AUTHENTIC VINTAGE LE-COULTRE GENTS MILITARY WRISTWATCH

 

BRAND/JENAMA: AUTHENTIC VINTAGE LE-COULTRE GENTS MILITARY WRISTWATCH

MADE IN/BUATAN: SWISS

CIRCA/TAHUN: 1940's

MODEL: DRESS

CRYSTAL/CERMIN: ACRYLIC

MOVEMENT/ENJIN: VERY RARE VACHERON-LECOULTRE (VXN) 17 JEWELS MANUAL WINDING MOVEMENT CAL. 450/3A

DIAL COLOR: CREAM TONE MILITARY DIAL WITH 24HRS MARKERS- NICE PATINA

FUNCTION/FUNGSI: HOUR, MINUTES AND SWIPE SECOND

HANDS/JARUM: LUMINOUS BROWN BLUE METAL HANDS (NO LONGER LUMED)

MARKERS/TANDA WAKTU: LUMINOUS ARABIC MILITARY MARKERS (NO LONGER LUMED)

CASING : SOLID STAINLESS STEEL/KELULI SEPENUHNYA

LUGS: 16mm 

MEASUREMENT/UKURAN: 32mm DIAMETER INCLUDING CROWN and 36mm LUG TO LUG

BEZEL: SOLID STAINLESS STEEL

DITANDA/ENGARVED BACK CASING: S/N 425143

CROWN: ORIGINAL CROWN - UNSIGNED

STRAP/TALI: BLACK LEATHER STRAP

SIZE STRAP/SAIZ TALI: 7.5"

DISCONTINUED LECOULTRE MILTARY MODEL... RAREST!

BEAUTIFUL PATINA DIAL, GOOD CONDITION AND KEEPING TIME

PRICE/HARGA: UDD1,600 (NEGOTIABLE/BOLEH DIRUNDING)

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LE COULTRE WATCHES

A brilliant inventor and self-taught watchmaker, Antoine-LeCoultre founded his first workshop in 1833, following the invention of a machine to produce watchmaking pinions. Ever since, the Manufacture Jaeger-Lecoultre has developed constantly around the founder's original workshops.

Surprisingly enough, it was neither a physicist nor an engineer who first measured the micron; it was Antoine LeCoultre, in 1844. He had created watch components that were so perfect no tool could actually detect their degree of inaccuracy. He followed that up by inventing the world's most accurate instrument: the Millionometer, which served as a benchmark for over half a century.

In 1847, LeCoultre created a revolutionary system that was to do away with the need for keys to rewind and set watches. His simple and brilliant solution was a pushbutton that activated a lever to switch from one function to another. It was the first keyless winding mechanism, and the first reliable system that eliminated the need for keys to wind or set a watch.

In 1866, when Swiss watchmaking was still structured around small home-run workshops, Antoine LeCoultre and his son Elie decided to bring together under one rood the many skills involved in making watches, and installed a steam-driven machine to operate their new tools. LeCoultre & Cie thus became the first Manufacture in the Vallée de Joux.

It was in 1903 when the Parisian Edmond Jaeger set Swiss watchmakers the challenge of producing ultra-thin calibres. It would lead to the Calibre 145, the world's thinnest mechanical movement, measuring no more than 1.38 mm, and the friendship of Antoine LeCoultre's grandson, Jacques-Devid LeCoultre. These two men would give a rise to a range of horological wonders, and eventually the birth of the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand in 1937.

In the year 1908, the Manufacture created its first rectangular-shaped calibre in response to the challenge created to miniaturize watches to wear on the wrist. By the "Roaring 20s" (1920s), very small ladies' wristwatches were all the rage, but extreme miniaturization always led to a loss of reliability and precision. The Duoplan brilliantly solved this problem by arranging its parts on split levels. It would lead to the world's smallest movement, Calibre 101. Outdoing the Calibre 145, Jaeger-Lecoultre miniaturized the Duoplan caliber to the extreme, weighing in at barely one gram and comprising of 74 parts. Its record is still unmatched to this date.

