Gruen Time Magazine

G ru e n T im e M a g a z in e , 1940
FRED
G .
G RU EN
A MESSAGE FROM MR. KATZ
N T H I S , the first issue of ou r house organ,
G -M E N , I w ant to take this opportunity
to con gratu late the editors for their
I
enterprise in launching this new venture.
A t the same time I should like to urge
the entire personnel of the G ruen W atch
C om pany to extend every cooperation to
those responsible for
‘‘I sh a ll stu d y a n d p r e p a r e m y s e lf, a n d so m e
d a y m y c h a n c e w ill c o m e ” . . . L in c o l n
this publication to
assure its success and long life.
All o f us here a t T im e Hill are striving
to achieve the same goal— th e m an u factu re
and sale o f the finest w atches th at the finest
w atchm akers in the world know how to
m ake, and the progress we have m ad e in the
last five years must be a great source of
satisfaction to all o f us.
B e n j . S. K a tz
I know th at we are all anxious to continue
this progress, and to th at end all o f us will
continue to exert our best ability and e x ­
perience and cooperate with each other. In this w ay every consum er and every
jeweler in the United States will appreciate the fact th at ou r w'atch offers the
greatest dolla'r-for-dollar value in the industry from a standpoint o f quality and
style. I t will also be realized th a t ou r main desire is to serve to th e best of our
ability both the consum er and the retail jeweler.
This magazine should be a splendid thing. It will show all of us exactly w hat the
other fellow is doing to make Gruen W atch the superior p roduct th at it is. U n d er­
standing the problems o f each oth er will enable us to cooperate with each other
better than ever before fo r the benefit of the millions o f w earers o f Gruen W atches,
and the thousands o f authorized G ruen Jewelers.
It is m y sincere belief th at with the cooperation o f the entire organization with
the editors of G -M E N , it will increase in value to all of us and we will all anxiously
aw ait the ap p earan ce o f each new issue.
N o. 1
M a r c h , 1940
V o l. 1
W ELC O M E B A C K , M R . K A T Z !
M r K a tz h as spoken about everyone working with each other. H e has
always handled ou r production and has been the guiding genius between
our E u rop ean production and ou r factory. In spite of the unpleasantness
of the situation he did n ot hesitate to m ake this trip to E u rop e because it
was p art o f his job. In this same m an n er we exp ect everybody else to do
his job. O u r hats are off to the best Gruen w orker, and w e are glad to
see him back.
W H Y H AVE A H O U SE O R G A N ?
G -M E N makes its bow to the employees
of T h e Gruen W atch C om pany, T h e
G ruen N ational W a tch Case Com pany,
T h e G ruen W atch C om pany of C an ­
ad a, L td ., and T h e Gruen W atch M an ­
u facturing C om pany with this issue. Its
purpose is to acqu ain t all the employees
w ith general progress being m ad e by
the com p an y as a whole and with vari­
ous happenings in oth er portions o f th e
p lant th a t m ight otherwise escape no­
tice. In oth er words, it is hoped th at this
publication will enable each employee
to be inform ed about w hat is going on
in each and every departm ent.
E a ch m onth G -M E N will bring a mes­
sage from some executive o f th e com ­
pany, w hich should prove o f value to
you in you r work. B u t the publication
is designed fo r each individual. I t is fcfr
th at reason th at th e editors solicit the
cooperation of every m em ber o f the
com p an y and request th at each o f you
submit m aterial from time to tim e for
Y O U R m agazine.
In inaugurating this house organ, we
are doing nothing new. T h e idea was
born in 1865 when th e Travelers P ro ­
tection, published by the T ravelers, of
H artford , C on n ., m ade its first ap p ear­
an ce. I t was so successful th at other
companies began to issue publications,
and today alm ost a thousand o f them
are in existence. These include only pub­
lications w hich are distributed am ong
salesmen, dealers, and retail salespeople,
and prospective buyers o f a p rod u ct or
( C o n t in u e d o n p a g e 11)
COLLEGIATE
WE’LL NEED YO UR HELP
AND WE’ LL PAY FOR IT!
CONTEST TO BE A N N U A L E V E N T
to
Always anxious to improve its efficiency,
the Gruen W a tch C om p an y offers a
m onthly prize o f five dollars fo r the
best suggestion sent in by any employee
as to how his o r h er d ep artm en t ca n be •
improved.
G -M E N will ap p ear on the fifteenth of
Clifford Hallmeyer...............................March
each m onth and all copy m ust be in
Case Company
the hands o f the editor by the first of
Charles C. Loos................................... March
th e m onth. Send your letters with your
Horological
suggestions to the editors right aw ay!
Charles W. Adam...............................March
A nnouncem ent o f the winner and his
Assembler
prize-winning idea will be printed each
George W. Kueffner..........................March
issue in this column.
Asst. Mgr. Production
Kathryn Mulvaney............................ March
Send your idea to L ee Allen, A dver­
Sales Record
tising D ept. C ertainly you must have
Harry
Munninghoff............................ March
some idea of a way in which you r de­
Case Company
partm ent can function better.
John L. Gramann...............................March
Control
T a b lo id F o rm Used In New Gertrude M oellering
March 1
Secretary Messrs. Gruen
G ru en Guide
Marie Becker.........................
:
March 1
Traffic
Presentation o f the Gruen W atch C om ­
Audrey Brookes
March 1
pany’s Spring G raduation cam paign has
Case Company
recently been m ade in the Gruen Guide,
Erwin
T . Riesz
March 1
a neat tabloid newspaper, and has been
Caser
mailed to all Gruen dealers. T h is 32Albert C. Muehlenhard
March 1
page newspaper also explains the vari­
Order & Production
ous dealer help m aterial w hich the
Daniel V. Fogarty
March 1
G ruen C om pany is making available to
Caser
its authorized distributors.
Hazel Krcssel
March 1
T h is season Gruen advertisements will
Order & Production
reach a total o f 102,7 5 0 ,0 0 0 readers,
Thomas P. Nacol
March !
who will again be told “G ifts From
Salesman
Y o u r Jew eler Are Gifts A t T h e ir Best.”
Marian Heskamp
March :
This slogan, devised two years ago to
Standards
d irect the custom er to the jewelery store
Albert Melching
March 1
Case Company
as opposed to oth er outlets o f the trade,
has proved exceptionally effective.
Joseph Neal
March 1
Case
Company
New Gruen signs and displays have
Wilbert G. Kueffner..
March !
also been designed; and th e newspaper
Asst. Mgr. Production
m at service will again be available to
March :
authorized Gruen dealers, including William Norton
Case Company
special “booster” m ats o f individual
watches.
( C o n t in u e d on p a g e 9 )
So pleased w ere officials o f the Gruen
W atch C om pany with th e success of
the collegiate advertising contest th at
M r. T eviah Sachs, V ice President, has
announced th at this contest will be­
com e an annual even t with even m ore
lucrative prizes to be offered.
W inner o f the c o n te st.ju st completed
was R ob ert R oad stru m , a student of
W ayn e University, D etroit, M ich . H e
was presented with a $ 5 0 0 cash scholar­
ship by M r. S. C . Gershey, Midwest
Sales M an ager o f the Gruen Com pany.
A second prize, a $ 2 5 0 cash scholarship,
went to H en ry A . Shull, a student of
N orthwestern University, Evan ston , 111.
Ten oth er students w ere aw arded beau­
tiful V eri-T h in w atches as prizes, and
each professor who had a prize-winner
in his class was given a h a n d s o m e
C urvex w atch.
Contestants w e re a s k e d to s u b m it
sketches o f outdoor posters, advertising
layouts fo r m agazines, o r ideas fo r radio
program s for the Gruen W atch C om ­
pany. Almost eight hundred students
from eighty universities and colleges lo­
cated in thirty-tw o states submitted their
entries.
A t th e M cC an n -E rick son , In c., a rt ex­
hibit gallery, 5 0 R ockefeller Plaza, New
Y ork C ity, these entries w ere posted for
two weeks and studied by the ju ry. In
addition they attracted the attention of
hundreds o f visitors.
T h e ju ry included M yron Everts, Presi­
dent o f the N ational R etail Jewelers’
A ssociation; R oy Dickinson, President
o f P rin ters’ I n k ; C lay M organ , V ice
President o f the N ational Broadcasting
System ; D on H ob art, D irector o f R e­
search fo r th e C urtis Publishing C om ­
p a n y ; Stanford Briggs and Jo h n J .
M cC arth y, Vice Presidents o f M cC an n E rickson, I n c .; and H ow ard Scott,
( C o n t in u e d o n p a g e I I )
Speak /n g o f S pouts
*h S \
T h e intra-m ural bowling schedule of
the Gruen employees continues m errily .
into its second half, and by April 15 the
bowlers will lay their strikes and spares
aside and call it a w inter. As the fol­
lowing table shows, th e C u rvex team is
leading the pack, with a tw o-gam e m ar­
gin over th e V eri-T h in boys.
Phil
Scheider leads the individual score
w ith a gam e average o f 184, and A1
Benzinger is just a step behind with a
179 average.
Team
Won Lost Total Pins Avg.
C u rvex
43
26
54293
786
V eri-T h in .... 41
28
53826
780
Ristside
37
32
52542
761
Precision
35
34
52914
766
C o m et
27
42
51741
749.
V ic to r
25
44
51851
751
An oddity o f the season is th at V ictor,
in last place, holds the record for high
team score o f the season, rolling up a
n atty 927 total. Individual high score
w as m ade by T . Reis, with a spectacu­
lar 256. T h a t’s the stuff, T ed , we’ll
en ter you in the next N ational Bowling
Congress.
Plans are now in form ation fo r the
Gruen W atch C om pany to en ter a soft
ball team in the O h io V alley League.
This group held a m eeting this month
and m ade definite plans fo r draw ing up
a schedule. H ow ever, the plan, as it is
now constituted, is merely in its fo rm a­
tive stage, and m ay undergo several
changes before the team s actually take
the field.
A ccording to Fred J . K ra m e r, Secretary
o f the league, here are the present a r ­
rangem ents. E a ch team is to be assessed
ten dollars and each player is to be
AN
EXECUTIVE
A
assessed two dollars. F ro m this s
$ 1 .2 5 will be set aside fo r a stag p arty
a t the end o f th e season. T h e rem ainder
o f the fund will go to p ay for prizes,
which a re numerous.
T h e winning team will be given a v a l-1
uable trophy, and there will be o th e r1
aw ards to the player having the highest1
b atting average, the p itcher recording
the most strikeouts, the leader in home
runs, triples, doubles, base hits, and the
p itcher allowing the fewest walks. Thej
iatter aw ard is doubtless m ade in order
th a t people m ay leave the park before
daw n. All prizes will consist o f m er­
chandise selected by the league officers.
T h e officers will consist o f three execu­
tives from different companies repre­
sented in the league.
T h e schedule is to consist o f fourteen
gam es, all twilight affairs. T h e ap p rox­
im ate cost to each sponsor will be
around fifty dollars, including balls,
scorers, umpires, and diam ond fees.
It is recalled th a t last season, under
M an ager A1 Benzinger, the Gruen entry
finished fourth in a n eight-club league.
T h is season Benzinger will probably be
a t the helm again, and he is now occu­
pied in selecting a roster. Bill M cK ech nie piloted the R eds from the cellar tc
a pennant in two years, so all A1 has tc
do is to bring us up from fourth !
HAS
PRACTICALLY
N O T H I N G T O DO
. .
iJfui t i s .. E x c e p t
T o decide w hat is to be done . . . to tell somebody to do i t . . . to listen
to reasons why it should n ot be done . . . why it should be done by
somebody else . . . o r why it should be done in a different way . . . to
prepare argum ents in rebuttal th at shall be convincing and conclusive.
