JUMP HOUR WATCH - "The early mechanical digital watches are the ancestors of the modern digital watch."
As a modern digital watch, a vintage mechanical digital watch also displays the time using digits or numerically with the difference that a mechanical digital watch is powered by a mechanical movement and not electronically powered.
The invention of the jump hour dated around 1830's by the French watchmaker Blondeau for the French King. But it was until 1883 (before the wristwatch) when Austrian engineer Josef Pallweber filed the first patent for a jump hour movement on a pocket watch. Through licensing, watch companies like IWC and Cortebert were in charge of selling hundreds of Pallweber jump hour pocket watches, they were for sure impressive figures in the nineteenth century.
Watches with a jump hour complication (jump hour mechanism) have an hour hand that does not sweep between the hours. Instead, they have a disc with the hour digits marked on it is viewed through an aperture, a spring driven finger causes the disk to jump to the next hour when the previous hour ends.
It was until the 1920's that the jump hour watch design gained far more traction, this time into the wristwatch, the first digital wristwatch. Just after WWI, with the Art Deco era that watchmakers used inspiration from the straight lines, heavy geometry, and luxury materials to innovate watch designs and the jump hour wristwatch would come up to bring iconic pieces that are still highly desired to this day.
Established names such as Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Rolex and Cartier embraced the concept, carrying the design from pocket watches into wristwatches. Most of them opted for the closed metal front with small apertures for the hour and minutes. Others use a hand for the minutes and the hour in a window. They were only ever made in very limited quantities at the time. Other Swiss brands embraced jump hour wristwatches as well, producing this time a much greater number of pieces.
GRUEN Watch Company
One of the most important and prestigious American watch manufacturers. Gruen watch company was a watch manufacturer founded in 1894 as "D. Gruen & Son" by a brilliant German horologists, Dietrich Gruen and his eldest son Frederick G. Gruen. Years later, the second son. George J., joined the firm and the name was changed to "D. Gruen & Sons".
"Gruen obtained a patent for an improved safety pinion, and it is the date recognized by the Gruen Watch Company as the start of its business." Early Gruen watches included pocket watches and wristwatches for men and women. Gruen watches were known for their elegant and thin design, marketed by the company as VeriThin.
Among the first companies to sell wristwatches, the Gruens split their manufacturing between two continents: exporting American technology to Germany and Switzerland, and bringing German and Swiss traditions of craftsmanship to America. Gruen watches are generally considered Swiss watches, the company cased and timed its watches in the United States and imported the movements from Switzerland. There were some short period during the 1950's where Gruen made some movement in the United States.
GRUEN AUTOWIND
Jump Hour Wristwatch
- Direct Read -
Hour, Minute and Second Indicators
There were items of transitional technology, these are superb artefacts of a pre-LED/LCD Quartz era, where the basic mechanism of a standard jeweled watch was fitted with wheels under dial instead of overdial hands, to create these dramatic machines.
From the 1970s, automatic and jump hour! For real a rare and unique timepiece! This is a vintage digital (direct read) Gruen autowind wristwatch, double signed West Germany.
This watch is closely tied to the post-World War II history of Germany. After World War II, Germany was divided into two countries, with East Germany under Soviet control and West Germany under Western Allied control. During this time, West Germany developed a reputation for high-quality manufacturing and engineering, and this was reflected in the products that it exported, including watches. Many German watch brands, including Gruen, began to produce watches that were marked with "West Germany" to distinguish them from watches made in East Germany.
The "West Germany" marking on this Gruen watch is therefore a symbol of German engineering and manufacturing excellence during a time of political and social upheaval in the country.
This is a self-winding (automatic) watch powered by an original Gruen Watch Co. movement, caliber 156D (based on PUW 1560D), digital display: second – minute - jumping hour, 17 jewels, unadjusted, West Germamny made.
With a retro design, the watch is cased in a 38.3x44mm tonneau shape case, base metal bezel and stainless-steel back. The dial or digital display is in gold and brown color with white Arabic Numerals. The dial is also signed Gruen Autowind.
The hour, minute and second numerals (discs) are in excellent condition.
It comes with a vintage black two-piece peach skin texture strap.
It is a very good looking wristwatch. After 50 years, it is still an unique watch, it is in great condition, keeps good time and runs very well!
Thank you for looking! Please feel free to contact us with any questions, or respectful offers.
Movement:
GRUEN WATCH CO.
Seveenten 17 Jewels
Unadjusted
West Germany
156 D
Case Markings:
Gruen Precision
Stainless Steel Back
Base Metal Bezel
156 D
Swiss Made
Measurements (mm):
Case Diameter 38.3 x 44
Case Diameter with Crown 40.3
Case Lug to Lug 44.3
Case Thickness 12.3
Lug Width 17
Band Width 17
Vintage watches are traditionally smaller than today's watches. Men’s watches typically measure between 29-36mm wide (some larger, some smaller) excluding the crown. In the listing details we typically try to do our best to list all pertinent dimensions of a watch. If you don't see it, or we failed to do so, please reach out to us. Women’s watches from the 1900s-1970s were also much smaller than today's offerings. Please also feel free to ask any questions you have pertaining to size.
We prefer to shoot photographs outside when weather is permitting. However, when we shoot indoors, please be aware that we shoot our photographs inside of lightboxes that are lit with 360 LED bulbs. This indeed magnifies any flaws. Usually, they are much less obvious to the naked eye. Having said that, we never photoshop any of our photography, remove blemishes, etc. We adjust lighting when necessary, but what you see is what you are getting, and we take pride in that.
The condition is pre-owned.
The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear but is fully operational and functions as intended.
Please review the photos and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
It will be carefully packed.
Please view our other listings.
Thank you for looking!
WA-1849