Since its founding, the Manufacture has created and produced over 1,000 different calibres in many varieties. Over 200 patented inventions have contributed to the progress of Swiss watchmaking in the field of movements, as well as that of cases, bracelets, dials, and watch functions

VINTAG GRUEN PRECISION VERI-THIN RECTANGULAR TANK GENTS WRISTWATCH

BRAND/JENAMA: VINTAG GRUEN PRECISION VERI-THIN RECTANGULAR TANK GENTS WRISTWATCH

MADE IN/BUATAN: SWISS

CIRCA/TAHUN: 1950's

MODEL: ARTDECO

CRYSTAL/CERMIN: ACRYLIC 

MOVEMENT/ENJIN: SWISS GRUEN 21 JEWELS AUTOWINDING MOVEMENT CAL.355

DIAL COLOR: GOLDTONE

FUNCTION/FUNGSI: HOUR AND MINUTE AND SUB SECOND

HANDS/JARUM: GOLD TONE METAL

MARKERS/TANDA WAKTU: BOLD BLACK ARABIC 

CASING : 10K GOLD FILLED

LUGS: 18mm UNIQUE DESIGN HARD TO FIND

MEASUREMENT/UKURAN: 30mm DIAMETER EXCLUDING CROWN and 36mm LUG TO LUG

DITANDA/ENGARVED BACK CASING: GRUEN

CROWN: GOLD PLATED

STRAP/TALI: GOLD PLATED STRECHT BAND

SIZE STRAP/SAIZ TALI: 8.5"

WORKING CONDITION, KEEPING TIME, DISCONTINUED MODEL & HARD TO FIND

PRICE/HARGA: USD250 (NEGOTIABLE) 

Gruen Watch Company

On June 12, 1874 Dietrich Gruen applied for a patent on an improved safety pinion, which was granted on December 22. He was 27 years old.

In 1876 he formed the Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company in the basement of a downtown Columbus, Ohio bank building.

In his Columbus workshop, Dietrich modified, finished and cased raw movements that were imported from Switzerland. These new watches included his patented safety pinion. Dietrich introduced 16-size watches as an alternative to the heavy and thick 18-size and larger watches that were prevalent at the time. He also introduced the first stemwind watches sold in the U.S. market. 

As the company grew, they moved to two floors in a commerical building a few blocks away.

In 1882, in collaboration with a number of new partners, the company was reorganized as the Columbus Watch Company and moved to a newly-constructed factory building located on Thurman Street, in the 'German Village' section of Columbus. Dietrich was President of the new corporation. 

By 1888 production was about 45 watches per day; the company would grow to 300 employees and output to 150 watches per day. Although the company continued to issue stemwind watches, they also manufactured keywind movements for some of their less-expensive models. 

After a series of disagreements with the other partners, Dietrich Gruen and his son Fred left the Columbus Watch Company in 1894, shortly before the business went bankrupt. Dietrich had lost his share of the company to the investors, and was faced with the prospect of staying on as a salaried employee at the company that he had founded. He chose to leave rather than bear this indignity. After the departure of the Gruens the firm was reorganized, refinanced and renamed "The New Columbus Watch Company." 

The New Columbus Watch Company survived until 1903. The contents of the factory, including all the tooling and stocks of movements, were eventually purchased by the Studebaker family, moved to Indiana (along with many key employees) and used to start the South Bend Watch Company. Some early South Bend watches were sold with signed Columbus movements in them. 

In 1894, Fred Gruen and Dietrich Gruen decided to try to start a new watch company. Using money borrowed from friends and relatives, Dietrich and Fred formed the partnership "D. Gruen and Son.".