T o follow up to see if th e thing has been done . . . to discover th at it
has n ot been done . . .
to inquire why it has n ot been done . . . to
listen to excuses from th e person who should have done it . . . and
did n ot do it . . . to follow up a second time to see if the thing has
been done . . . to discover. T h a t it has been done but done incorrectly
. . . to point ou t how it should h ave been done . . . to conclude th at as
long as it has been done . . . it m ay as well be left as it is. T o wonder
if it is n ot time to get rid o f a person who cann ot do a thing correctly
.. .
to reflect th a t the person in fau lt has a wife and seven children
. . . and th at certainly. N o oth er executive in the world would p ut up
with him fo r another m om ent. And th at . . . in all probability . . . any
successor would be just as b ad . . . and probably worse . . . to consider
how m uch simpler and b etter the thing would have been had he done
it himself . . . he would have been able to do it right. In twenty min­
utes . . . b ut th at as things turned ou t . . . he himself spent two days
trying to find ou t why it was th at it had taken somebody else three
weeks to do it w rong . . . and then realized th at such an idea would
strike a t th e very foundation o f belief o f all employees th at . . .
Assuming th a t the members o f the
Gruen p lant are norm al C incinnati citi­
zens and therefore rabid about the C in ­
cinnati Reds, this column will monthly
run d a ta on the fortunes of Bill M cK echnie’s lads.
T h e R eds are about read y to leave
( C o n t in u e d on p a g e 9 )
AN E X E C U T IV E HAS NOTH IN G T O DO
R eprinted from A dvertising Age
W ELL,
LO O K
AT
T H IS !
E a ch m onth the Gruen W a tch C om ­
pany will aw ard a baseball, autographed
by some prom inent m em ber o f the Cin­
cinnati Reds, autograph to be decided
b y the w inner, to the person submitting
the best article to G -M E N . E a ch issue
will contain the nam e of the person
who submitted the best a rticle, and the
. article, during the past m onth.
This offer is being m ade to inspire
Each month in this column we will list the
everyone a t T im e Hill to send in m ate­
rial fo r G -M E N , and a fte r the baseball
us here at T im e Hill.
season is over, some oth er prize will be
aw arded in place of a n autographed
T h is m onth M r. R . H inz and M r. R .
ball.
H oppe, both o f whom are connected
with the Service D ep artm en t o f the
Elgin N ational W atch C om pany, cam e
to T im e Hill to make a study o f our
m ethods to see if there is any w ay they
could improve their own Service D e­
p artm en t. T h e y had conferences with
M r. Sachs, M r. Wessels, and M r.
M asters, after which M r. M asters
showed them through ou r plant.
M r. Archie S tarch er, representative of
D etor’s, well - known retail jew eler in
far-aw ay H onolulu, H aw aii, was a re ­
cen t guest a t T im e Hill. M r. S tarch er
annually visits the United States to go
through the plants which supply his
store.
GRUEN GIRU PROMOTION OVER
A fter being exhibited in window dis­
plays and newspaper advertisements by
more than three hundred stores through­
out th e country, the Gruen G irl p rom o­
tion has been com pleted. T h is p rom o­
tion featured a dress sponsored by the
G ruen W atch Com pany, one o f six
clients who took p art in th e cam paign.
T h e Gruen G irl was featured in a fullpage advertisement in Y O U on Fe b ­
ru ary 15.
T h e Gruen W atch C om pany has been
nam ed as one of th e companies win­
ning prizes for designing th e year’s best
packages in th e 1939 All-A m erica P ack ­
age C om petition, in an article ap p ear­
ing in M odern Packaging M agazine
this m onth.
T h e aw ard will be presented a t a din­
n er in the W ald orf-A storia, on M arch
2 7 th . M r. H a rry Goldstein, E astern
Sales M an ager, will a ccep t the aw ard.
Sixty prize-winning packages were se­
lected from m ore th an 3 0 ,0 0 0 entries.
T h e contest was lim ited to packages
put on the m ark et in 1939.
I t was th e m oulded package fo r the
Gruen C u rvex th a t won the prizewinning aw ard.
L a te st addition to th e sales force of th
( C o n tin u e d o n p a g e 1 1 )
ODD IN C ID EN T IN V O L V E S
G RU EN W A TCH
G ru en Effects Tie-u p W ith
A nother A ir L in e
Frank T . G arrett, Cincinnati Gruen
Arrangem ents have been com pleted by
jeweler whose store is a t 5 0 4 Broadw ay,
M r. T ev iah Sachs, Vice-President, and
had a n odd experience this m onth when
M r. George E . Bounds, Advertising
a customer, Brice H endrixson, of B ataM an ager o f the C h icago and Southern
via O hio, b rought in a Gruen w atch A ir Lines, In c., so th at G ruen will befor repair.
com e an official tim epiece of th at line.
G arrett noticed th at the w atch was E a ch hostess will w ear a professional
engraved with the nam e, ‘T h om as L ee’. V eri-Th in w atch with a sweep second
“T h a t’s odd,” he told Hendrixson. hand, and Gruen will be advertised in
“I knew a ‘T h o m as L ee’ years ago in the passenger kits supplied to each
France, during th e first W orld W ar. In
traveler.
fact, I was w orking on a sterilizing m aGruen w atches a re now the official timechine in a hospital a t L e M ans, F ra n c e , pieces o f th ree im p ortan t air lines, the
when L ee died. H is leg had just been oth er two being the C an ad ian Colonial
am putated and a hospital sergeant A ir Lines and the Continental Air
handed m e the leg to burn in th e steril- Lines.
izer. I w onder if this could be th e____________ _____________________
”
“ low.”
,
•It', the same guy, H endnxsou replied, "in fa ct, I m the hospital tergeau
who handed you the leg. L ee and I
w ere old buddies. Fiv e minutes after
the am putation, he knew he was going
to d ie and gave m e the w atch, his most
cherished possession. 1 ve kept it ever
since ”
W atch the- April isuie o f G -M E N for
you and your job.
The
^
a
m
frQm M r T e v k h S ach
an
„
^
Seculi
m d „ne
^
^
ard d e
>ul)mitted b a G m e n
,
will bo
.
.
appreciated.
,
This strange meeting between G arrett
and Hendrixson was the start o f a
friendship th at m ight have begun m ore
than twenty years before.
H A P P Y B IR T H D A Y T O Y O U
( C „ „ t in u e d
fr o m p a g e 4 )
'
S P E A K IN G O F S P O R T S
( C o n tin u e d fr o m p a g e 6 )
their T a m p a proving grounds and start
the northw ard trek th a t will prep are
them for the curtain-raiser against
Gabby H artn ett’s C h icago Cubs on
£ P nI 161 he Reds are anxious to win the pennant again this season and thus become
the first N ational L eagu e team to cop
the bunting twice in succession since the
Wm. Leroy Harlow
Stock
John T. Kemme
Night Porter
Grace Ritchey
Control
william Buck
Traffic
g c . Brunst, Jr
Sales Dept.
H
Goldstein
Eastern Sales Mgr.
1936
a^0d ^ 37.
7 GiantS tUmed ^
‘ Jo o and
Antho">'
Torin°
Case Company
^
‘n
March 23
March 23
March 24
March 26
March 30
March 30
March 31
H A V E A H O U SE O RGAN?
( C o n t in u e d fr o m p a g e 3 )
HOW W ATCHES A R E NAMED
by
J. E. W ESSELS,
Assistant Sales M an ager
W atch es are not nam ed haphazardly, b ut each model is presented with its name
after m uch deliberation. T h e re is as m uch care taken with the nam ing o f watches
as there is with the nam ing o f thoroughbred race horses.
T h e first obstacle to overcom e in nam ing a w atch is to avoid using the same desig­
nation th at other w atch companies have used. T h e re is, n aturally, a g re a t deal of
d uplication, b ut recently th ere has been a gentlem an’s agreem ent to avoid using
an y nam e th at has previously been used b y another firm, with th e result th at the
situation has been greatly improved.
T h ere is a close relationship between the n am e and th e price o f a w atch. I t would
obviously be ridiculous to design a fine diamond w atch and then nam e it the
C lip p e r , just as it would be equally ridiculous to nam e ou r cheapest model the
M a h a r a ja h .
T h ere is also a relationship between th e nam e and th e style o f a w atch .
For
exam ple, in nam ing ou r V eri-T h in w atches, w e tried to select names th a t typified
slimness and g race. Notable examples are the A rro w , the C o m e t , the M ercu ry ,
and the W isp.
T h e C u rvex line has been nam ed with an eye to regal things, so they carry such
names as the C o u n te ss, th e D u ch es s, the D u k e , and the E m p e r o r .
Another facto r is the fa c t th a t since w atches are a quality p roduct, their names
should suggest smartness. T h a t accounts fo r names such as the M o d e r n e , the
B ilt m o r e , the R h a p s o d y , and the N e w Y o rk er.
M an y o f ou r most expensive diamond platinum w atches are nam ed afte r famous
resorts, such as the L i d o , the B ia rritz, the M o ritz , and the N a ra g a n s ett.
W atch companies are always alert to names prom inent in th e news, w hich give:
them additional names fo r the models. T h is has often had amusing results, as
com panies have raced to obtain title to a nam e.
Some companies p refer n ot to nam e th eir w atches, and designate them merely by
numbers. Bu t an ap p rop riate nam e fo r a w atch is m ore easily remembered by
both customers and jewelers.
service. T h e total is swelled to even
greater dimensions when it includes
publications issued solely fo r plant
workers and employees.
By starting this m agazine, we hope to
add to your pleasure and to your
knowledge o f th e business. W e can
merge these two goals, because instruc­
tion, properly presented, is in itself
pleasurable.
From time to tim e in these pages you
may read articles about phases o f the
business other than your own. In addi­
tion you will read about m erchandising
and advertising. Also, the policies o f the
com pany will be interpreted.
It is a generally accep ted fa c t th at the
more a person learns about his work,
the m ore he enjoys it. T h is is easy to
understand. I f a m an is a t all p ractical,
his job is the m ost im p ortan t thing in
his life. B y tru ly understanding his job
and the jobs o f others in his business
h e is able to take pride in his com pany’s
achievements.
F o r that reason, we will in this publica­
tion endeavor to limit ou r com m ent to
things which will help you learn more
about th e Gruen W a tch Com pany and
your relation to it. U ndoubtedly you
have noticed house organs o f a different
n ature: ones which w ere filled with
jokes and irrelevant comments about
most everything e xcep t th e business at
hand. In the m ain, these are the publi­
cations which suffer an early demise. A
good house organ is one which is pri­
marily for instruction and which leaves
hum or to the professional humorists.
This does n ot a t all m ean th at G -M E N
wiH be a collection o f sermons. As we
explained in the first p aragraph , this
magazine is designed fo r pleasure and
instruction.
T o enable us to make this publication
he finest one o f its kind, please feel free
write us letters o f suggestion and criteism m addition to ideas for articles.
C O L L E G IA T E C O N T E S T
( C o n t in u e d f r o m p a g e 5 )
w ho designed th e outdoor poster used
b y the Gruen W atch C om pany during
the last Christmas season.
Before the contest began, M r. Sachs
w rote letters to professors throughout
th e country asking their reaction to the
staging o f such a contest. T h eir replies
w ere so favorable and enthusiastic th at
the contest was undertaken immediately.
Everythin g is done with thinking and
reason. T h e purpose o f sponsoring these
contests each year is to p lant in the
minds of young m en and women about
to enter the business world a knowledge
o f Gruen and also a desire to own a
G ruen w atch.
T IM E H I L L T O P IC S
( C o n t in u e d f r o m p a g e 8 )
Gruen C om pany is Si Mosesohn, serv­
ing in New Y o rk State. A native of
R ochester, M r. Mosesohn has spent the
past eleven years with the G ermanow Simon C om pany, and in th at cohnection traveled throughout the entire
country as their representative.
Robbers who smashed the store win­
dow o f M arcu s & Goldner, Nashville,
Tennessee, retail jewelers, demonstrated
th at they knew quality when they saw
it. Although timepieces o f m an y makes
w ere displayed th ere, the robbers con ­
fined their loot to eight handsome
G R U E N S . L a te r the w atches w ere re­
covered.
