Gruen

 By Bruce Shawkey

Here's a watch familiar to many Gruen collectors called the "Airman," introduced in 1957.'58 Few know the actual name of the watch, the "Super G." Here's an ad for the watch from the Nov./Dec. 1957 issue of Swiss Horological Journal. Promoted in time for Christmas, it had a manually winding movement with jump-hour feature, displaying the numbers 1-12, and then "jumping" to 13-24 at noon. It was targeted toward pilots, but quickly became popular with the general public, and today is a favorite among Gruen watch collectors.

The original model sold for around $50, but today sells for several hundred dollars. I have had several Super Gs over the years, and sold them to eager buyers for around that price. There are a few being currently auctioned on Ebay, and sellers are asking around $650 as a starting bid! Ironically, few call it by its original factory name, even seasoned collectors.

Here a couple from a 1960 trade magazine:

Gruen at that time was also attempting to enter the Latin America market. Here are a few models from a 1959 trade magazine:

here are some additional Gruen ads:

More ads and watches:

1975 ad in Europa Star

I have many files and photos on Gruen, but I want to show a photo of Benjamin Katz, president of Gruen during the war years. Katz was a bit of a prick, a short fellow with a Napoleon complex and beady eyes. Though not especially  well liked by the Gruen employees (he was the first president outside the Gruen family) he did lead the company through some difficult years, especially with his contacts in the government. But when WWII was over, Katz left the company, manipulating a sale of his stock that cost the company millions and contributed greatly to the ultimate downfall of Gruen.

Other Gruen images