While several curved wristwatches have come and gone over the years, the most famous such timepiece is without a doubt the Gruen Curvex, which was introduced in 1935 and almost single-handedly saw Gruen through the Great Depression.
Thanks to strategic partnerships with Swiss companies like Rolex and movement manufacturer Aegler, Gruen had enjoyed success with its doctor’s watch, the Techni-Quadron (which Rolex marketed as the Prince in Europe and the British Empire). But the brand also earned a reputation for innovation in aesthetics. Throughout the 1920s, Gruen experimented with different movement and watch designs, including the Quadron, which housed a tonneau-shaped movement in a rectangular case.
But after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the U.S. watch industry took a massive hit. Sales of watches went down from five million to only 800,000 a year. Gruen, which was once ranked in the top tier of the watch industry, found itself selling timepieces at lower price points.
By 1934, Gruen was forced to sell off its shares in Aegler and concentrate movement production in its Swiss facility, the Precision Factory, located in Bienne. The next year, investors and stockholders were horrified to find that the company was in debt to the tune of $1.8 million, or $42 million in today’s dollars. The Board of Directors forced Fred Gruen to resign as President of the company his father had founded, and brought in Benjamin S. Katz, president of a New York-based manufacturer of watch cases.
However, despite the economic setbacks and political changeovers, the brand was poised for a comeback — one that came in the form of this watch, the Curvex.
Gruen had actually applied for a patent for a curved movement in 1929 through its Bienne-based agent, Emile Frey — this was granted to Frey in 1932, but assigned to Gruen. Accordingly, the movement designers at the Precision Factory set to work designing what would become a revolutionary watch movement: the Calibre 311.
The Calibre 311 was the world’s first curved wristwatch movement. It became so famous, and such a best-seller, that the name “curvex” became associated with the style of watch. However, since the patent was registered exclusively to Gruen, the only true “curvex” watch from the period is the Curvex.
The Curvex was offered with four different movements. The Calibre 330 was released in 1937; other movements followed throughout the 1930s and 1940s, including the Calibre 440 and the Calibre 370.
This particular Curvex, an older model from circa 1937, is remarkable for its condition. Housed in an yellow gold-fill tonneau case measuring 48mm lug to lug, it features an acrylic crystal and an unsigned gold crown. Best of all, it has been fitted with a NOS gold-tone dial with an outer 'railroad' minute track in black, gold-toned 'Breguet' indices, a sub-seconds display above 6 o'clock, and a set of gold feuille hands. Within the confines of its curved case beats the Calibre 311 — the original curved wristwatch movement — while a black leather strap with a gold pin buckle rounds out the feature set.
Without the Curvex, it’s quite possible that the brand would have gone under much sooner than it did. Fortunately, the sales of the watch — Gruen’s flagship — would bolster the company well into the 1950s, when the model was discontinued. Shortly after, Gruen would sell off the Precision Factory, which was eventually bought by Rolex.
The Curvex occupies a special place in the hearts of many collectors, who appreciate it for its revolutionary design. With its distinctive look, it’s sure to catch glances — and compliments.