M r. T o m Je a ry has just returned from
a visit to T o ron to, w here he audited the
books o f the Gruen W atch C om pany of
C an ad a, L td ., o f which he is auditor.
W e’re
in Business
fo r your Wealth!
C
O
N
T
E
N
T S
Objectives, And How We
Achieve Them ....................................... 2
Do You Want to Win a CUrvex?........... 3
Our Offer Still Stands............................... 3
We’ve Got Your Help............................... 4
Happy Birthday To You.......................... 4
This Modern Education!.......................... 4
How Social Security Helps You............. 5
Speaking of Sports..................................... 6
Coast Jeweler Features Gruen............... 7
Look Who’s Here!
....................
8
Table Tennis Tournament
Now Being Held..................................... 8
See Time Hill With Us............................ 8
• We’re mnni ; a business, not a picnic. But basic
a realization, here at Gruen, that
to that business
Hill. That’s why we offer such a stack of fine, pre-
the more we help you prosper, the more we'll prosper
Gruen watches you can sell at a profit
ourselves. The i
’em all! Go ahead . . . hurry up and get rich selling
•n watches it« can sell here at Time
J
‘:
1
dealer sales helps . . . and why we urge you now
Watch For These Ads.............................. 8
Again Gruen Leads the Field................. 9
Gruens. We’re all for you! The Gruen Watch Company,
Time Hill. Cincinnati, Ohio. In Canada, Toronto,
E PRECISION M
A PRIL, 1940
OBJECTIVES,
AND
HOW
WE
ACHIEVE
THEM
B y T e v ia h S a c h s , V ic e P resid e n t
I t is a generally acknowledged axiom o f the
business world th at th e retailer can, in most
instances, sell an y p roduct th at he desires
to sell. F o r th at reason ou r chief job here
is to arouse the desire o f ou r dealers to sell
G ruen w atches as their preference. And the
best w ay in which w e ca n create such a
“ T r u t h is g e n e r a lly t h e best v in d ic a ­
t io n ag ain st s la n d er .” — L i n c o l n
desire is by giving the dealer a good reason
Vol. 1
why he should sell Gruen watches.
A p r il ,
1940
N o. 2
First o f all th ere a re ou r salesmen who solicit
th e orders. T h eir job is to faithfully inter­
pret the policy o f the G ruen W atch C om ­
p an y so th at th e jeweler will feel and say,
D O Y O U W A N T T O W IN A C U R Y E X ?
G -M E N is only a ten tative title for o u r house organ. T h e consensus of
opinion is th a t a m uch m ore suitable nam e could be found. F o r th at
“G ruen is a nice firm to do business w ith.”
W e insist on this good representation a t the
point o f con tact.
reason w e a re offering a handsome C u rvex, either a m an ’s o r lady’s
A fter the salesman h as taken the order, th e m aintenance o f ou r policy rests with
style as th e w inner prefers, to the person who submits th e best nam e for
ou r house organ. E ven if the nam e sum bitted is n ot used, w e will still
people the custom er never sees; th a t is, all o f us who work a t T im e Hill. W e make
“ the finest w atches th at the finest w atchm akers in th e world know how to make.” l
F ro m their inception they are designed to give m axim um service to the ultim ate I
aw ard th e C u rve x to th e best nam e an employee submits before the
n ext issue.
Ju st drop a piece o f paper with the title you like best into one o f the
three -suggestion boxes th at we have placed here a t T im e H ill; one at
each tim e clock.
consumer. L on g life, accu ra cy, quality, and styling are the chief considerations.
F ro m the tim e the m ovements arrive here, they g e t p referred attention. E ven the
custom house employees are aw are o f ou r good reputation, because we a re as
Please submit you r titles just as soon as possible, so th at the n ext
issue o f the house organ can b ear its new title and so th at your C urvex
m ay be aw arded prom ptly.
considerate o f them as we are o f ou r dealers. A fter the movem ents arrive here,
each one who unpacks the boxes or keeps th e reserve shelf clean is doing his p art
to fu rth er ou r reputation.
Visitors a t T im e Hill h ave often rem arked th at “ it is as nice inside as it is
beautiful outside.” I believe th at this should be stated the oth er w ay aroun d , “as
O U R O F F E R S T IL L STA N D S
beautiful outside as it is nice inside.”
W e are all fam iliar with th e routine in filling orders and how all th e departm ents
coop erate to insure efficiency. T h e credit d ep artm en t approaches the dealer with
the sam e consideration as does th e salesman. T h e Case C om p an y also adds its)
effort to establish ou r prestige. A nd the service d ep artm en t is the pride o f the
plant. Customers have often remarked on how m u ch better they a re treated by
ou r service departm ent th an by similar departm ents o f oth er firms. T h e adver-j
( C o n t in u e d o n p a g e 1 1 )
W e have a nice shiny b atch o f N ational L eagu e baseballs autographed by
-
- nent m embers o f the Cincinnati Reds fo r the best articles submitted to
-M E N by Gruen employees each m onth. So fa r w e have n ot received an y
contributions. Bu t now th at there is a suggestion b ox placed a t each tim e clock
1 " i ll be easy fo r everyone to get his article to o u r atten tion . Employees who
le not located a t T im e Hill should send their articles o f interest to L ee Allen,
° r o f G -M E N , here a t T im e Hill.
A P R IL , 1940
HOW
W E ’V E G O T Y O U R H E L P
AND W E PA ID F O R IT
$5 goes to E d H eckerm an, o f the O rder
D ep artm en t, for th e best suggestion sub­
mitted to G -M E N this m onth. H ere is
M r. H eckerm an’s suggestion:
“ In order to help the advertisem ent of
ou r w atches, it m ight give people a
chan ce to get better acquainted with
th e names o f our models if the nam e
of each model was included on the
price m arker.”
T h ere a re several draw backs to M r.
H eckerm an’s suggestion. W e a re trying
to impress th e consum er with th e name
G R U E N first o f all, and then impress
them with the C U R V E X and V E R IT H I N lines. T h e names o f individual
models often change. Sometimes a w atch
in one p rice b racket will b ear a n am e
th at form erly was a w atch in another
price bracket. T o enable th e consumer
to learn all the names o f ou r models
would be virtually impossible.
H ow ever, M r. H eckerm an’s suggestion
was th e best one o f the m onth. Don’t
forget. $5 will be aw arded each month to
th e best suggestion as to how you r de­
p artm en t can be m ade m ore efficient.
Ju st drop you r ideas into an y o f the
th ree suggestion boxes a t T im e Hill.
“ T h is M odern E d u cation ”
W h en th e students from the Greenhills
Public School w ere being taken through
the plant this m onth by E d Brunst, J r .,
th e latter paused in front of the clock
in th e m ain lobby and said, “N ow see.
. I t is just ten o’clock. T h a t means that
it is only seven o’clock on the Pacific
C oast and people a re just getting up.”
“N ot m y uncle,” piped up one o f the
children, “ H e’s a night owl.”
Ju st w hat reply M r. Brunst was able to
m ake has n ot been revealed, b ut we
assume he was m om entarily stymied.
SOCIAL
SECURITY
HELPS
YOU
WftMTHDAy
V
TO
M V : \ y o u/
Viola Dorothy Leonard........................April 3 I
Control
Gregory Baumann................................. April 3
Case Company
Harry Borntrager...................................April 4
Accessory
Michael Hockstok.................................April 5
Case Company
Donald S. Hall..................................... April 5
Dealer Service Manager
Henry Doepke, J r .................. ...............April 9
Watchmaker
Charles Bernhard................................... April 14
Watchmaker
George J. Shay......................................April 14
Watchmaker
Fred G. Gruen........................................April 15
Chairman of the Board
Benjamin S. Katz.................................April 15
President
Harry G. Skiff........................................April 15
Traffic
James Andrews..................................... April 19
Accessory
Dale W. Miers........................................April 20
Case Company
Hyman Cornblatt.................................April 21
Watchmaker, New York Office
Mary Crone
............................. April 21
Order & Production
John Chaney |................................... April 24
Case Company
Alice Daugherty................................... April 24
Case Company
Frank G. Schneider...............................April 25
Watchmaker
Wilburn Catron..................................... April 27
Assembler
Joseph Vonderhaar...............................April 27
Case Company
Mary Barrett..........................................April 30
Secretary
B y F red D ix o n , Ass’t C r e d it M a n a g e r
T h e Social Security A ct o f 1935 grew
ou t o f the changes and complexities in
the modern w ay o f life. F o r the most
p art th e kind o f protection offered un­
d er the plan is accepted as a necessary
desirable function o f th e governm ent
T h e new forms o f protection and prob­
ably the m ost im p ortan t for the great
bulk o f us a re the old age and survivors
benefits which becam e available on the
first o f the year. M on th ly old age
benefits are now being paid to insured
by most o f ou r people. I t is now be­
lieved th a t security fo r th e great bulk
o f the people ca n n o longer be a hom e­
w age earners afte r they reach the age
o f 6 5 and stop work, to th eir wives at
the same age, and to their young
m ade product. T h e entire resources of
the country a re now called upon to
provide some m easure o f p rotection fo r
the millions o f people who a rc unable
children. Similar m onthly payments are
provided fo r the young children, widows,
or dependents o f qualified workers who
die either before o r after retirem ent age.
Revisions o f th e plan m ade on Jan u ary
to m eet the burdens o f unemployment,
physical disability, or the lack o f earn ­
ing power o f old age.
Several parts o f the A ct deal with groups
of people whose troubles w e have re c ­
ognized fo r m any years. These provi­
sions consider th e people who are too
young, too old, too ill, o r too physically
handicapped. O th e r provisions recognize
the risk o f sickness and provide aid to
the states to help th em give service for
the health o f m others and children and
to strengthen and extend public health
services. I t provides, in cooperation with
the states, unem ploym ent compensation
as a protection to workers who find their
means o f livelihood gone in times o f
econom ic depression. T h e money fo r
these purposes comes from taxes paid by
both em ployer and em ployee. T h e rate
paid by each is based on wages earned
UP to $ 3 ,0 0 0 fo r each em ployee, one
Per cen t through 1942, two p er cent
from 1943 to 1 9 4 6 , and three p er cent
thereafter.
1, 1940 provide th at a worker is en­
titled to m onthly benefits fo r th e rest
o f his life afte r he reaches th e age of
6 5 , provided he h as been employed in
a covered occupation fo r one-half of
the calen d ar quarters w hich h ave elapsed
since Jan u a ry 1, 1937, up to th e date of
his retirem ent. H e must h ave earned a
m inim um o f $ 5 0 in an y one calendar
q u arter to be counted as covered em ­
ploym ent, and to be fully insured he
m ust h ave a minim um o f six quarters
o f coverage. A fter a worker has forty
quarters o f coverage, h e is fully insured
fo r life, regardless o f w hether he is en­
gaged in covered employment there­
after.
In order to be eligible fo r m onthly
benefits a w age earn er must m eet four
requirem ents: ( a ) H e must be a t least
6 5 years old, (b ) H e m ust file an appli­
cation a t th e nearest Social Security of­
fice for benefits, ( c ) H e m ust be fully
( C o n t in u e d o n p a g e 1 0 )
A P R IL , 1940
COAST
Speak /n g
7
"W
(¥
A .JT *
'■#$
y S x
W ith only one m ore round remaining
in the intra-m ural bowling tournam ent,
th e C u rvex team still leads th e VeriT h in aggregation. But their slender lead
has now been whittled down to one full
gam e, as the following standings will
show:
T ota l
P in s A v era g e
T eam
W on L ost
66305
66157
64767
64600
63747
63025
FEATURES
GRUEN
% y\
tn s > '
//'7 ..
A1 Benzinger, m an ager o f the Gruen en­
try in the O h io Valley Softball L eague
has devised a plan w hereby he will kill
two birds with one stone. Instead of
playing a league gam e one night and
holding a p ractice session th e n ext, as
was the custom last sum m er, A1 has a r­
ranged fo r an en tran ce into two leagues,
thus improving th e quantity if n ot the
quality o f T im e Hill softball.
