Gruen Imperial Tank, Model Number 17

The Gruen "Tank" models, produced from 1929 to 1935, are particularly hard to find. It seems that it's easier to procure an 877 Techniquadron than a Tank! I've only come across two or three in the 30 years I've been collecting, and all of those have been the "small" Tank, measuring a mere 32mm long by 24mm wide, and easily mistaken for a lady's watch.

Imagine my thrill at being offered an "Imperial" Tank a couple months ago from a collector friend of mine. It was in rough shape ... a really bad dial, and a movement that was missing parts, although at least it had a good balance. I really hesitate to refinish the dial on a watch, but I think you'll agree the dial on this was too far gone:

In addition, it needed a new canon pinion and a minute wheel ... both were shot. I was able to scavenge both parts from a spare Grade 885 that I had in inventory. The dial and two hands went to Kirk-Rich Dial of California and were refinished at a cost of $149.50. (Guess they didn't have the heart to bump me up to an even $150!) Wow, redials are getting expensive, aren't they? But I think you'll agree Kirk-Rich did a kick-ass job:

I had Kirk-Rich do the luminous paint on the dial and hands in an antique tan color, so the dial looks aged, though artificially of course. This is my personal preference; there's something just too "shocking" to me about an 87-year old watch with green luminous that makes the watch look looks like it came right out of a gumball machine! Anyway, the clean/oil/adjust was $45, so I'm $194.50 into restoration.

The case on this Imperial Tank is 37.5mm long lug to lug, by 25mm wide, not including the crown. There is no mistaking that this was a man's watch, at least by standards of the day.

It is solid 14kt white gold. It is the Tank Model #17, as was recorded in the Gruen "Guild" master catalog of 1929. It is the same as the Model 16 in green solid 14kt gold. It has a very pleasing decorative engraving on the top and sides of the case.

The case is in excellent condition with no personalized engraving. The pierced lug holes are nice and round, not all stretched out from excessive wear.

Dial and hands, as mentioned, are refinished. Very nicely done, including the SWITZERLAND signature on the bottom. All Gruen wristwatches, at least those produced under Fred Gruen's aegis, are signed SWITZERLAND at the bottom, not SWISS. The story goes that Fred insisted that Gruen dials bear the name of the actual country of origin, rather than SWISS which is merely an adjective.

The crown is most likely a replacement, but it is a correct crown for the age. Acrylic crystal is also a replacement.

The Caliber 885 is a basic FHF (Fontainemelon) 10.5 ligne Grade 1186, finished in house at one of Gruen's facilities in Switzerland. With 15 jewels, it has hour and minutes only; no seconds.

The history of the Gruen Tank is interesting in several respects. They were only made for seven years, from 1923 to about 1930. If scarcity is any indication, the models did not sell all that well. The case design is quite interesting in that the back covers the complete watch, even the lugs.

Also, there is an extra collar between the stem and crown designed to keep out dust and moisture. I believe it is these two features that gave Gruen the idea for the name ... i.e, "built like a tank." The fact that the watch bears a striking resemblance to the Cartier Tank was, I believe, merely a coincidence.

Some believe it was Cartier that forced Gruen to quit making the Tank models because of a trademark infringement. But that is not the case. As best I can tell, Cartier did not legally register the trademark "Tank" as it applies to watches until the 1970s, and didn't begin enforcing it until the 1990s. It was in fact Bulova that sought to end the model's manufacture because the company claimed it had already patented the stamping process for making the "cover-all" back. Bulova ultimately prevailed in the lawsuit ("Kay Jewelry Co. vs. Gruen National Watch Case Co.") and as far as I am aware Gruen did not produce the watch after that. Whether sales of the Tank models would have continued into the 1930s is questionable anyway, since consumer tastes were running more toward the streamlined look versus "blocky" designs like the Tank.

In all, just 28 distinct Tank models were created that I am aware of. Fourteen of those were of the "Imperial" size, and of those just eight models were cased in solid gold. Which makes this "Tank" a rare find in my book. This one is going in my personal collection ... at least for now!

Happy watch hunting,

Bruce

Seiko Automatic 12-Hour "Bullhead" chronograph

Today's watch is the super-cool, super '70s Seiko "Chronograph Automatic, " or "Seiko Bullhead Chronograph" as it's come to be called by collectors. So named because the pusher buttons are at the top of the case (rather than the side) and are reminiscent of a bull's horns, with the crown between the two pushers completing the look of a bull's head.

I've also heard it called the "UFO" due to its flying saucer appearance.

Seiko made this chronograph model from about 1974 to 1979.

Here are the details on this particular specimen: All stainless steel "hidden lug" case with screw back. Case 46mm high by 43.5 mm wide, not including crown, 46mm high, and 15mm thick. The head alone on this watch weighs 3.3 ounces. Few dings on the case, nothing serious. Bezel insert is in excellent condition. Excellent condition original dial, brown with gold colored registers. Excellent original crown and original pusher buttons. Crystal is a replacement, a correct beveled edge glass crystal.

Movement: 21 jewel Caliber 6138 movement winds and sets perfectly, keeps time to within 2 min/day. All chrono functions operate perfectly ... start, stop, and reset. Chrono zeroes up perfectly. Not known when last serviced. Day and date are both quick adjustable by pulling out crown to first "click" and turning clockwise to adjust date, and counter-clockwise to adjust day.

Brand new aftermarket "fishbone" bracelet with signed Seiko deployment clasp. The case serial number of 658296 dates this specimen to May 1976.

