Gruen Doctors Watch "14k YG Filled", 1940s

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

As an American watch company based in Ohio, Gruen produced cleverly designed timepieces that housed Swiss-made movements, and the brand was once the largest watch company in the entire United States. Until the mid-1930s, Gruen and Rolex were partners with the Swiss movement production company Aegler, and a number of different Rolex and Gruen watches from this era were powered by the same Aegler-manufactured calibers. Among the more famous examples are the “Doctor’s Watches'' produced by both brands, which are characterized by their long rectangular cases and dual-dial designs. These striking dials feature the hours and minutes on the upper half, with the running seconds displayed prominently by a large separate register on the lower half of the dial. The oversized seconds hand was useful for taking a patient’s pulse (hence the “Doctor’s Watch” nickname), but this style of timepiece was also marketed to technicians, engineers, and anyone else who required the ability to precisely measure time in exact seconds. These Gruen Doctor’s Watches use the same movement as the Rolex Prince models from the same era, and they serve as excellent examples of function-forward timepiece designs from the 1940s. Stock # GRNDW14K Brand Gruen Style Doctors Watch Model N/A Serial 22XXXX Size Men's Material 14K Yellow Gold Filled Dial Silver "Aged" Millimeters 34x21 Strap 2pc Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The 34mm long case is crafted from 14k yellow gold and is beautiful, slim, and angled in its overall design with stripes of geometric engravings on either side of its lateral surfaces. In between its short and refined lugs, lie gorgeous scalloped white gold embellishments that are purely ornamental and have no other function beyond providing the watch with a wonderful and elegant aesthetic. DIAL & HANDS For a timepiece that has existed for nearly a century, this one’s dial seems to have taken those years in stride. The silver surface has slight discoloration in some places that is highly consistent with age, yet it still remains remarkably clean. The top half houses the classic twelve-hour display with blued steel spade hands, while the bottom half features a perfectly proportioned 60 seconds counter that defines these classic 1940s doctor’s watches. ACCESSORIES The watch is running, previous service history is unknown.