would be interested in knowing what anyone might know about the movement, especially why it seemed to have such a short production run. Maybe Gruen thought the movement was redundant with the introduction of the Curvex?
Sincerely,
Bruce Shawkey
brtime
1930's |
4 comments
707 - Lavina connection?
Mon, 04 November 2013 16:52
In one of my other collecting guises, I like "trench watches", an outgrowth of my looking for early Gruens. Recently, via eBay UK, I purchased a nice 9 karat gold Lavina trench watch...
Now, I knew I recognized the movement, which led me to pay a bit more for this one than I normally would have.The recent discussions on the board regarding the possibility that Lavina was an early contractor producing movements for Gruen sealed my interest...
When compared with these spares from my movement stash, one can see that it's obviously the same movement as the Gruen 707 (as well as the gilded example from West End).
While I would initially jump to the obvious conclusion that Lavina was the maker for the 707, I am hesitant, because I have two different documentary sources (not from Gruen) that indicate that the base movement for the 707 is the Record 022K. At this point, I don't know if Lavina and Gruen (and West End and others) were all buying movements from Record, or if the interchange manuals I've consulted simply missed the boat on who actually made the movements.
The Lavina is hallmarked for the Australian market, meaning there is no date mark, so I can't use the date to try to prove a "first maker" assertion. I assume from it's styling that it's no later than mid to late '20s, contemporary to my Gruen 707 models.
Any thoughts?
It was also an excuse to post photos of another new acquisition.
Watches from the Guild |
19 comments
The caliber 3157
Fri, 01 November 2013 12:46
Caliber 3157 is a 17-jewel movement and is 10-1/2 ligne or 23.69mm in diameter. More frequently seen is the 15-jewel version, called 315. Production start of the 315 was 1929 and the 3157 followed in 1930 (Barry C. & Mike B. dating table). Unknown if this movement was actually produced by Gruen?
Three other variants exist; calibers 344, 345 & 347 (7j, 15j & 17j). These were introduced between 1934 and 1935. No information is is known to me as to what the differences were versus the 315/3157.
The caliber database |
0 comments
Siegerin marked watch
with Alpina/Gruen cal 485; Tue, 22 October 2013 18:41
Here is a watch that contains an unmarked caliber 485. Watch is branded Siegerin, which was a brand name marketed by Alpina/Straub in Germany from about 1930 through 1940. The movement is identical to Gruen marked caliber 485.
Came with a dust proof crown similar to other Gruen watches.
The case is all stainless and recently I found some evidence that Krupp, a well known metal working company in Germany which specialized in stainless steel may have made the case.
Watches from the Guild |
0 comments
The Caliber 94
Mon, 07 October 2013 18:36
Thanks to Thojil for the extra information: 11 lignes, 15 jewels, United Watch Co (not quite sure how they fit into the Gruen picture yet) and a "Guarantee" movement which i'm guessing is from the early 1920's?:
The caliber database |
0 comments
The caliber 266
Fontainemelon (FHF) movement w/51482 winding patent (Factory "T"); Sat, 05 October 2013 00:15
This unknown caliber is a 15 jewel, 10.5 ligne movement. Not a lot is known about these movements and even more of a mystery is the factory "T" marking.
Bazzab started an identification thread on the vintage forums awhile back. A Gruen dissecting team was formed, Bazzab and I dissected both of our movements.
http://vintagewatchforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=2658
The only conclusion is the movement is a Fabrique d'Horlogerie de Fontainemelon make.
The caliber database |
3 comments
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