T h e M t. Auburn C ivic L eagu e h as a d ­
m itted the G ruen team to its ranks, with
gam es to be played W ednesday of one
week and Frid ay o f th e following week,
this p rogram to continue all season. All
gam es in th e M t. A uburn C ivic League
will g e t under w ay a t 6 : 3 0 a t D eer
Creek N o. 3. T h e O hio Valley L eagu e
gam es will be played each Thursday.
A1 h as worked h ard in order to line up
an appropriate schedule fo r ou r softballers and deserves a great deal of
credit. I t is hoped th a t increasing the
n um ber o f gam es will also increase the
interest shown by the players.
C u rvex
53
V eri-T h in 52
Precision 45
Ristside 43
V icto r
35
C om et
34
JEW ELER
o f S popts
789
787
771
769
758
750
T h e Gruen bowling team , traveled to
T o led o last weew to com pete in the
annual tou rn am en t o f th e O h io State
Bowling Association. M an ager A1 Ben­
zinger, Fred Ebel, F ra n k Fellens, Oval
Payne, and Jo e Fellens m ad e up the
squad, and A1 Sw ift w ent along as sort
o f an advisor and chaperone. T h e five
m en accoun ted for a total o f 2 6 8 5 pins,
n ot a bad record when it is considered
th at the bowling was done on unfa­
m iliar aleys.
H igh score w as m ad e by Jo e Fellens,
who tallied a nifty 2 1 1 in his second
gam e, while A1 Benzinger scored a neat
2 0 3 in his first encounter. These w ere
th e only boys able to top 200.
T h e opening gam e a t Crosley Field,
T u esd ay, was the m ost satisfactory open­
ing gam e from a Cincinnati point of
view since 1 9 3 2 , when th e Reds also de­
feated th e Cubs. T h e jam m ed grand ­
stand testified once again th a t Cincin­
nati is indeed th e best baseball city in
the nation. U p in Boston the Bees took
the field and w ere greeted by 3 ,5 0 0
fans, w hich is h ard ly a multitude.
T h ro u gh o ut the m ajor leagues it was a
g reat d ay for baseball’s great pitchers.
Paul D erringer, classiest m oundsman in
the N ational L eagu e, demonstrated
once m ore his superiority over the Cubs;
L e fty Grove, who is getting to be almost
legendary, cam e up with a tw o-h itter;
and Bob Feller, m ost sensational of
baseball’s hurlers, achieved im m ortality
with his no-hitter. I t was a well-de­
served victory fo r R apid R ob ert, who
held his foes to a single h it on three]
previous occasions.
Above is shown the Veri-Thin display used this month in the store of LeRoy’s Jewelers,
Los Angeles, California. This was run in connection with their campaign on pink watches.
Every man in the store wore a ribbon with a sales message on it pinned to his lapel, and on
top of this was fastened a pink watch, every salesman featuring a different modfl. We are
indebted to Aaron Thorne, W^st Coast Sales Manager, for this picture.
Jo hn J . M cC a rth y , Vice-President of
M cCann-Erickson, In c ., was a visitor to
T im e Hill recently to discuss advertising
plans fo r the Fa ll w ith M r. K atz and
M r. Sachs. M r. M cC arth y, w ho is well
known to m any o f you here, makes his
office in New Y ork .
Gruen w atches a re
to
be
presented
again this y e a r to winners in the an­
nual All-Am erican Soap B o x D erby,
sponsored by th e C h icago H erald. American.
W A T C H F O R T H E S E ADS
Fiv e advertisements w hich will appear
in national magazines have been sched­
uled by the G ruen W atch C om pany for
M ay. W atch fo r them on th e news­
stands. T h e com plete list follows:
S aturday E v e n i n g Post, M ay 4 (on
newsstands M ay 1)
Esquire (Ju n e issue — on n e w s s ta n d s
M ay 15)
S aturday E v e n i n g Post, M ay 25 (on
newsstands M ay 22)
Liberty, Ju n e 1 (on newsstands M ay 22)
L ife, Ju n e 3 (on newsstands M a y 31)
A P R IL , 1940
AGAIN G RU EN L E A D S T H E F IE L D
T a b le T e n n is T o u rn a m e n t
Now B e in g Held
Em ployees a re cordially urged to en ter
the ping pong tournam ent, w hich is to
be staged a t the latter p a rt of this week.
All m atches will be played a t the lunch­
room in th e third floor.
' Suitable prizes will be aw arded in both
singles and doubles, and th ere is still
E ach m onth in this column w e will list the
tim e to file you r entry. T h is is the first
visitors who from tim e to time drop tn on
tou rn am en t o f its kind to be held here,
us here at T im e Hill.
a nd if it proves popular, as is expected,
D r. Kinw ald o f the L oren z D iam ond
C o., S an ta A n a, C alifornia, was here on
M arch 13 to purchase his “ bill of
goods” fo r his new store, the M ayo r
Jew elry C om pany o f Burbank, C ali­
fornia.
O n M arch 28 a group o f 5 0 chil­
dren from the Greenhills Public School
w ere a t T im e Hill and w ere escorted
it will be duplicated la te r in th e year.
R eco rd you r en try with either George
G ruen, J r ., E d Brunst, J r ., o r Albert
Benzinger.
S ee T im e H ill W ith Us
W e’r e p roud o f ou r plant, and we want
you to be. I f you have an y friends or
relatives w ho would like to see T im e
through th e plant.
H ill, bring th em around and we’ll be
glad to escort them through the plant.
O r if you r work prevents you from see­
M r. Stan Sm ith, ou r custom er from
ing th e p lant in action, we’ll see that
you a re taken on a tou r too.
M an k ato, M innesota, was a t T im e Hill
on M arch 19 to see the p lant and con ­
fer with the Sales and C red it D ep art­
O u r sales representative, M r. T o m
N aco l, visited T im e Hill fo r a few days
M r. F ran k D em m er, who was form erly
this m onth and h as now resumed his
travels in K entucky and Tennessee. M r.
Irv in g U rd an g , ou r m aterial represen­
week and told us he is going into busi­
ness fo r himself a t D ayton , O hio. I’m
sure his host o f friends here wish him
well in his new venture. H e has just
been appointed an authorized Gruen
dealer.
W atch C om pany, accepting a plaque from C harles A. Breskin, publisher of
M O D E R N P A C K A G IN G . T h is aw ard was won by Gruen in the annual com peti­
tion fo r th e best package designs o f the year.
It w as the m oulded C u rvex b o x th at won th e h onor for G ruen, first prize in the
plastic division. M ore than 3 0 ,0 0 0 entries w ere submitted in 6 0 classifications. T h e
ment.
employed h ere in ou r service d ep art­
m en t and who is a b roth er of H ans
D em m er, who is now in th e sam e de­
partm en t, stopped here fo r a visit last
Above (rig h t) w e see H arry Goldstein, E astern Sales M an ager o f the Gruen
presentation was m ade a t the H otel W ald orf-A storia, New York
tative, w as also here fo r a d ay o r so
before making the long trek to the P aci­
T h e A pril issue o f Jew elers-Circular
fic Coast.
collegiate advertising contest the Gruen
W atch C om pany recently s p o n s o r e d ,
with pictures. Reprints have been m ade
° f this and have been m ailed ou t to the
In the G -M E N fo r M a y th ere will be
an article on hospitalization, as well as
the concluding article by M r. Fred
D ixon on Social Security.
C ity , on
M arch 27.
Map For Visitors
Keystone devotes a n entire page to the
students and professors throughout the
country and to the trade.
T h e Gruen W atch C om pany has pre­
pared a m ap o f C incinnati, showing
the chief items o f interest throughout
th e city, w hich is available to all visitors
a t T im e H ill. Included in it is a brief
history o f the G ruen W atch Com pany.
A P R IL , 1940
HOW
O B J E C T I V E S , AN D H O W
S O C IA L S E C U R I T Y H E L P S Y O U
( C o n t in u e d fr o m p a g e 5 )
o f th e benefit to w hich th e w age earn er
himself would be entitled as of the date
of his death. E a ch dependent child of
such a w age e arn er would also be en­
titled to m onthly benefits equal to oneIn addition, a worker’s wife is also
h alf o f th e wage earner’s p rim ary bene­
entitled to benefits when she becomes
fits and such m onthly paym ents would
6 5. Th ese are equal to one-half the
be available until th e children reached
w age earn er’s own benefits. Children
the age o f 16, o r 18 if they remain in
are also entitled to benefits equal to oneschool. Survivors’ benefits are also avail­
they are 16, o r 18 if they rem ain in
able under certain conditions to aged
h alf the fath er’s benefit up to th e time
parents fo r whom th e deceased wage
school.
e arn er has been th e sole support.
M on th ly benefits to a widow under the
T h e re are m axim u m and minimum
age o f 6 5 cease when h er dependent
standards governing th e am oun t o f in­
com e w hich m ay be received by any­ children reach the age o f 16 o r 18.
H ow ever, the. widow is again entitled
one fam ily. T h e total o f all monthly
to m onthly benefits when she reaches
benefits payable with respect to an indi­
th e age of 6 5 , provided she has n ot in
vidual worker’s w age m ay n ot exceed
( a ) $ 8 5 , (b ) Tw ice the w age earn er’s th e m eantim e re-m arried.
p rim ary benefit, o r ( c ) 8 0 % o f the
Survivors’ benefits a re o f considerable
w age earn er’s average m onthly wage.
im portance from now on to all wage
O f these th ree figures, whichever
earners in covered employment. T h e y
am oun t is smallest will be taken.
and their families should understand
the plan in order th at they m a y prop­
These upper limits do n o t apply to
erly file th eir claims and take advan­
benefits totaling $ 2 0 or less, n or do they
tage o f the p rotection when circum operate to reduce the benefits below $20.
stances
entitle th em to do so.
T h e minim um m onthly benefit which
insured, as previously outlined, and (d )
H e must stop w ork in an y employment
covered by the plan under w hich he
would earn $15 or m ore m onthly.
will be paid to an y w age e arn er will
n ot be less th an $ 1 0 a m onth. T h e
minim um m onthly benefit payable to a
w age earn er o f 65 will be $ 1 5 , plus $5
fo r each child up to th e age of 16, or
18 if such children rem ain in school.
P A R T II
T h e im p ortan t insurance featu re o f the
Social Security Plan for younger wage
earners is th e benefits available upon
th eir death to their widows having de­
p endent children. A widow o f a fully
insured w age earner, regardless of her
age, is entitled to m onthly benefits be­
ginning im m ediately upon the death of
th e w age earn er provided she has in
h er care children under the ages o f 16,
or 18 if they are in school. H e r benefits
are figured on the basis of three-fourths
Should a w age earn er die before reach ing th e age o f 6 5 , leaving a widow o r
dependent parents w ith no m inor children, such a widow o r dependent p a rents, a re entitled to a lum p sum pay­
m en t equivalent to six times th e monthly
p rim ary benefits to which th e wage
e arn er would be entitled a t the time of
his death. In the even t th a t the de­
ceased w age earn er leaves no surviving
w idow, m inor children, o r dependent
parents, w hoever pays th e burial expenses m ay be repaid under th e plan
up to a n am ount equal to six times the
w orker’s p rim ary benefit .upon presen­
tation o f evidence th a t such expenses
h ave been incurred.
M r. D ix o n w ill c o n c lu d e h is a r tic le o n
S o c ia l S e c u rity in n e x t issu e.
W E A C H IE V E T H E M
( C o n t in u e d f r o m p a g e 2 )
tising d ep artm en t has also been most cooperative.
Th o se engaged in tagging,
boxing, shipping, and packaging all aid th e production too.
As a result o f all this, it is possible fo r us to supply m axim um quality even when
there is a large flow o f business. New m ovem ents, new designs in cases, and new
advertising m ethods have all m erited th e approval th at th e industry has n ot been
slow to gra n t us.
