Gruen Watch Co.

In 1867 emigrated to the 20 -year-old German watchmaker Dietrich Gruen ( 1847-1911 ) from the Rhine-Hessian Osthofen in the United States. There he married Pauline Wittlinger, the daughter of a watchmaker from Delaware / Ohio and worked for several years for his father. At the age of 27, he applied for a patent for an improved center wheel - drive safety in movements. 1874, the year of this important invention should be later marketed as the founding date of the Gruen Watch Company, although it was officially lifted until 20 years later from the baptism.

Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company

First Green founded in 1876 but still with a partner the Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company in Columbus / Ohio. This first very successful company came but due to the "Panic of 1893 " in economic difficulties. Therefore Dietrich Gruen left the company in 1894 shortly before her bankruptcy.

Dietrich Gruen founded in the same year, when he left Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company, along with his son Frederick ( Fritz) Green ( 1872-1945 ) the watch and Uhrwerkefabrik D. Gruen & Son Together they developed a completely new movement. The movements should be first produced in Germany and exported from there to America. Frederick Green, who had attended from 1892 to 1893 the German School of Watchmaking in Glashütte, learned during his studies Paul Assmann, whose family owned Glashütte ran a prestigious watch manufacturer. Since the U.S. just slipped into an economic crisis and in Glashütte the necessary specialists were available, the two founded together in 1894 " Grünsche Uhrenfabrikation green and Assmann ". The aim was to establish an industrial watch production on the American model in Glashütte. The necessary machinery were imported from the United States, and as early as next year 1800 watches were produced. A specially developed for the U.S. market pocket watch was crafted over many years in Glashütte and built in the U.S. in the Gruen watches. In addition to the movements Assmann Gruen sold at that time also watches with LeCoultre movement.

1897 also increased the younger son George J. Green as a partner in the Gruensche a watch company. He had previously completed a commercial apprenticeship and worked as an accountant. The company was then in " D. Gruen & Sons " renamed. 1898 Gruen moved its headquarters from Columbus / Ohio to Cincinnati / Ohio, where in the same year, the Queen City Watch Case Company bought. This was renamed "The Gruen National Watch Case Company ". Around the turn of the century Gruen decided to shift production of glassworks to Biel in Switzerland, since the Swiss employee other than the German the new American production methods faced open-minded. Founded in 1903 in Biel, the "The Gruen Watch Manufacturing Company ". Gruen thus became one of the first American manufacturer, the Swiss movements assembled in their American-made watches. Some of the best movements were already at that time by the company Aegler SA in Biel. But even before 1910 began in Switzerland with its own movement production. The production rooms in Biel had to be expanded continuously over the years. After the company's founder Dietrich Gruen was inflicted with a trip to Europe on April 10, 1911, shortly before Italy a sudden cardiac death, took his eldest son Frederick Gruen management of the company. Frederick Gruen was a follower of the medieval guilds and craft guilds and marketed henceforth its watches under this motto. His idea was to combine advanced technology with craftsmanship, which should be reflected in the working conditions in the factories, the architecture of the buildings, and not least in the quality of the products.

Time Hill

With increasing economic success Gruen had in 1917 the traditional production areas in the center of Cincinnati exit and built outside the city on a hill, a new corporate headquarters. The building complex that one "Time Hill " called, was modeled after a medieval guild hall and was gradually extended until the 1930s. In Time Hill the Gruen watches were assembled from Swiss movements and American watch cases, bracelets, watch glasses etc. and adjusted. Here there were also a repair shop, retail shops and offices.

Precision Factory

As time Hill was a great success in Cincinnati, Green wanted to build a similar complex in Switzerland. The architect G. C. Burroughs, who had already built Time Hill, but struggled with the resistance of the Swiss authorities to which the building was too playful. Finally, it was 1922, the Precision Factory to open in Biel, where from now on the best movements for Gruen should be made ​​. The new building was exactly opposite the Uhrenwerke Aegler SA, with which you continue to work closely cooperated. Gruen and Rolex watch company that has had no production at this time, were in the 1920s, the largest customers of the Uhrenwerke Aegler. Both had also contributed financially to the company. The full name of the company at that time was " Aegler, Société Anonyme, Fabrique des Montres Rolex & Gruen Guild".

In the year of the opening of the Precision Factory the individual companies ' D. were Gruen, Sons & Company, "" The Gruen National Watch Case Company "(both Cincinnati / USA) and" The Gruen Watch Manufacturing Company " in Biel / Switzerland for " Gruen Watch Company "unites. My future was Frederick Gruen ago as president. Mid-1920s was Gruen 's largest and most successful watch manufacturer in the USA. The U.S. had a thriving watchmaking industry at that time. Companies like Gruen, Hamilton, Bulova, Elgin, Waltham and Illinois served the upper market segment, and Swiss imports were often settled with a few exceptions in the low price segment.

1883 was the " Swiss Watchmaker Corporation " was established as an association of the leading Swiss manufacturer and retailer of watches. Soon after, they began manufacturing and selling its own movements and marketed under the name Alpina only the watches of the best quality. Until the 1920s, Alpina had gained a good reputation and a large dealer network. As Gruen wanted to gain a foothold in Europe, merged the Gruen Watch Company in 1929 with the cooperative Alpina Union Horlogère and founded the SA Alpina Gruen Guild SA. In 1930, the new company had a distribution network of 1575 retailers, mostly in Europe. Since, however, were opposed to the political circumstances of a European-American cooperation and Gruen fell due to the global economic crisis into economic difficulties, the Alpina Gruen Guild SA was dissolved in 1939 again. In 1934, Green had sold his shares in Aegler to the partner Rolex, the Aegler completely took over later.

Retreat of the family

In the wake of the global economic crisis, sales of watches in the U.S. fell by more than 5 million units in the year to approximately 800,000. Customers also increasingly asked for Cheap models that Gruen was able to offer only limited at this time. In 1935 Gruen had a debt in the amount of 1.8 million dollars. Banks and shareholders, therefore, called for a new beginning. Frederick Gruen joined it in 1935 at the age of 63 years as Chairman of the Supervisory Board and made ​​way for the 43 years old Benjamin Samuel Katz ( 1892-1969 ). Katz knew the industry by joining the Uhrgehäusehersteller Katz & Ogush in New York, made ​​the watch case for many different watch manufacturers. Frederick Gruen went in 1940 to retire, but was still a member of the Supervisory Board until his death in 1945. 1953, a year after the death of George Gruen, the family sold its shares in the company, which reached its economic peak in the same year, with the highest sales in the firm's history.

After saying goodbye to the family, the company lost its focus and tried to diversify into other lines of business. This was reflected also in the name was changed to Green Industries. The watch manufacturing was only one of several lines of business. In May 1956, bought the Canadian branch of the company Waterman Pen to resell it in November with a loss. Before that, one had to sell their own Canadian distribution company for financing. Making matters worse was that Gruen lost an 8 million dollar government contract and was additionally coated by violent anti-trust lawsuits. In 1958 Gruen Industries was disbanded and sold the parts.

The successor companies

Time Hill was closed down in 1958 and the watch production moved to New York, where for 15 years on mechanical watches were produced. A revival of the company in 1976 failed because of mismanagement and the advent of quartz watches, who put the whole watch industry on its head. In the early 1990s brought the company " M. Z. Berger and Company ", which in the meantime had bought the trademark, a series of replicas of old Gruen watches with quartz movement on the market. Today, only cars Gruen watches find in stores. In the meantime, collectors maintaining the history of this once highly respected watch brand have, similar to other watch brands accepted. The Precision Factory was subsequently sold to Rolex, which uses the building for its management today.