1933 Gruen Precision 14K White Gold Watch | Box & Receipt

Exceptional early Gruen Precision Art Deco wristwatch, preserved with an unusually strong group of original period provenance. The watch features a beautifully engraved solid 14K white-gold Gruen Cincinnati case, marked inside: GRUEN • 14K • CINCINNATI • OS68 • Case No. 1214981 It houses a Swiss manual-wind Gruen Precision 15-jewel movement, Movement No. 648752, marked “Four 4 Adj.” The Precision designation represented Gruen's higher-grade movements of the period. The rectangular case has detailed Art Deco engraving around the bezel and sides, blue-steel hands and an aged original-style Gruen Precision dial showing substantial but attractive period patina. The rear of the case is beautifully engraved “G.M. Kushner – 1933,” connecting the watch directly to its documented early history. What makes this example particularly interesting for a collector is the surviving provenance. Included are the period Gruen presentation box, a Robert Simpson Company Limited Toronto sales receipt dated April 29, 1933, bearing the Kushner name and recording the Gruen wristwatch purchase, as well as a separate period T. Eaton Co. bracelet receipt. The current bracelet appears to be a period replacement/addition and has not been tested for metal content. The OS68 case reference appears to be poorly documented today, while neighbouring Gruen OS-series references are associated with the company's late-1920s/early-1930s Cartouche-era watches. I have therefore avoided assigning an exact catalog model that cannot presently be proven. Details: • Gruen Precision • Circa late 1920s / documented ownership in 1933 • Solid 14K white-gold factory Gruen case • Case reference OS68 • Case serial 1214981 • Movement serial 648752 • Swiss manual-wind movement • 15 jewels • Adjusted to four positions • Art Deco engraved rectangular case • Engraved G.M. Kushner / 1933 • Period Gruen box • Original 1933 Robert Simpson Co. purchase receipt • Period Eaton bracelet receipt The watch is being offered as found, preserving its age, patina and historical character. The dial has visible oxidation/patina consistent with a watch approximately 90 years old. No attempt has been made to refinish the dial or polish away the original case detail. Mechanical service history is unknown, so it should be considered due for inspection/service unless otherwise confirmed. A particularly appealing piece for a Gruen, Art Deco, early wristwatch or Canadian retail-history collector, and far more interesting as a complete documented survivor than simply for its 14K gold content. Please review all photographs carefully. Serious collector inquiries welcome.