A fter all, m y experience here is short, and a t first it was difficult. E a c h year since
1935 I ca n see ou r p rod u ct has gained m ore fav or in the jew elry store, and now
we possess a favored spot in these stores because of ou r policy. Gruen is now by
far the leader in the popular priced field with retail w atch salesmen, and every­
one a t T im e Hill contributes to this.
T h e responsibility for the direction o f o u r affairs rests, o f course, with a few , but
it is the cooperation o f all th at h as enabled us to flourish.
1
W e have n o tim e fo r shirkers o r trouble-makers. W e have one end to accomplish,
and we will n ot let anything interfere with th at end. T h e inefficient ones have
j
been eliminated and we will make every effort to keep th e m axim um o f efficiency.
E very one of us is on a p robationary period the first six months he is here, and
j
;
•
I
we will wefit th at length of time to pass judgm ent. Those people we do n ot w ant,
certainly you do n o t w an t, and w e will n o t have.
Thus, as we increase ou r com petence, we hope th at ou r friends, ou r neighbors,
and all of us here will hold fo r th e G ruen W a tch C om pany the same esteem in
[
which the jew eler regards us.
:
'
in making G ruen th e outstanding w atch in the industry. I t h as been shown how
In conclusion, each one o f us, no m a tter w hat job w e do, plays an im p ortan t p art
we have secured th at reputation with everyone with whom we h ave com e in
con tact.
So, as long as we rem em ber th at w hat we do is a facto r in perfecting
° u r entire policy, w e shall be assured o f even improving ou r record in th e future.
T h e events o f th e past years h ave indeed been heartening, b ut we a re n ot stand­
ing still, and in the years to com e w e m ust m ake an even m ore adm irable record.
There must be an
E A S IE R WAY
to do it!
P age
Meet Henri Thiebaud.............................. 2
“Gruen Time” Is Our New Title
3
Autographed Balls Awarded................... 3
Gruen Clock Here After
Long Voyage...................................
4
Happy Birthday to You.......................... 4
Air Stewardesses Get Gruens................. 5
Speaking of Sports................................... 6
Gruen Ads Win Eastman Award
7
Time Hill Topics........................................ 8
Prize Winning Idea Sent
in by Art Ruscher................................. 8
How Social Security Helps You, I I
9
Gruen Sponsors Soapbox Derby
10
Gruen Adopts New Working Schedule.. 10
• Of course, you can attract customers with a “ Little
more business . . . and that’s just what they do! Get your
Egypt” floor show, and you can hold them with a butter­ share of this new business—increase your sales of the
fly net—but a much better way is to use Gruen’s pre­ greatest line of watches in America—use all these Gruen
tested dealer sales helps in your community. These dealer
sales helps, beginning now! The Gruen Watch Company.
helps are tried and true—they’re designed to bring you
Time Hill, Cincinnati, O., U.S.A. In Canada, Toronto, Ont.
Gruen Clocks at the World Fairs
10
Gruen Watches at Cleveland Exhibit.. 11
Gruen Clock Placed at Crosley Field.. 11
PRECISION
M AY,
1910
MEET
HENRI
THIEBAUD
D ir e c t o r G e n e r a l, G ru e n W a t c h M fg . C o ., B iel, S w itzerland .
H enri T h ieb au d, in charge o f production a t
th e Gruen W a tch C om p an y p lant a t Biel,
Sw itzerland, is internationally fam ed as the
inventor of th e C u rvex and V eri-T h in, but
"•SHT— ^
he has exhibited his genius in m an y other
ways since his birth on Septem ber 18, 1906,
u s h a v e f a it h t h a t rig h t m a k e s m ig h t ;
n th a t f a it h le t u s t o t h e e n d , d a r e to
r d u ty a s w e u n d ersta n d it .”— L in c o l n .
a t S aint Im ier.
Descended from an old and distinguished
w atch fam ily, his grand fath er w as m an ager
o f the w atch facto ry Courvoisier, supplier
o f the Russian imperial cou rt, and his father
was forem an a t th e Longines w atch factory,
after w hich he was associated with his two
brothers in the m an u factu re of timepieces.
T h ieb au d w as educated a t Chaux-de-fonds,
and later a t th e C antonal Tecknikum . H e
HENRI TH IEBAUD
left w ith a diplom a of technician and as
possessor of first prize a t the O bservatory of
N euchatel. In his youth he w as a great athlete and was Swiss cham pion in the •
cross-country ru n , an honor he achieved during the international Boy S co u t jam ­
M ay , 1940
“ G RU EN T IM E " I S O U R N EW T IT L E
“Gruen T im e” h as been selected as the p erm anent title o f ou r house organ, and
starting w ith the Ju ly issue th at nam e will ap p ear on th e cover. T h is title was
one o f one hundred and eleven titles th at w ere submitted in the recen t title contest.
Frank D eN om a, Billing D ep artm en t, is th e m an who suggested th e nam e,
“Gruen T im e,” and he is to be presented with a handsome Gruen C u rvex, as
boree a t Berne in 1925.
In 1926 he was called fo r military service with the aviators and served as a flyer
a t D eubendorf. An injury received when his plane crashed, causing a lesion of
the lung, finished his m ilitary career.
specified by th e rules o f th e contest. F o u r persons submitted the nam e, “Gruen
Tim es,” b ut M r. D eN om a was the only one to choose th e nam e th at w as selected.
O f the oth er titles, the most popular v s “W atch w ord ,” w hich was sent in by
T h e next year he started in th e w atch industry as head of a technical office, and
at th at time constructed the first baguette m ovem ent for serial production. Follow ­
ing th at trium ph, he invented the first odd-shaped m ovem ent with a n automatic^
ten different people. Almost as popular w
e such titles as “M inute M en ,” “T im e
Hill Topics,” and “ G rueNews.”
winding system and then set to work on the C u rvex m ovem ent which was to bring
him widespread recognition.
A U T O G R A PH ED B A L L S A W A R D ED
T hiebaud was also a m em ber of the m anaging com m ittee o f th e federal cam p for
unemployed w atchm akers a t Berne, and was charged by th a t body to m ake the
opening speech a t th e inauguration of th e cam p.
W hen th e Gruen W a tch C om pany held its sales conference here in Ja n u a ry , 1938,
T hiebaud was in atten d an ce and was interviewed by the A m erican press. Hisj
genius has contributed to the Gruen W a tch C om pany taking its place as the
leader of the industry, and it is his untiring efforts th at h ave helped the com pany
to retain th at place. H e is m arried and has one child, a dau gh ter, Francin e.
— 2—
Baseballs autographed by prom inent mem bers o f the Cincinnati Reds, have been
aw arded to Fred D ixon, Assistant C red it M an ager, and to E d S chad, Traffic
M anager.
M r. D ixon’s article on Social Security b rought him the prize, and
M r. Schad’s description of the m eanderings df th e G ruen ’R ou n d the W orld Clock,
Printed in this issue, won th e aw ard fo r him . E a c h m onth a similar ball will be
given to the person submitting the best article fo r publication.
— 3—
G RU EN C LO C K H E R E
A F T E R LONG V O Y A G E
WAPPP M
B y E d S c h a d , T r a ffic M a n a g e r
shipment, the Express C o. reported it
had evidently been stolen from th e de­
livery truck in N ew Y o rk . A settlement
was m ade with th e insurance com pany,
and another clock ordered in its stead.
E arly in April, 1940, two years later,
word was received from ou r C hicago
office th at a shipment containing a
clock h ad been received by a represen­
tative o f the Stand ard O il C o., o f W il­
m ette, Illinois. C o n tact w as m ade with
th at organization and the clock was
returned to us.
H ere is w h at had happened. O u r ship­
m en t was inadvertently placed with a
group o f shipments to be exported to
C alcu tta, In d ia. I t eventually arrived
there a fte r an ocean voyage o f thou­
sands o f miles, and w as placed in stor­
age. W hen th e crate was finally opened,
th e mistake was discovered and it was
routed back to N ew Y o rk , and then to
W ilm ette.
Both the ou ter crate and th e clock itself
w ere found to be in perfect working
order, a real tribute to the m an n er in
which ou r shipments are prepared. T h e
mileage covered by this shipment was
approxim ately 17,000 miles.
HDA/
ro /
you/
A Gruen clock, designed to tell time
’round the w orld, is back a t T im e Hill
after an unscheduled trip half-w ay
’round the globe itself. H ere’s th e sto ry :
O n April 4 , 1938 this clock, w hich had
just been im ported from E u rop e, was
shipped to Vice-President Tev iah Sachs
a t ou r New Y ork office. Several days
passed and th e shipment had n ot been
delivered. A fter carefully tracin g this
t
Louis DeMougin........................
Watchmaker
Aaron Thorne..............................
Western Salesmanager
Control Dept.
May
Comptroller
May
Carlton Putnam ( left o f m icrophon e), President o f Chicago & Southern Air
Lines, In c., presents fourteen air stewardesses with their official wings, w hile VicePresident Teviah Sachs gives each stewardess a Gruen Professional wristwatch.
Order & Production
Elmer A. Winstel........................
Assembler
Case Shop
AIR S T E W AR D E S S E S G E T GRUENS
Watchmaker
Case Shop
Adolph Schmidt.......................... .......... June
Case Shop
Gardener
N. Y . Office
Assembler
John E. Head.............................. ...........June
Assembler
Fourteen a ir stewardesses o f th e C hi­
T h is presentation was m ad e as the C hi­
cago & Southern A ir L ine, In c., fresh
cago & Southern launched a new serv­
from a seven-week training period, were
ice, with six new D ouglas D C -3 planes
presented with Gruen Professional wrist-
operating from C h icago through M em ­
watches, a t a banquet in the H aw aiian
phis; Jackson, Miss., and N ew Orleans.
Room o f the R oosevelt H otel, New O r­
G ruen clocks a re to be installed in all
leans, on April 2 8 .
T h e C h icago &
airports alon g the route, Gruen is prom ­
Southern selected Gruen as the official
inently mentioned in all passenger kits,
tim epiece o f th eir line.
and window card s, suitable fo r display
Case Shop
in airports and hotel reservation booths
T h e p icture accom p anying this article
Material
Walter Fisher ........................... ...........June
Order and Production
Billing
Laura Longeran ...................................June
have been designed.
shows th e girls receiving their G ruens,
as C arlton P u tn am , President o f C hi­
Gruen is now the official tim epiece of
cago & Southern, presents th e girls with
th ree airlines: the C an ad ian Colonial
their official wings, the equivalent o f a
Airw ays, the C ontinental A ir Lines, and
diploma.
the C h icago & Southern.
M A Y , 1940
Sp &a k /n g
o f S popts
G RU E N ADS WIN E A S T MA N AWARD
Wre looking a| Two "Mirarles’ in unldiinakiiig!
Gruen’s softball team h as y e t to win a
gam e in either th e O hio V alley L eague
or the M t. A uburn circu it, and M a n a ­
ger A1 Benzinger is firing his charges in
an effort to crash into th e win column.
All the gam es, how ever, h ave been lost
by respectable scores, and th ere is every
indication th at b etter things a re in
store fo r th e Gruen lads, as they are
beginning to work together smoothly..
In th eir inaugural contest against the
Public L ibrary, the enem y was victo r by
a 7 to 4 cou n t, thus proving th a t the
lads from th e library h ave been reading
instructive books. T h e n th e Andrew
Jergens club defeated G ruen, 6 to 4.
B o th these tilts w ere O hio Valley a f­
fairs. In th e M t. A uburn league Gruen
dropped its initial effort, 8 to 5 , to the
H ighland B ar.
Because o f the difficulty in getting off
on th e right foot, M an ager Benzinger
m ay shake-up the line-up, b ut h ere is
th e w ay th e team shapes up a t present.
Irvin Riesz and R a y S chad have been
doing th e pitching, and their slants
h ave been received by H a rry B o rn trager. T h e infield is composed o f Bill
Nash a t first, E arl H ard en a t second, E d
Brunst, J r ., a t short and E d R en o a t
third. T e d S chad, F ra n k Schneider, and
W illiam Buck h ave been patrolling the
pastures.