These first Gruen watches are of very high quality and are beautifully made. Both 18 and 16 size versions were manufactured, each in both open face and hunter styles, and in 18- and 21-jewel versions. The earliest D. Gruen & Son serial numbers started around 62000. The Gruens dealt directly with individual jewelry stores; there were no wholesalers or jobbers involved in the distribution of their watches. 

VINTAGE GRUEN ARTDECO TANK GENTS WRISTWATCH

 

BRAND/JENAMA: VINTAGE GRUEN ARTDECO TANK GENTS WRISTWATCH

MADE IN/BUATAN: SWISS

CIRCA/TAHUN: 1950's based on style no 755 stamped on the caseback

MODEL: ARTDECO

CRYSTAL/CERMIN: ACRYLIC 

MOVEMENT/ENJIN: SWISS GRUEN 15 JEWELS AUTOWINDING MOVEMENT CAL.480

DIAL COLOR: GOLDTONE

FUNCTION/FUNGSI: HOUR AND MINUTE AND SUB SECOND

HANDS/JARUM: GOLD TONE METAL

MARKERS/TANDA WAKTU: BOLD BLACK ARABIC 

CASING : GOLD FILLED

LUGS: 18mm UNIQUE DESIGN HARD TO FIND

MEASUREMENT/UKURAN: 30mm DIAMETER EXCLUDING CROWN and 36mm LUG TO LUG

DITANDA/ENGARVED BACK CASING: GRUEN

CROWN: GOLD PLATED

STRAP/TALI: NEW BLACK LEATHER BAND

SIZE STRAP/SAIZ TALI: 8.5"

WORKING CONDITION, KEEPING TIME, DISCONTINUED MODEL & HARD TO FIND

PRICE/HARGA: USD250 (NEGOTIABLE) 

Gruen Watch Company

On June 12, 1874 Dietrich Gruen applied for a patent on an improved safety pinion, which was granted on December 22. He was 27 years old.

In 1876 he formed the Columbus Watch Manufacturing Company in the basement of a downtown Columbus, Ohio bank building.

In his Columbus workshop, Dietrich modified, finished and cased raw movements that were imported from Switzerland. These new watches included his patented safety pinion. Dietrich introduced 16-size watches as an alternative to the heavy and thick 18-size and larger watches that were prevalent at the time. He also introduced the first stemwind watches sold in the U.S. market. 

As the company grew, they moved to two floors in a commerical building a few blocks away.

In 1882, in collaboration with a number of new partners, the company was reorganized as the Columbus Watch Company and moved to a newly-constructed factory building located on Thurman Street, in the 'German Village' section of Columbus. Dietrich was President of the new corporation. 

By 1888 production was about 45 watches per day; the company would grow to 300 employees and output to 150 watches per day. Although the company continued to issue stemwind watches, they also manufactured keywind movements for some of their less-expensive models. 

After a series of disagreements with the other partners, Dietrich Gruen and his son Fred left the Columbus Watch Company in 1894, shortly before the business went bankrupt. Dietrich had lost his share of the company to the investors, and was faced with the prospect of staying on as a salaried employee at the company that he had founded. He chose to leave rather than bear this indignity. After the departure of the Gruens the firm was reorganized, refinanced and renamed "The New Columbus Watch Company." 

The New Columbus Watch Company survived until 1903. The contents of the factory, including all the tooling and stocks of movements, were eventually purchased by the Studebaker family, moved to Indiana (along with many key employees) and used to start the South Bend Watch Company. Some early South Bend watches were sold with signed Columbus movements in them. 

In 1894, Fred Gruen and Dietrich Gruen decided to try to start a new watch company. Using money borrowed from friends and relatives, Dietrich and Fred formed the partnership "D. Gruen and Son.".

These first Gruen watches are of very high quality and are beautifully made. Both 18 and 16 size versions were manufactured, each in both open face and hunter styles, and in 18- and 21-jewel versions. The earliest D. Gruen & Son serial numbers started around 62000. The Gruens dealt directly with individual jewelry stores; there were no wholesalers or jobbers involved in the distribution of their watches.