Gruen Watches

It was in the small German village of Ostofen, on the banks of the Rhine River, in the mid 1800s, that Dietrich Gruen emigrated to America. Having apprenticed for some time in some of the Swiss watch factories, Gruen worked for a jeweler and watchmaker in Delaware, Ohio. On December 22, 1874, Gruen obtained a patent for an improved safety pinion, and it is the date recognized by the Gruen Watch Company as the start of its business. While Gruen cased and timed its watches in the United States, Gruens are generally considered Swiss watches because the movements were imported from Switzerland. Of course, the watch that defines Gruen is the Curvex. And this watershed in the company’s history occurred in 1935 when Gruen rolled out its first patented Curvex movement, the caliber 311. It was an instant sales success, and was copied by virtually every other watchmaker of the time. The key word here is copied, for while every watchmaker tried to emulate the Curvex, it was never ever duplicated.

Interested in a watch? Please click on the image of the watch of interest, complete and submit the form with your questions or offer, and LTFL will respond to you shortly.

See all of our watches on