A fter doing yeom an service fo r so m any
years, M an ager Benzinger h as an­
nounced his voluntary retirem en t as an
active player, and this year he is strictly
a bench m anager. A1 agrees with Babe
R u th and all the oth er players who
have been shunted to th e sidelines by
Old M a n T im e th a t “it’s the legs that
are the first to go.” T h e b atting eye
m ay rem ain keen b ut is useless without
cooperation from the underpinnings.
Plenty o f opportunity is offered the
boys to start a winning streak, as m any
gam es rem ain on the docket fo r M ay
and Ju n e . T h e M t. Auburn L eague is
m ad e up o f fo u r clubs, in clu din g.
Gruen, th e Cavalons, H ighland B ar,
and M u rray Drugs.
T h e O hio Valley loop consists o f eight
clubs: G ruen, C en tral C a rto n , C . L .
Dow ney, Andrew Jergen s, Lockwood
M fg . C o., Public L ib ra ry, W holesale
M eats, and W hite Swan Products.
Games a re played a t D eer C reek, C oy
Field, and Term in al Field.
T h e table tennis tou rn am en t is enter­
ing th e quarter-final round, with Willis
M oore, R oy P roctor, R a y S h ad , and
H a rry B orn trager being the standouts
thus far. H ow ever, m an y o f the m atches
in the early brackets h ave n ot yet been
com pleted, which slows down the field.
B y th e end o f this week, how ever, the
round o f sixteen should be ru n off. R e- j
suits o f play are posted on th e tou rn a-i
m en t draw ing in the lunch room.
President Benjam in S. K a tz is p re se n ts
ing th e winner of the tournam ent with
a handsome silver trophy.
Gruen
in L if e , T h e S atu rd a y E v e n in g P o s t ,
W atch C om pany w hich have recently
Tw o
advertisements
by
th e
V o g u e , and Y o u magazines. All the
been featured in national magazines
ads appeared during April and M ay.
have been chosen by the ^Eastm an K o ­
Th ese advertisements, bearing th e cap ­
dak C om pany as am ong th e best photo­
tion, “Y o u ’re looking a t T w o M iracles
graphs o f the y e a r to be m ad e o n E ast-
o f W atch m ak in g” featured the C urvex
roan films.
and V eri-T h in models o f ou r line.
These advertisements will
be exhibited a t the annual convention
° f the N ational Association o f Photog­
raphers convention a t th e Stevens H o­
tel, C hicago, during the third week of
August.
A fter th e N ational Association o f Pho­
tographers’ convention is com pleted, it
is custom ary fo r the E astm an Com pany
to take the photographs th at they have
h ad on display and exhibit th em in
1 be advertisements o f th e Gruen C om ­
their retail stores throughout th e coun­
pany which won th e honor w ere used
try.
P rize-W in n in g Idea
S en t In B y A rt R u sch er
A rt R uscher, Production D epartm ent,
h as won five dollars fo r th e best idea
sent in to the house organ during the
past m onth. His suggestion, in brief,
follow s:
O n M a y 1 a group o f twenty-eight boys
and girls from the Ju n ior and Senior
classes o f Palestine H igh School, P al­
estine, O hio, visited T im e Hill and w ere
escorted through th e plant.
T h e C entennial edition o f th e C incin­
n ati Tim es-S tar, published on A pril 2 5 ,
carried a history o f th e Gruen W atch
C om pany and oth er w atch m a n u factu r­
ing concerns th at h ave flourished in the
city during th e past century.
W hile traveling through his territory,
ou r sales representative, L o u H erm an,
m et with an automobile accid ent on
April 16 in Coffeyville, Kansas. H e is
now recu peratin g afte r spending a few
weeks in a hospital a t O klahom a C ity.
T o m N acol, sales representative, visited
T im e Hill fo r a few days last week, and
then left for Nashville, Tennessee.
G ruen C urvex and V eri-T h in watches
a re featured in the display of the Jam es
A rth u r Foundation o f New York U n i­
versity. T h is collection is one o f the
largest and most comprehensive collec­
tions o f historical w atches and clocks in
existence. M ore than eighteen hundred
timepieces are exhibited, presenting a
story o f the evolution o f timekeeping
from the simplest sundial and h ou r glass
to clocks having multiple dials and com ­
plicated mechanisms. Collected over a
span o f forty years, m ore than $ 1 5 0 ,0 0 0
was expended in assembling it.
“ Since we a re in the w atch industry and
time is o u r business, I think it would be
a very good idea if w e had a large,
electric red neon Pentagon clock lit up
a t night showing th e co rre ct time. This
clock could be placed on top of our
building o r on the oth er side o f the
drive from the building w here the
Guild sign is erected.
“ T h is clock could be erected on top of
a rustic rock pillar about twenty feet
high. B y combining th e rustic rock with
steel beams, th e clock would be a t a
height of forty o r fifty feet. T h e clock
should be approxim ately ten feet in
d iam eter. O n top o f th e clock would be
the words ‘C orrect T im e by Gruen’ and
underneath, ‘T h e H om e o f th e Gruen
W a tch ’.”
M r. R uscher’s suggestion is being care­
fully investigated by officials o f the
com pany, and if th e construction of
such a clock is proved p ractical, it will
be adopted.
M an y oth er suggestions, m any of them
showing g re a t initiative, w ere sent in to
the editor during th e past m onth. All
h ave been acknowledged, and only the
limitations of space prevents them from
being printed here. T h e prize o f five1
dollars will continue to be offered I
m onthly, and it is hoped th a t m any
m ore suggestions will be received.
H OW
SO C IA L
S E C U R IT Y H E L P S YO U
Bv F red D ixon , Assistant Credit M anager
(P a rt
How a re m onthly benefits determined
under the Social Security A ct?
T h e worker’s p rim ary benefit fo r any
w age is calculated by taking the total
earnings received from covered jobs
from Ja n u a ry 1, 1937 to th e beginning
of the calen d ar q u arter in w hich the
wage earn er qualifies his m onthly bene­
fits and dividing this total p ay by the
number o f m onths in the period to se­
cure the average m onthly w age. T h e
prim ary benefit is then determined by
taking 4 0 % o f the first $ 5 0 of this
average m onthly wage and adding to it
1 0 % of the rem aining difference be­
tween $ 5 0 and the average monthly
wage up to $ 2 5 0 . Benefits a re figured
on a m axim u m average m onthly wage
of $ 2 5 0 . H aving taken first 4 0 % o f the
first $ 5 0 and added to it 10% o f the
difference between this $ 5 0 and the
average m onthly w age, th e full monthly
benefits a re determined by adding an
additional 1 % o f this sum for each year
of coverage. T h e m onthly prim ary
benefit so calcu lated is th e basis fo r de­
termining the widows’ and survivors’
benefits.
The Social Security Board stresses the
importance o f each w age-earner taking
c are o f his Social Security c ard and
making certain th a t all payments m ade
for his acco u n t by his employer are
properly accred ited against his account
number. T h e Social Security card
should be kept in some safe place where
it m ay be available when an y claim is
to be filed fo r benefits. In th e event
that a ca rd should be lost, the worker
should im m ediately notify th e nearest
Social Security office an d apply fo r an ­
il)
oth er card h avin g the same number.
W hen a w age-earn er changes his em-'
Dloyment, he should notify the new em ­
ployer o f his accoun t num ber, and
make certain th at th e Social Security
payments are properly credited to his
account. T h e Social Security Board has
provided fo r th eir Baltim ore office to
inform anyone covered by the Social
Security Plan w h at credits have been
m ade to his acco u n t fo r th e years 1937
and 1938. Such inform ation can be ob­
tained by mailing to the Board at B al­
tim ore a request fo r it. F o r this pu r­
pose M r. Apke, ou r cashier, h as avail­
able governm ent postcards. I t is sug­
gested th at everyone in the plan secure
one o f these cards and verify th e fact
th at his acco u n t num ber is properly re­
corded, and th at he has been credited
correctly fo r his earnings in 1937 and
1938. Inform ation regarding subseau en t years will be available as th e in­
formation is tabulated by the fjocial Se­
curity Board.
T h is whole plan, particularly the liber­
alized provisions o f th e amendments
w hich were passed in A ugust, 1939, is
so new th at it is safe to say th at very
few o f th e people concerned fully un­
derstand the real protection th at is of­
fered and the stake which they h ave in
it. L iteratu re is -available in ou r office
and a t th e local Social Security office
which will fu rth er explain th e various
provisions of the plan. L e t us urge you
to familiarize yourself and, in turn,
your dependents with it in ord er th at
you and they m ay take p roper and
prom pt ad van tage o f its provisions
when th e time comes to do so.
G ru en A gain E nters
Soap B o x D erby
W hen the seventh annual A ll-Am erican
Soap-box D erby, an event sponsored by
th e C h icago H erald -A m erican, gets un­
d er w ay on Ju ly 29, the Gruen W atch
C om pany will again be represented as
one o f the sponsors. T h re e Gruen Ristside w atches will be presented to the
boys showing the best time in th e trials.
O ver 2 5 0 ,0 0 0 boys are annually eligible
fo r this competition. T h e y construct
their ow n cars and h ave to follow rigid
rules m ad e by the Soap-box D erby au ­
thorities to insure fair com petition. This
event has grow n to be extrem ely popu­
lar, and th e finals are covered by news­
reels, radio, and the press. M ayor
E d w ard J . Kelly, o f C hicago, has set
aside th e week o f Ju ly 2 9 as All-Am eri­
c an S oap-box D erby W eek.
•
T h e fa c t th at th e Gruen W a tch C om ­
p an y is one o f th e sponsors o f this event
h as been featured in the C hicago H erald -E xam in er, and on billboards, wagon
posters, truck bum per cards, newstand
displays, buttons, and street c a r cards.
G ru en C locks A gain
a t the A quacade
A rrangem ents have been completed to
m ake Gruen the official timepiece used
a t Billy Rose’s A quacade a t th e New
Y ork W orld’s F a ir. In addition, Gruen
will tie-in with the sam e exhibit a t the
San Fran cisco Fair.
Perform ers will w ear Gruen w aterp roof
w atches, th ere will be large Gruen
clocks prom inently displayed, and there
will be a Gruen advertisem ent placed in
the official A quacade programs.
This season Buster C rab b e h as re­
placed Jo hn n y Weissmueller a t the
N ew Y o rk A quacade, b ut E lean o r Holm
is again featured along with m any
o th er top-flight perform ers. T h e music
o f V in cen t Lopez will supply the or­
chestral background.
A t th e S an Francisco A q u acad e M or­
ton Dow ney, noted lyric ten or, is fea­
tured, alon g with E sth er W illiams, na­
tionally known swimmer. Fre d W aring’s Pacific C oast Glee Club has also
been signed. I t is possible th a t John n y
W eissmueller will ap p ear, if his movie
co n tra ct permits.
’Ro und th e W orld C lock
B a c k a t T im e H ill
T h e Gruen W atch C om pany was
am ong the exhibitors at the sixth an­
nual convention o f the United H oro­
logical Association, a t th e H otel Cleve­
land, Cleveland, O hio, from M a y 5 to 7.
T h e Gruen display o f antique w atches
was shown, in addition to the G iant
Q u adron m ovem ent. George T . Gruen
attended the convention and gave a
brief speech. T h e Cleveland press cov­
ered the convention, and one rad io sta­
tion m ad e a b roadcast from the con­
vention, attractin g m any people to the
various exhibits.
L a st ye a r th e A quacade was th e most
successful exhibit a t the F a ir, and an
entirely new p rogram , said to be the
equal if n ot b etter than the 1 9 3 9 per­
form an ce, h as been arran ged for this
season.
