Gruen Precision 'Doctor No', 1960s

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

Along with Hamilton, Bulova, and Elgin, Gruen was one of the largest watch manufacturers in the United States. Its founder, a German named Dietrich Gruen, became a watchmaker's apprentice at the age of fifteen, in 1862, and immigrated to the United States five years later. On the voyage to America, he met and fell in love with the daughter of a watchmaker who lived in Ohio. The couple settled there in 1867, and two years later Gruen partnered with a businessman from Columbus to form Columbus Watch Company. By 1874 he had filed a patent for a safety pinion for pocket watches, which protected the movement from damage in the event of a mainspring break. Dietrich Gruen was forced out of the Columbus Watch Company after the Panic of 1893, an economic depression that shook every pillar of the economy and sent the unemployment rate skyrocketing to nearly 19 percent. But Gruen, ever resourceful, took that as an opportunity to go into business with his son, Frederick, forming D. Gruen & Son in 1894. They changed the company’s name to the Gruen Watch Company in 1898, and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. So began the Gruen Watch Company. Gruen has made many of the coolest watches the market has seen, and a number of more traditional pieces as well. This particular example is an example of the latter. Housed in a modest 33mm case and dating to the 1960s, this piece captures the essence of the era in the watch industry. Featuring gold-plated case and topped with an acrylic crystal, this piece is outfitted with a manually wound Calibre 510 movement. It features a classic stick dial with pencil hands very reminiscent of the era’s Calatrvas. This particular piece also has ties to James Bond as well. The Gruen Precision 510 is the first watch we ever see on 007 and apparently was worn during pre-production on the very first day of shooting! It's believed that it was an error in filming continuity as Mr. Bond's watch switches to the Rolex Submariner during subsequent scenes. With a case in beautiful condition and handsome design, this piece on its own has a license to kill with its good looks.