Gruen

Dietrich Gruen, born in Germany in 1847, apprenticed as a watchmaker before working in Switzerland and emigrating to the United States. In 1874, he patented a safety pinion for pocket watches. After founding and later being forced out of the Columbus Watch Company during the Panic of 1893, Gruen established D. Gruen & Son in 1894 with his son Frederick in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company relocated to Cincinnati in 1898 and became D. Gruen, Sons & Co. in 1900 when son George joined. Gruen built the Time Hill building in 1917 and the Precision Factory in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland in 1922. The company introduced groundbreaking designs including VeriThin pocket watches (1904), early wristwatches (1908), and the Curvex (1935) with its revolutionary curved movement. During World War II, the Time Hill factory produced military instruments. The Gruen family sold the company in 1953, and it was broken up in 1958. The Swiss operation closed in 1977, with the building acquired by Rolex. The Gruen trademark is now owned by MZ Berger.