Gruen
Gruen Watch Company
Gruen was an American watch manufacturer. In 1893 Dietrich Gruen separated from the Columbus Watch Co. and together with his eldest son Frederick in 1894 opened the company "D. Gruen & Son" in Cincinnati. The Gruen Watch Biel was founded in 1903.
In 1922 the D. Gruen Company, Sons & Company, The National Gruen Watch Case Company of Cincinnati and The Gruen Watch Manufacturing Company of Biel, Switzerland were merged to form the Gruen Watch Company under the direction of Frederick Green.
To use the European distribution network of the Alpina Union Horlogère, the American company Gruen proposed a merger with the cooperative. Thus in 1929 arose the Alpina Gruen Guild SA.
In 1928 the Rolex Prince was released. It was produced until the end of the 1940s (it was also called "The Doctor's Watch"). The watch was sold under the brand names Alpina, Gruen, Alpina Gruen Guild and Rolex. The calibre Gruen 877 built by Aegler in Biel met all expectations in terms of precision, and thus the Prince was the first wristwatch produced in large numbers, which received a chronometer certification.
Frederick Green retired in 1940 and died in 1945. His brother George died in 1952. In 1953 the Green family sold its shares in the company. In 1958 the remnants of the company, Green Industries, were split and sold. In 1976 it closed for the last time.
The James Bond Connection
If you look carefully, the Gruen 510 was the first watch to be worn on set during pre-production and the first day of shooting in the casino scene and when arriving at the airport in Jamaica. The casino is where Sean Connery uttered his introduction, “Bond, James Bond,” The watch is barely visible under his shirt cuff and can be seen while dealing.
The watch worn by Connery as 007, was the Precision 510 featuring a 17-jewel movement. The 34 millimeter gold-filled case was infact average for the time period, most watches were between 32mm and 37mm. The watch features a small bezel surrounding an elegant, classic, white dial. This model features Arabic numbers for 12, 3 and 9 o’clock; the 6 o’clock position is covered by a large sub-seconds dial while the other hours are index markers.
This dress watch is what the gentlemen of the day, 1962, would wear with their tuxedos. It would have been inappropriate to have Bond wearing a diver’s watch while dressed in a tuxedo. Wearing a Rolex Submariner, on the other hand, fit the bold and adventurous activities Bond took part in. Over the years, the Bond watches have continued to reflect the changing times in wrist wear and style while staying true to Bond’s style.