G ru en Adopts New
W o rk in g Sch ed u le
S tartin g on M a y 1, th e Gruen W atch
C om pany adopted a new working
schedule, operating on a fo rty hour
week basis o f eight hours per d ay M on ­
d a y through Frid ay. T h e new hours for
th e H orological D ep artm en t a re from
8 A . M . to 5 P . M ., and all oth er de­
p artm ents from 8 : 3 0 A . M . to 5 : 3 0
P. M .
Although this change is in th e n ature
o f a n experim ent, th e com plete coop­
eration o f all concerned will go fa r to­
w ards making this a p erm anent sched­
ule.
M agazine A dvertisem ents
S o on to Close
T h e Gruen W atch C om pany will bring
its Spring series o f m agazine advertise­
ments to a close with a full page a d in
the Ju n e 1 issue o f the popular weekly,
L ib e r t y . This is the last advertisement
o f a series o f twelve, w hich featured ap­
p earances o f Gruen cop y in L i f e , L i b ­
e rty , T h e S a t u r d a y E v e n in g P o s t, N ew
Y o r k e r , E s q u ir e , Y o u , V o g u e , and
C o llie r ’s.
Jo h n J . M cC a rth y, Vice-President of
M cC an n -E rick son , visited T im e Hill
last week to present his plans fo r the
Fa ll advertising cam paign to M r. K atz
and M r. Sachs.
G ru en W atch es Show n
at C leveland E x h ib it
Pictured above is the ’R ound the World
Gruen C lock, the travels o f which are de­
scribed by E d Sch ad , T raffic M anager, on
page four.
M an y w atch m ovements were dis­
played, dem onstrating the progress th at
h as been m ade in the w atchm aking in­
dustry since the early days o f th e craft.
G ru en C lock Placed
a t Crosley Field
Bob H errm an n , ou r sales representa­
tive, is recu peratin g nicely after an
operation here in C incinnati, a t Christ
Hospital. His m an y friends wish him a
rapid and com plete recovery.
A Gruen diam ond wristwatch was re­
cently aw arded to Miss V esta Geschwind, o f Brooklyn, L . I., fo r placing
first in a hom em ade hooked-rug contest
sponsored by A b rah am & Straus,
Brooklyn’s largest d ep artm en t store.
During the several months o f the con ­
test, Gruen was on prom inent display
Abraham & Straus, and numerous
Pictures and signs featu rin g the dia­
mond w atch w ere h ung throughout the
store, as an inducem ent fo r customers
to submit their rugs.
H undreds of rugs were subm itted by
S-U d" fr° m NeW Y° rk an d
L° ng
A r r a n g e m e n t s w ere completed this
week with W arren C . Giles, G eneral
M an ager o f th e Cincinnati Baseball
Club, to in stall'a large Gruen clock on
the scoreboard a t Crosley Field. This
clock will be six feet o r m ore in diam ­
eter and will ap p ear to be a p art o f the
scoreboard. T h e work o f constructing
the clock is already under w ay. I t will
carry the legend, “ Gruen W atch T im e,”
and will be viewed by approxim ately a
million persons yearly.
President Benjam in S. K atz recently
spoke over a special shortwave broad­
cast to South A m erica. T h e p rogram
featured b rief speeches by prom inent
business men and was carried by the
M utual B roadcasting System. T h e pro­
gram originated a t a banquet a t the
H otel N etherland Plaza.
GIFTS FROM YOUR J E W E L E R
ARE G I F T S AT T H E I R
BEST
Behind every successful manufacturer . . . and as
responsible for his success as the quality o f the,
goods he makes . . . are dealers. No manufac­
turer can ever hope to attain preeminence in
his field without their help.
We here at Gruen are deeply grateful for the
cooperation o f Gruen jewelers. We know
that a large share o f whatever success we
may have is due tq that cooperation. In
thanking you for your part in making
Gruen “ The Proudest Name in Tim e,”
we should like to feel that we are giving
you more than smart precision time­
pieces to sell . . . that we are helping
you to sell m o re o f everything you
have to offer.
That is why . . . in every Gruen ad . . .
you will see the famous Gruen
phrase: “ Gifts from your jeweler
are gifts at their best!” T h e Gruen
Watch Company, Tim e H ill, Cin­
cinnati, O ., U .S.A. In Canada,
Toronto, Ont.
Fred G. Gruen Retires..................................
Sales Conference Here July 1 and 2.........
Please Help Us O ut!....................................
GRUEN T IM E Awards Prizes to
Winners
...............................................
Happy Birthday to You!.............................
Mr. Katz Honored By “Who’s Who”.......
Jacques Leal Ready for Overseas Service.
Ray Schad Wins Table Tennis Play.........
Gruen Worker Joins Canadian Army.......
Speaking of Sports........................................
Red Sox Stars Wear Gruens......................
Stockholders Meeting Held June 12.........
Time Hill Topics.............................................
Social Club Launched At Tim e Hill.........
Gruen Watch Awarded in Personality
Contest ........................................................
Hospitalization Insurance.............................
Look Who’s Here!..........................................
Golf Team Organized Here at Tim e Hill.
F R E D C. G RU E N R E T I R E S
Announced by President Benjam in S. K atz
at a m eeting o f th e Board o f D irectors on
Ju n e 12 was the retirem ent o f Fre d G.
G ruen, C h airm an o f the Board, who for
m ore th an forty-five years has been asso­
ciated with the Gruen W a tch Com pany.
M r. Gruen will continue as a D irector of
th e com pany.
“ O n e m a n w ith c o u r a g e is a m a jo r ity .”— A n d r e w J a c k s o n .
Vol. 1
J U N E , 1940
N o. 4
Son o f D ietrich G ruen, Fre d G. Gruen was
born here in O hio and has been connected
w ith the w atch business all his life. H e at­
tended O h io S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y , t a k in g
courses in m echanical engineering and
working fo r the Gruen W a tch C om pany
during the summers. H e next attended the
H orological Institute o f Dresden, and was
graduated there with highest honors. D ur­
ing th e course he m ad e several w atches, which are still preserved here a t Tim e
Hill.
S A L E S C O N FER EN C E H E R E JU L Y 1 and 2
T h e semi-annual sales conference o f the Gruen W atch Com pany will be
held here on M onday and T u esd ay, Ju ly 1 and 2, a t H otel N etherland
Plaza. W ithin a few days the twenty-five Gruen salesmen will start their
trek to Cincinnati from all th e corners o f the nation and C anada.
M r. Gruen then becam e associated with th e Gruen W a tch C om pany on a full­
time basis, learning the business from th e ground up. H e started in the black-j
smith shop, m achine shop, p late shop, and as a die-m aker, working in every de­
O n the first d ay o f th e conference M r. K atz will present th e Fall line of
Gruen w atches, said to be the m ost beautiful line yet created . T h e second
p artm en t o f the plant. T h en he w ent on th e road as a salesman, covering mosto f the United States, M exico, and C an ad a. F ro m 1911 through 1913 he spent
two months of each year selling Gruen w atches in some o f th e finest stores in
Displays and various other dealer helps will also be exhibited.
d ay of th e m eeting will be devoted to th e F a ll advertising cam paign,
w hich will again featu re advertisements in th e nation’s leading magazines.
*
E u rop e, including Switzerland where th e com petition is most severe.
As usual, the conference will close with a banquet, and th e meeting
H e was th e first m an in A m erica to sell w atches boxed with a fixed price, the
promises to be one o f th e most successful ever held.
system o f m erchandising th a t is now in vogue. Previous to this, oth er companies
h ad sold the movements to jobbers, who cased them , and there was a great price
variance.
M r. Gruen served as President of the G ruen W a tch C om pany from 1911 to
1935, and since th a t tim e has been C h airm an o f the Board. D u rin g his term of
P residency, the com pany cam e up from virtual obscurity to a most im portant;
position in the industry.
PLEA SE H ELP US O U T!
Gruen employees will notice th at cards have been placed on all the suggestion
Am ong the triumphs m ad e by the Gruen W a tch C om pany under Fre d Gruen
w ere the octagon pocket w atch, the quadron m ovem ent, and the Verithin pocket
^oxes a t T im e H ill inviting you to contribute to Y O U R m agazine. Bu t in spite
>f these, the contributions received this m onth w ere few er th an usual. In an
w atch. C ognizant o f his years of untiring effort on behalf o f the Gruen W atch
C om pany, G R U E N T I M E , together with all th e employees, wishes Fre d G. Gruen
a m ost healthy and enjoyable period o f retirem ent.
effort to improve the m agazine, G R U E N T I M E urges all Gruen employees to
>ubrnit articles o r suggestions,
won’t you help us out?
— 3—
GRUEN TIM E AWARDS
PR IZES TO W INNERS
This m onth G R U E N T I M E has
aw arded five dollars to A ndy M ayer,
o f the C ase Com pany, fo r the best sug­
gestion submitted to the house organ
since the last issue. M r. M ayer has sug­
gested th at th e first aid kit a t the Case
Com pany office be improved so that
the workers will be p repared against
an y contingency. As a result o f his sug­
gestion, plans have been completed to
increase the first aid equipment.
Auditor T o m Je a ry has received a
baseball a u t o g r a p h e d by prom inent
members o f the Cincinnati Reds for his
article on Hospitalization w hich a p ­
pears in this issue. Because o f its bear­
ing on you and you r job , every Gruen
employee is urged to read this article
carefully.
E a ch m onth these tw o prizes will
continue to be offered to Gruen em­
ployees submitting ideas and articles to
G RU EN T IM E .
MR. KATZ HONORED
BY “ W HO’S W HO”
President Benjam in S. K a tz w as recent­
ly th e recipient o f a signal h onor when
he was adm itted to the distinctive ranks
of distinguished Am ericans listed in the
1940-41 edition o f “ W h o’s W h o in
Am erica” . T h e new edition m arks the
forty-second year o f publication o f this
noted reference book.
M r. K a tz was one o f thirteen prom i­
nent C incinnatians whose careers w ere
described in “W h o’s W h o” this year
fo r th e first time. T h e article traced
his career from th e tim e o f his birth
in Austria on April 15, 1 8 9 2 , to his
rise to the Presidency o f T h e Gruen
W atch Com pany.
WAPPV W
t h
JACQUES LEAL READY
FOR OVERSEAS SERVICE
OW
Jacq ues L e a l, who left his post as
V ice President o f the Gruen W atch
Com pany of C an ad a, L td ., a t the ou t­
break o f hostilities in E u rop e, is now a
U
A c s '
- M
t e
First L ieutenant in the R oy al C anadian
Arm y Service Corps, and expects and
t r l l f
Michael Kief as
Porter
Phil Wengrow
Salesman
Carl F. Rapien
Horological
Florence Turpin
Case Company
William Puthoff
Case Company
Frank Frueauff
Record
Samuel Ogletree
Maintenance
Bertha Schnelle
Case Company
Edward Johnson
Case Company
Willard Fischer
Case Company
Agnes Ruilman
Order and Production
Allan F. Barney
Salesman
M ax Wolf
Salesman
John Swope
Caser
Dorothy Bishop
Credit
Marcella Christophel
Credit
Earl Harden
Case Company
Donald Moore
Sales Record
Martin W. Schrader
Assembler
Sophia Shively
Case Company
Thelma Kamman
Horological
Franklin Delaney
Mr. Kane’s Secretary
Phil Levy
Salesman
4—
hopes to leave fo r overseas service any
June 17 j
June 17
June 20 ;
June 21 ■
June 21
d ay now. M r. Leal enlisted in the arm y
and was commissioned
as a
Second
Lieutenant, b ut a fte r studying h ard for
three m onths, he w as prom oted and
commissioned as First L ieuten an t after
rigorous exam inations.
the French arm y , recently took p art in
June 24
the battle o f Flanders and has n ot been
June 27 j
heard from . All o f us join Jacq u es in
June 28
July
1
July
2
July
4
his solicitude and hope fo r his cou­
rageous brother.
T h e L e al family estate outside of
Paris is being used as a hospital for
wounded F re n ch , and Jacq ues’ m other
is taking charge th ere now.
July
4
All Gruen employees wish Jacques
.....July
6
the best o f luck and com m end him for
July
7
July
8
July
9
July
10
July 11
JA C Q U E S L E A L
M r. Leal’s broth er, a S ergean t in the
June 23
his unselfishness and bravery.