The Seiko "Chronograph Automatic" really shook up the market in its day because this 12 hour model sold for quite a bit less money than 12-hour chronographs from such companies as Heuer or Breitling. First models of the Seiko sold for around $145, while a Heuer Autavia retailed for around $230 with a steel bracelet. Seiko's chronograph sold quite well in the states because Seiko had already established a solid reputation. The idea of no running seconds already had a precedent with the Caliber 11/12, made by Dubois Depraz with financial and technical assistance from Heuer, Hamilton/Buren, and Bretling. All of these companies had an interest in this chronograph movement and would eventually come out with chronographs containing the Caliber 11 and its improved version, the Caliber 12.

The Seiko 6138 was quite a mechanical marvel in its time, and I believe matched the technical excellence of not only only the Caliber 11/12, but also the Zenith Caliber 3019, used in its El Primero automatic chronograph. Granted, Seiko had five years to study those movements and learn from them, but take into consideration that Seiko made the movement entirely in house, including escapement and hairspring. The movement is amazingly durable. Even the most cosmetically beat up specimens frequently have working movements!

Today, the Seiko Bullhead is popular among collectors, partially because they provide the biggest bang for the buck for a 12-hour chronograph. But they are going up in price. A few years ago, you could buy them all day long at $250 and under, many complete with the watch's signature "fishbone" bracelet. Now, it's not unusual to find them starting at $350 to $450, and if you find one with an ORIGINAL fishbone bracelet (not aftermarket) you can add another $100 to that price.

Because it sits so high on the wrist, the watch tended to get banged around quite a bit, both on the sides and on the surface of the bezel insert on which is printed all the tachymeter numbers for calculating speed of a moving object. This specimen has a few dings on the case, but the bezel insert is in surprising good shape.

Two color combinations of this model were offered. This one is the brown dial with gold colored registers; the other is a black/blue combination. I'm not aware of one color combo being more desirable than the other.

The crown on this watch can actually be used as a secondary means to wind the movement. Most Seiko automatic utilize the crown only to set the time and calendar functions as needed. They rely solely on the rotation of the rotor to wind the mainspring.

This is one watch that definitely requires a bracelet. A leather band on this watch looks ridiculous in my opinion. The best option for a bracelet is of course the original "fishbone" bracelet that it came with. The bracelet has earned the name among collectors because the thin inner links of the bracelet look like the bones of a fish once it has been filleted. The problem is, original bracelets are nearly impossible to find because they tended to take quite a beating by their original owners. Enter the Chinese, with their amazing ability to duplicate nearly anything, especially once it's learned there is a demand for it! There are a number of sellers on eBay offering aftermarket "fishbone" bracelets, specifically for the Seiko Bullhead that are near-perfect replicas of the originals, right down to the perfect fit between the end pieces and the watch's lugs. The bracelets sell for between $35 and $50. They are generous in size (I'm certain they will fit up to an 8-inch wrist) and, honestly, I have no problem attaching one of these to a Bullhead (as I have with this one) as long as one is honest about disclosing the fact.

I should add that complete Chinese-made fakes of the Seiko Bullhead have appeared on the market. They are fairly obvious to spot. Apart from the fact that most are shipped from China (which should raise a red flag immediately) the aftermarket dials and hands are fairly easy to spot. But just be aware. Here is one such example:

Here are some additional photos of this REAL ONE I have:

The watvh is for sale, and if you'd like to make an offer on it, please contact me by clicking here.

You can see my complete listing of watches for sale here.

Hope you have enjoyed this blog entry!

Sincerely,

Bruce

Rare 1936 Hamilton Taylor with Swivel Lugs

Here's one for you Hamilton lovers! A rare 1936 Hamilton "Taylor":

This specimen has a 14kt yellow gold filled case measuring 40mm long tip to tip, by 21mm wide. Case is in very good condition. Few flea bites on bezel corners but most gold filled on the decorative embellishment is intact.

Back is monogrammed "EJ".

And the case manufacturer on this model was the Stat Watch Case Co. of Ludington, Mich.

Good original dial, some darkening, but still very readable. This is the dial option with the gold applied markers. The other option from Hamilton was black inlaid enamel numerals. Crown appears to be the original, or at least a replacement that is correct to the period.

Glass crystal is most likely a replacement. 17 jewel Grade 980 movement winds smooth and sets perfectly. Keeps time to within 2 min/day, but unknown when last serviced. Serial number of G77186 corresponds to 1935-'36 date of manufacture, so the movement is age-correct to the watch, and I believe the original.

Finished with a new old stock Speidel 16m black leather band.

The "Taylor" model is quite interesting, and was only made for one year in 1936, and then discontinued. A brief notation from company sales reports indicates that that Taylor was "renamed" the Talbot in 1937. However, you can see that the two watches, while similar, are distinct from one another:

Taylor                                        Talbot

The Taylor has decorative embellishments on the bezel along the top and bottom. The Talbot's bezel does not have these embellishments. In addition, the lugs on the Talbot are fixed; they do not swivel. Hamilton likely found out early on that the hinged lugs were problematic, and remedied the situation with the new case design. In any event, the Talbot didn't do much better than the Taylor; it was discontinued after its appearance in the '37 catalog.

There are no factory records indicating how many "Taylors" were made. If not "rare," then at least this model is "unusual," and this is the first one I've ever seen. I would suspect only a fraction of these have survived in the ensuing 81 years because all of Hamilton's hinged lug models (Piping Rock, Pierre, Wilshire, etc.) were known to be fragile and prone to breaking whenever the delicate lugs took a hard knock. Many are the Piping Rock specimens out there with repairs to the lugs!

I think overall, this is a very nice specimen, and the piece is already in the hands of an astute Hamilton collector just a few days after I acquired it. If you ever see one of this, you should probably pick it up!

I would like to thank Dan Keefe for his help on this blog entry. If you don't know about his website (click here) you should check it out. It's one of the best sites I've ever seen for Hamilton watch collectors!

Cheers,

Bruce Shawkey