Although the Gruen Watch Company was founded in 1894, the company later traced its history back to 1874, following the early career of its founder.
Dietrich Gruen (originally spelled 'Grn') was born in Osthofen, Germany in 1847. After attending both public and private schools, at age 15 he was sent away from home to learn the watchmaking trade. He was an apprentice to Martens in Friedburg, Germany, and also worked in Carlsruhe, Wiesbaden and Lode.
In 1867 he traveled to the U.S. following his three brothers, who had immigrated several years ealier. One brother had been killed in 1863, in the American Civil War.
During his visit, Dietrich met and fell in love with Pauline Wittlinger, a schoolteacher and the daughter of a Delaware, Ohio watchmaker. After working as a watchmaker in St. Louis, Cincinnati and Columbus, Dietrich married Pauline in 1869, moved to Delaware, Ohio, and went to work for her father. Years later, a Gruen advertisement told how "one word from a woman's lips" (Pauline's "yes" to Dietrich's marriage proposal) changed horological history.
Dietrich and Pauline's first son, Frederick G. Gruen, was born in 1872. Fred was to become an important figure in the Gruen story.
The Safety Pinion. Patent 1874.
On June 12, 1874, Dietrich applied for a patent on an improved safety pinion, which was granted on December 22. He was 27 years old. Because this was his first important contribution to horology, in the future the Gruen Watch Company would take 1874 as its founding date.
Although Dietrich Gruen invented the safety pinion as shown in the following drawing, his design was rather crude, but was practical for the watches of his day. His design was greatly improved upon by the American watch companies that adopted various design changes based upon his idea. All watch companies used a design where the safety pinion was located under the center wheel of the watch. This pinion engaged the teeth of the mainspring barrel. These safety pinions were much larger as were the threads they screwed onto improving the watches ability to withstand the breaking of a mainspring.
In later years, alloys for unbreakable mainsprings were developed, but the large and powerful mainsprings used in older pocket watches tended to be brittle and commonly broke. The recoil, caused by the sudden release of the energy stored in the spring, could strip teeth off of wheels and snap pivots, doing tremendous damage to the movement.
The safety pinion, mounted on the shaft which also holds the center wheel, is the interface between the potentially destructive power in the mainspring and the fragile moving parts in the rest of the watch. Dietrich's invention consisted of a simple device which, in the event of mainspring breakage, uncoupled the pinion and allowed it to spin freely without passing the dangerous shock through the shaft to the center wheel and the rest of the mechanism. The pinion itself would not be injured and did not need to be replaced.
In his patent application, Dietrich gave his address as Delaware, Ohio, an indication that he was not yet making watches in Columbus.
For more information about the Gruen Watch Company, be sure to visit this outstanding web site.
Dietrich Gruen (originally spelled 'Grn') was born in Osthofen, Germany in 1847. After attending both public and private schools, at age 15 he was sent away from home to learn the watchmaking trade. He was an apprentice to Martens in Friedburg, Germany, and also worked in Carlsruhe, Wiesbaden and Lode.
In 1867 he traveled to the U.S. following his three brothers, who had immigrated several years ealier. One brother had been killed in 1863, in the American Civil War.
During his visit, Dietrich met and fell in love with Pauline Wittlinger, a schoolteacher and the daughter of a Delaware, Ohio watchmaker. After working as a watchmaker in St. Louis, Cincinnati and Columbus, Dietrich married Pauline in 1869, moved to Delaware, Ohio, and went to work for her father. Years later, a Gruen advertisement told how "one word from a woman's lips" (Pauline's "yes" to Dietrich's marriage proposal) changed horological history.
Dietrich and Pauline's first son, Frederick G. Gruen, was born in 1872. Fred was to become an important figure in the Gruen story.
The Safety Pinion. Patent 1874.
On June 12, 1874, Dietrich applied for a patent on an improved safety pinion, which was granted on December 22. He was 27 years old. Because this was his first important contribution to horology, in the future the Gruen Watch Company would take 1874 as its founding date.
Although Dietrich Gruen invented the safety pinion as shown in the following drawing, his design was rather crude, but was practical for the watches of his day. His design was greatly improved upon by the American watch companies that adopted various design changes based upon his idea. All watch companies used a design where the safety pinion was located under the center wheel of the watch. This pinion engaged the teeth of the mainspring barrel. These safety pinions were much larger as were the threads they screwed onto improving the watches ability to withstand the breaking of a mainspring.
In later years, alloys for unbreakable mainsprings were developed, but the large and powerful mainsprings used in older pocket watches tended to be brittle and commonly broke. The recoil, caused by the sudden release of the energy stored in the spring, could strip teeth off of wheels and snap pivots, doing tremendous damage to the movement.
The safety pinion, mounted on the shaft which also holds the center wheel, is the interface between the potentially destructive power in the mainspring and the fragile moving parts in the rest of the watch. Dietrich's invention consisted of a simple device which, in the event of mainspring breakage, uncoupled the pinion and allowed it to spin freely without passing the dangerous shock through the shaft to the center wheel and the rest of the mechanism. The pinion itself would not be injured and did not need to be replaced.
In his patent application, Dietrich gave his address as Delaware, Ohio, an indication that he was not yet making watches in Columbus.
For more information about the Gruen Watch Company, be sure to visit this outstanding web site.