GRUEN W ORKER JOINS
CANADIAN ARMY
W ord has been received a t T im e Hill
that Cyril Curtis, a w atchm aker o f the
July
12
July
14
L td. has enlisted in the technical di­
July
15
vision o f th e R oy al C anadian Arm y
July
15
Gruen
W a tch
C om pany of C an ad a,
Service Corps. All o f us join in con ­
gratulating M r. Curtis fo r his courage.
RAY SCHAD WINS
TABLE TENNIS PLAY
T h e first annual table tennis tou rn a­
m en t w as com pleted during the past
m onth and th e silver trophy presented
by M r. K a tz was won by R a y Schad,
who bested Fritz Jones, o f the Advertis­
in g D ep artm en t, in a h ectic fo ur gam e
m atch . T h e scores w ere 2 1 - J 6 , 18-21,
2 1-19, and 2 1-18. T h e closeness of the
scores indicates th e vigorousness with
w hich th e m atch was contested.
In blasting his way to the final round,
Schad disposed o f R ich ard Stagm an.
Jones reached the ultim ate b racket by
elim inating Willis M oore.
Gruen w atches are am ong the awards
now being offered to patrons of M an ­
h attan B each , Brooklyn, L . I., one of
the largest bathing resorts in the world.
V arious contests which a ttra c t thou­
sands a re staged there during th e sum­
m er. A n n o u n c e m e n t t h a t G r u e n
w atches w ere being aw arded was m ade
b y th e N ew Y o rk D aily News, which
has a circulation larger th an any other
new spaper in the U n ited States.
5—
G R U E N T IM E
Speak /n g
T h e G ruen baseball team has been
RED
o f S popts
in his place. T h e gam e seemed lost, but
ing o f the weeks, and although M a n ­
ou r boys kept pecking aw ay and went
ager A1 Benzinger’s charges h ave not
into th e final fram e one run behind. I
sensa­
T h re e runs in th e last inning seemed to
tional, they h ave been com peting in
assure a victory fo r Lockw ood, b ut not
their gam es with a
to
anything
really
large degree of
be
outdone,
Gruen
fought
back
skill and h ave perform ed in a m anner
nobly, and a tim ely triple by L loyd E v ­
th at
erson, com ing with the bases populated,
would
m ake
th em
well
w orth
w atching fo r every Gruen employee.
eked ou t a 10 to 9 victory.
A fter dropping their first fo ur en­
A n oth er notable gam e w as the con ­
counters, the team has m ade an abrupt
test in w hich Irvin Riesz let M u rray
ab ou t-face and h as captu red th ree of
D rugs down with the m eag er total o f
their last fo ur battles. T h e ir last per­
tw o hits, beating th em 4 to 3.
form ance has been in th e M t. Auburn
C ivic L eagu e.
The
standing o f the
loop, a t latest accounts, follows:
Team
Won
Lost
Percentage
Highland B ar....
2
M u rray D rugs....' 3
G ruen W atch .... 2
Cavelons
0
1
2
2
2
.6 67
.6 00
.500
.0 0 0
T h u s it can be seen th a t th e club is
just on e-h alf gam e removed from first
p lace, a m argin th at could easily be
overcom e with a little good fortune in
As fa r as individual accomplishments
are concerned, T e d S chad is pacing
his m ates a t b a t with the robust aver­
age of .4 4 4 .
T ed arrived a t this neat
Above we see T e d W illiam (left) and R ob ert “L efty ” G rove, star players of the
Boston R ed S ox, proudly displaying their latest prized possessions, handsome
Gruen wrist w atches. Williams is the sensational slugging outfielder of the Sox,
and the feats of Grove, winner of 2 8 9 big league gam es, are fam iliar to-every
schoolboy. T h e w atches were presented to them by ou r salesman, Bernie Sm ith.
figure by socking ou t eight base hits in
eighteen attem pts.
In th e hom e run
column, H a rry B orn trager h as devel­
oped into a virtual Colossus of C lout,
ST O C K H O L D E R S ’ M E E T IN G H E L D JU N E 1 2
and h as swatted ou t th ree o f his spe­
cialty.
N ow th at th e inclement w eather of
th e n ext few combats.
H ow ever, th e m ost interesting gam e
SOX S TA R S WEAR GRUENS
Irvin Riesz was ushered into th e fray i
increasing in efficiency w ith the pass­
accomplished
J U N E , 1940
the Spring seems to h ave exhausted it­
of th e past m onth w as a contest be­
self, it is likely th at th e team can finish
tween Gruen and th e Lockw ood M anu­
its schedule w ithout interruption, and,
factu rin g C o. R a y S chad started in the
we hope, w ithout an y m ore additions
b o x fo r Gruen and retired a fte r a b ar­
to th e liability colum n. A nother m onth
rag e o f Lockw ood bingles had rolled up
like the past one would be a n excellent
a 6 to 0 m argin fo r the hated enemy.
tonic.
6—
T h e annual m eeting o f Gruen stock­
holders was held on Ju n e 12, and all
directors w ere re-elected. M em bers of
the Board a r e : Sterling B . C ram er,
Fred G. G ruen, George J . G ruen, Ben­
jam in S. K a tz , T ev iah Sachs, U . S.
Senator R ob ert A . T a ft, and Clifford
F-- W right.
Officers o f the com p an y w ere elected
L
at a special m eeting o f th e B o ard , as
follows: G eorge J . Gruen was elected
C h airm an of th e B o ard ; re-elected
w ere Benjam in S. K atz, PresidentT reasu rer; T ev iah Sachs, V ice-Presi­
dent-Assistant T reasu rer; George T .
Gruen, S ecretary ; Alfred T . R eis, As­
sistant S e c r e t a r y - C o m p t r o l l e r ; and
Th om as F . Je a ry , Auditor.
7—
SOCIAL CLUB LAUNCHED
HERE AT TIM E HILL
W a lte r “ W hitey” Fisher, O rd e r D e­
partm en t, has announced the organiza­
tion o f a social club o f Gruen em ­
ployees, w hich will soon launch a p ro­
gram of picnics, dances, b oat rides, and
oth er form s o f recreation.
S. C . “ Cy” Gershey, M id-W estern
Sales M an ager o f th e Gruen W atch
Com pany, was m arried a t Hollywood,
Flo rid a, on Ju n e 9 to Miss Mimsi F o x ,
o f M iam i, Florida. M r. Gershey will
bring his bride to Cincinnati with him
n ext week when he attends th e sales
meeting.
Miss Adele Behler, sister o f Miss
M ary Behler, o f the R eco rd D ep art­
m en t, was m arried on Ju n e 1 to V in­
cent D olan, brother o f Bill D olan, and
once a Gruen employee. T h e wedding
was solemnized a t St. P atrick’s Church
and afterw ards the w edding p arty
visited Sister G abriel, an oth er sister of
Miss Behler’s who is a nun. T h e re fol­
lowed a reception a t the bride’s home
th at night and the h ap p y couple is now
honeymooning a t Yellow stone N ational
Park.
Another w edding o f the past m onth
saw M arie Becker, o f the Traffic D e­
p artm en t, becom e the wife o f W illiam
H . Christophel. T h is cerem ony took
p lace on Frid ay , Ju n e 14. T o all the
brides and bridegrooms o f the m onth
the best o f luck!
Miss R u th Peters, o f the Advertising
D ep artm en t, has announced h e r en­
gagem ent to R ob ert F . Stiens, o f N or­
wood. Miss Peters m et h er fiance when
she was a student a t th e U niversity of
Cincinnati. N o date has as yet been set
fo r th e wedding.
A com m ittee has already been formed
to discuss plans fo r th e new club, which'
is to be known as the Gruen Social'
Club. T h is com m ittee includes: A1
Benzinger, H orological D ep artm en t; AI
Swift, Standards D ep artm en t; Frank
Frueau ff, R eco rd D ep artm en t; M ary
B e h l e r , R e c o r d D e p a r t m e n t ; Alm a
M oore, M aterial D ep artm en t; Odile
M aas, Case C om p an y ; M artin Blesser,
C ase C om p an y ; M a ry A . S ch au rer, F i­
n an ce D ep artm en t; and M arie Christo­
phel, Traffic D epartm ent.
G r u e n T im e wishes to congratulate
“ W hitey” fo r his enterprise in in a u g u -;
ratin g this organization and hopes that
it will grow to great affluence.
H O SP IT A L IZ A T IO N IN SU RA N CE
By T hom a s F. J eary, Auditor
The
Gruen
M an agem en t
urges
th at
all
employees, w ho do n ot now
have hospitalization insurance cover­
age, again carefu lly consider th e ad ­
vantage o f th e Plan as offered by the
Cincinnati Hospital C a re C orporation.
As o f Ju ly 15, 1940, a new enroll­
m ent p rocedure will be p u t into effect.
will be given subscribers provided at
least ten new applications are received.
If there a re less th an ten, these will be
held until August 15, 1940, before pro­
tection and payroll
deductions start.
T h ereafter, there will be no opportuni­
ty to enroll in th e Plan until O ctober
15.
T h e Hospital C a re C orporation is an
agency o f every non-profit voluntary
T h e fa c t th a t a Gruen w atch was to
be presented to th e winner was m en­
tioned in the D aily News, which has
the largest circulation o f a n y news- ;
paper in the U n ited States.
To tal ................................................. 101,913
Considering this to have been a n or­
m al year m eans th at a t least one o u t of
every ten persons in these communities
requires hospital c are each year, o r in
an average fam ily o f four, some m em ­
b er requires hospital c are each three
years. Statistics indicate th at only 4 %
o f all persons requiring hospital care
h ave the m oney with w hich to p ay the
hospital bill. O f the oth er 9 6 % , 2 3 %
it offers is a simple .but most complete
a re charity cases and the com m unity
makes provisions fo r these. This means
th at 7 3 % do n ot h ave the ready cash
one.
to pay hospital bills in spite o f the fact
ton, and M iddletow n, O hio. T h e Plan
A Gruen w atch is being aw arded in
a personality contest staged by th e New
Y o rk D aily News in cooperation with
th e S tanley-W arn er C om pany. T h e
contest is a search fo r the girl with the
most charm and personality, and is not
a beauty contest. T h e w inner, to be
designated as “ Miss Astor” will be mis­
tress o f ceremonies a t th e opening of
th e new Astor T h e a tre in New York
C ity.
C incinnati ..........................
67,141
D ayton ................................................. 25,953
H am ilton ............................................ 5 ,5 7 4
Middletown ....................................... 3,245
Beginning with this d ate, protection
hospital in C incinnati, H am ilton, D ay­
GRUEN W ATCH AWARDED
IN PERSONALITY CONTEST
D uring the 1939 calen d ar year, 101,91 3 persons were confined as bed pa­
tients in C incinnati, D ayton , and M id­
dletown hospitals as follows:
T h e re are two con tracts, one with
th at in m ost instances they a re receiv­
the employee and th e other with the
in g reasonable incomes and w ant to
participating hospital. In return fo r an
and do m eet obligations w hich can be
individual subscription fee o f $ 0 .7 5 per
anticipated.
month o r fam ily fee o f $ 1 .7 5 p er m onth
$ 7 5 .0 0 p er week is in the same position
received from th e em ployer on a pay­
as th e m an earning $ 2 0 .0 0 p er week,
Usually th e m an earning
roll deduction basis, th e Hospital C are
fo r expenses h ave a w ay o f keeping
Corporation guarantees paym ent to the
p ace with income.
ex­
W h ere ready cash is n ot immediately
penses as semi-private room accom m o­
available, unexpected hospital c are ex­
hospital
of
such
hospitalization
dations fo r a period o f 21 days th e first
pense for the individual o r a member
year and 3 0 days each year th ereafter,
of his fam ily, usually results in one of
°P eratin g room service w ithout limita-
three happenings:
h °n , oxygen, etc.
( Continued on Page 11)