Gruen veri-thin watch serial numbers

Doug S. Dec 14, 6, 1, New Hampshire Country Region. There is not much information on Gruen dating. Even this does not provide serial number dating and there is reason to suspect that they did not use a single sequence. Their top end prestige watches had low serial numbers. The verithin was introduced in and in had the first national ad in the Saturday Evening Post so they made a lot of them.

That logic would date your watch to about A better range would be to about Cgraham New User. Jul 15, 4 0 0 S New Mexico. Hi, my first post here. I very recently became interested in pocket watches of which I own three. I have been helping a friend identify watches in his collection I'm a bit bolder about cracking open cases than he ; it has been a lot of fun. I'm researching Gruens at present and am considering a purchase tonight.

I have examined a Verithin belonging to my friend, and examined photos of other movements, all of which bear a 6 digit number on the movement: I assume this is the calibre , which means nothing to me. Is there any on-line reference for Gruen calibers? I know the Gruen records were destroyed upon closure of the business. I would like to use the calibre to expand my knowledge of these watches, particularly the approx. Where would one find the serial number on the watch, or a cross reference to the calibre?

Without it, the above SN reference would seem to be useless. I have seen 2 Gruens and own a Hamilton all with the illustrated very characteristic style of numerals on the dial. These might be a clue to a date range, but I have found no dated examples. Please excuse the unprofessional image, done in haste. Gee, I see I should have rotated it - sorry.

The two calibers I would like to date and learn more about are the illustrated Verithin and a watch that has Ultra-thin on the case I'm wary of case data, but "cased and timed in US by Gruen Star Case Co" seems reassuring , on mvmt. Both watches have very similar, though not identical mvmts as seen from the back.

My Hamilton has the same problem: can't possibly be the SN. Mvmt also bears which appears to be the grade, not listed in several sources I reviewed, but close numbers suggest ; reasonable? So what is the 6 digit number, and why is a SN number not seen on any of these 3 watches?

Any assistance with helping this newbie answer these basic questions would be most helpful. Thank you in anticipation. Aug 24, 84, 2, 85 Boston awco. I believe the numbers that appear on Gruen pocket watches are serial numbers. One problem is that the company had watches made by different sources over the years and the numbers are not necessarily consistent. The best general site for Gruen is Time Hil l which does a really good job on the company history. However all the slides are still there and can be seen by clicking the links in this search result.

Enter Gruen when you get to the form. Last edited: Jul 16, Don Dahlberg Registered User. Aug 31, 3, 21 The Hamilton serial number corresponds to an 18 size from The was a 16 size watch adjusted to three positions. You will want to look further into the past when searching for detailed data about your watch.

More about this can be found in the ID You Gruen! Technique 1 - Serial Numbers that begin with the letter G or L. For this particular dating technique, two criteria must be met. If both of these criteria are not met, then this technique will not work for you. If your case is a Wadsworth case, and you find a 5 instead of a Gx or Lx at the beginning of the serial number, then you may be able to use the Cooper tables See Figure 1 below for how to read a case's serial number that has a G or L prefix.

An example of a Wadsworth manufactured Gruen case that begins with the letter "G". Technique 2 - Serial Numbers that begin with the number 5. This technique was developed by Barry Cooper, co-author of the Style Number dating paper. If you're Wadsworth Serial Number didn't have a letter G or L at the beginning, but instead has a 5 , then you're in luck!

You MAY still be able to find the date the case was made, if it was made between and The first 2 digits of the serial number are used to look up the date in Table 2 below. Prefix Code Year. Like so many of the Gruen tools, it is not perfect, has some amount of error , but it works most of the time.

In the grand scheme of things, these error amount are minuscule. If you can narrow your watch's date down to a year or two, then you're doing great and likely know a lot more than when you started.

Gruen Movement and Case Serial Numbers. Any help with a way to identify the proper movement would be appreciated. And, when you look at the pic, you can see the corrosion around the gear at top right. That and under it is where the parts are that I will need to replace. Its a bit uncertain from the watchmaker he doesn't speak very good English , but apparently I need the stem and crown, the clutch wheel, and the winding pinion.

But because of the language, I hold out that it is possible he has misnamed them. I checked dashto. So I will have to keep looking at eBay for a movement. So, Thojhil, for those three parts, do you know what, if any, other caliber number movement would have the same of those parts as mine? Sep 26, 7 18 Country. Just above the name "Gruen" and down between the plates is there a number written there?

Last edited: Mar 19, Mikeyt, so you mean the stem and crown, the clutch wheel, and the winding pinion would be the same for the , the , the and the , right? OK, that allows one to look at a wider selection in order to find the proper [parts.

Let me ask re caliber numbers: Will all movements of that brand with the same caliber number be the same size? Is the caliber number definitively linked to size, or do I need to make sure it is both the right caliber number and the right size movement? I have been surprised to find other jewel Gruen Veri-Thins that looked just like mine and had the very same writing on them be a different diameter did not know the caliber number of the others in that comparison. Yes, my serial starts with a 2, and those started with a 4.

I'm skipping one on eBay that closes bidding today for that very reason. I didn't specifically look in that groove when I was at the shop yesterday. That entire piece was not in it, we laid it all back together so I could get a picture.

While I didn't specifically look for a number there, we looked all over. I should have seen a number there if there was one, as that part was not even in to block the view.

What kind of number are you looking for, a 3-digit style number? Mine doesn't seem to have a style number, and from what I have found in looking around, that would be expected -- I think that is what I read, that the Swiss-made ones don't generally have the style number.

Caliber numbers refer only to the movement. If i understand your question about calibers and size correctly, i think you are asking if they make a particular caliber in different sizes? When they use a particular caliber as a basis for a new caliber then a new caliber number is assigned. Those related calibers may have some interchangeable parts though and the Gruen Watch Repairers Reference Book available for sale at the bottom of this page is a good source for that type of information.

Or simply ask Thojil! Thank you, mieyt. After the success of the Curvex, Gruen launched a series of Veri-Thin wristwatches. Like the Curvex, the Veri-Thin was developed to fill fashionable watch case shapes.

In the s, Gruen started building Veri-Thin completely in the U. Fred died in , and his brother George died in During the s the Gruen Watch Company developed serious problems, went deeply into debt, and eventually was broken up and sold. Fred Gruen retired in and died in , and his brother George died in In the Gruen family sold their interest in the company.

Over the years, other companies have sold watches under the Gruen name, but the original company ceased to exist in Gruen watches are notoriously difficult to date. Gruen collectors often rely on old advertisements or watch material catalogs to determine when a particular model may have been introduced, but this doesn't establish a date for a particular watch.