Gruen, Alarm
A little bit of background to The Gruen Watch Company first….it was founded in 1894 by German immigrant Dietrich Gruen, and became one of America’s most esteemed watchmakers. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Gruen was known for its innovative designs and precision engineering.
The company introduced several groundbreaking models, such as the Veri-Thin in 1931 and the Curvex in 1935, which featured a curved movement and case that hugged the wrist. Gruen watches were favoured for their reliability and stylish appeal, often blending Swiss craftsmanship with American ingenuity. The company eventually closed inthe 1950s.
Alarm watches are wonderfully anachronistic - who really relies on their 60-year old mechanical alarm when Siri will wake you to the second - unless of course your phone battery has died. However, the alarm vibration on this watch would definitely wake you from your slumbers. It’s not as loud as the cardiac-inducing Vulcain cricket, but still sends a ringing wake up pulse from your wrist to your cerebral cortex. Unlike other alarm calibres this one has a single barrel for both timekeeping and alarm features. You set the alarm by the pulling out the lower crown which changes the dial aperture from red to green. Then set the time by the alarm arrow to when you want the alarm to go off - the alarm hand will only travel one way.
The manual wound alarm calibre 940RSS was launched by Gruen in 1955 and is actually based on the Venus 230 movement. I would assume this watch is from late 1950s to early 1960s.
The watch was serviced in 2022 (a new plexiglass was fitted then) and is running well and the alarm is working. The off-white creamy dial and it’s lovely quarter Arabic numerals is in good condition (apart from a few small marks). The stainless steel case is somewhat pitted and has blemishes and scratches. There is a small dent to the bezel at 6 o’clock. It’s a very good looking watch though and at 34mm in case diameter sits very well on the wrist. What’s certain is that it’s new owner will have a most unusual and good looking watch alarm on their wrist.
SPECIFICATIONS
Reference . Gruen 940SS -208A
Calibre. Signed Gruen Watch Co 940Rss (based on Venus 230)
Dial. off white cream.
Case back: stainless steel
Crown Original double crowns
Strap* New 17mm Italian Leather black strap. Stainless steel buck s lease note that this new strap has replaced the strap in the video above.
No box or papers. Watch only.
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT:
Wear and pitting to the case. Please see the images.
There are some small dings and abrasions on either side of the case. Please see images.
The glass crystal is a replacement when watch was serviced in 2022.
Lume is original but is worn on both hands. There is degradation to both hands.
The watch is running about -4 s/d, which is within vintage watch tolerances of +/-30 s/d.
MEASUREMENTS (approximate)
34mm diameter (excluding crowns)
39mm length lug to lug
17mm lug width inside for strap.
11.75 mm depth case from back to centre of crystal
This watch comes with a 1-month warranty and free UK delivery.
If you live outside the UK, it is your responsibility to pay any Import Tax, VAT or Customs Duty if your country requires it. PLEASE be aware of this before placing any order as we can not be held responsible for any fees imposed by your country. We will not pay towards the cost of importing any item and we will always declare the full value of the transaction on any customs form.
