Gruen Precision 25 Jewel Autowind

[vp70m]

I've been looking for an automatic for a while, just got too tired of replacing batteries in quartz movements.
I just went through my fathers watches I inherited a few years ago, and found this Gruen. I'm guessing it dates from the early to mid sixties, but could be older.
I haven't been able to find much info on it, here or in other forums, and I have not seen an identical dial anywhere. Can anyone tell me more about this?

Apologies for the iPhone pics.

[Likestheshiny]

I've been looking for an automatic for a while, just got too tired of replacing batteries in quartz movements.

Getting a watch serviced every four years is easier than replacing the battery every four years?

That's a pretty watch, although a little dainty-looking. How big is it? Also, what does the writing on the back say?

[Ray MacDonald]

Looks like 1970s to me. It would not have been made by the original Gruen who were out of business in the late 1950s.

[vp70m]

Getting a watch serviced every four years is easier than replacing the battery every four years?

That's a pretty watch, although a little dainty-looking. How big is it? Also, what does the writing on the back say?

Let's put it this way: I got one automatic mechanical, and three quartz watches when my father passed. The pictured Gruen wasn't worn or serviced since at least 1975, and it is running great, has kept time to +/- 10 seconds per day for the past month. (Though I do not deny it should be looked at and gone over to maintain this level of performance) One of the quartz units, not worn or serviced since probably 2008, had to be discarded due to battery leakage issues. The other two I haven't the opportunity to get into. These are all decent quality Seikos from the eighties and nineties.

As for the size, it is a bit on the smaller side, it measures 33mm across the case, 37 including crown.

[vp70m]

Looks like 1970s to me. It would not have been made by the original Gruen who were out of business in the late 1950s.

I know he had this watch as early as 1967, as it appears in photographs whose date is not in question.

[vp70m]

Also, what does the writing on the back say?

"Gruen Automatic||Base Metal Bezel||Stainless Steel Back||"

[ecthelion]

The markings/text font on the dial of your watch are very similar (the words are actually identical) to those on a Gruen I have (which is also a Precision 25 jewel autowinder), and the caseback looks identical to the one I have, which together suggests to me that your watch is from the early 1960s/late 1950s, and here's why:

The original (or "first") Gruen was broken up in 1958. An offshoot/incarnation (or "second") Gruen moved back to New York (for several decades before then, Gruen had been making watches at its Precision Factory/Workshop in Switzerland; the first Gruen consolidated all of its manufacturing into this facility in the 1930s - and only watches made in this facility had the "Precision" label on the dial - but the building is now under the ownership of Rolex) and operated there from 1958 until its failure in 1976. These two incarnations of Gruen are the ones in question here.

My particular Gruen has radium lume (as indicated by "RA SWISS RA" at the 6 o'clock position), and since radium was phased out of watches by 1960, this suggests to me that my watch was either made by the first Gruen before then (i.e. before 1958, when the first Gruen broke up) or between 1958-1960 by the second Gruen. Your Gruen, while sharing similar standard markings (wording and font styles, as well as caseback markings), does not have the "Swiss" marking at the 6 o'clock position, which suggests it was not manufactured in Switzerland. Since all Gruen watch manufacturing was done in Switzerland by the time of the first Gruen's breakup in 1958, your model, which could not have come from before the 1930s when all Gruen watch making was consolidated in Switzerland (i.e. the only other time when Gruen watches would not have been marked "Swiss"), is likely to have been made elsewhere (i.e. New York), by the second Gruen, despite being marked "Precision" as if it had been manufactured at the Precision Workshop (which is still possible; I don't know when Gruen stopped using and sold that facility, and it is possible that the second Gruen was still using it for a while).

Since the second Gruen operated from 1958-1976 and you have a photo of this watch from as early as 1967, it seems likely that your particular watch could not have been more than 9 years old by the time that picture was taken.

Hope that makes sense. For reference, I got my information on the dates and manufacturing details for Gruen here: http://www.pixelp.com/gruen/. This page specifically indicates what happened to the first Gruen and the second Gruen: Gruen Watch Company history: 1940-1958: WWII, Pan American, Gruen 21 (near the bottom).

[Janne]

It may keep a decent plus- minus 10 seconds a day, but you are potentially destroying thr movement by running it.
Have it serviced first.

I agree to your quartz dilemma. I forgot to keep an eye on my Omega tuning fork, and then my wife discovered the dial was severely discolored. Battery leaked. To have Bienne redo the dial cost me USD 440. Thr watchmaker did not charge me for the restauration of the movement, as he is a friend.

But if you run your watch without a service, you might be looking to a very large bill.

[Ray MacDonald]

According to the Ranfft movement archive most 25 jewel Gruens are AS 2063 and AS 2066 movements which date from 1969-1978. There might be another Gruen 25 jewel movement from earlier in the 1960s but these are predominently 17 jewels. Maybe a look at the movement would help matters.

[vp70m]

According to the Ranfft movement archive most 25 jewel Gruens are AS 2063 and AS 2066 movements which date from 1969-1978. There might be another Gruen 25 jewel movement from earlier in the 1960s but these are predominently 17 jewels. Maybe a look at the movement would help matters.

I intend to get some pictures of the movement soon, perhaps when I have it serviced. I have a titanium Vostok Komandireskie awaiting my pick up at the local Post Office, so I won't be tempted to wear the Gruen anyway for a while.