Photo Credit: Strickland Vintage Watches
1940 Gruen Veri-Thin 14K Rose Gold Watch
Buy It Now Price: $795 (price as of 2018; item no longer available)
Pros:
-This vintage men’s Gruen Veri-Thin wristwatch has a solid 14 karat rose gold case and a 17-jewel, Swiss caliber 530 movement from the year 1940.
-It measures 38 mm (1.50 inches) long (including the lugs) by 25 mm (0.98 inches) wide (including the crown). Although considered a bit small by today’s standards, this Gruen Veri-Thin watch was actually fairly large for a man’s watches in the 1940s.
-Gruen was a Cincinnati, Ohio-based watch manufacturer founded in 1894. Unlike many domestic watchmakers during that period – like Hamilton and Lord Elgin – most Gruen watches were cased and timed in the U.S. using Swiss movements.
-The Gruen Veri-Thin movement had originally been launched in 1903 for pocket watches, but was later adapted to wristwatches in 1938 with considerable fanfare. Veri-Thin wristwatch calibers were engineered to be thin on the edges with a slight bulge in the middle. This made for a more robust movement with the illusion of overall thinness.
-The Gruen Watch Company suffered a serious of disastrous management decisions in the 1950s. The worst of these strategic moves was the sale of its Canadian watch distribution network to finance the ill-advised purchase of the Waterman Pen Company (Canada). The fountain pen unit was then sold a mere six months later at a substantial loss. The struggling Gruen Watch Company was finally broken up in 1958, although watches were still produced under the Gruen nameplate until 1976.
-The case of this 1940s Gruen Veri-Thin wristwatch is made from solid 14 karat rose gold. Vintage rose gold watches are extremely sought after in the watch collecting community and often command a premium over similar yellow-gold watches.
–Vintage Gruen wristwatches can be dated through their “style number” – a manufacturer’s code located on the inside of the case. These typically occur as a six-digit number with the first three numbers representing the watch’s caliber and the final three the style number. The code for this Gruen Veri-Thin is 530-430, which indicates a Swiss-made caliber 530 movement from the year 1940.
-As an added bonus, this Gruen Veri-Thin watch comes in a period-correct, burgundy and ivory-colored Bakelite case, which is collectible in its own right. Please note that although the case is Gruen-branded, it may or may not be original to the watch.
-This beautiful vintage watch has already been serviced, a real plus considering that servicing costs can easily run from $100 to $300. It is ready to wear to your next big event; you simply have to slip it on your wrist and go.
-Given the fact that this vintage Gruen Veri-Thin wristwatch has a solid 14 karat gold case and has already been serviced, I find the Buy-It-Now price of $795 to be quite reasonable. Vintage American wristwatches are substantially undervalued in today’s market and this specimen epitomizes the tremendous deals that shrewd antique investors can find.
Cons:
-It is possible to find vintage solid karat gold wristwatches from American manufacturers for $500, or even a bit less. But these less expensive watches almost always have drawbacks. For example, they often require extensive servicing due to neglect, something that can drive the final price tag upwards by several hundred dollars.
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