1960s Gruen Precision Autowind N710SS — 17-Jewel Silver Dial Watch
$109.00
WHY THIS WATCH MATTERS
The appeal is in the contrast: a neatly preserved silver dial, a signed Swiss 17-jewel automatic movement, and a French-made plated case that shows the cost of years on a wrist. The tiny Ra SWISS Ra signature is also a physical reminder of the period when radioactive luminous paint was used for legibility after dark.
The Found Dial has replaced the crystal, documented the case wear, and left the dial's historic details in place. It is a watch worth appreciating for what has survived, not for an invented claim of rarity.
THE HARD DETAILS
| Maker | Gruen Watch Co. |
| Model / family | Precision Autowind; exact style name unconfirmed |
| Approximate date | Circa 1960–1965 (stylistic and movement-family estimate) |
| Movement | Gruen N710SS automatic, Swiss-made |
| Case interior code | 710 RSS; not an individual serial number |
| Movement identification | Rotor signed N710 SS / GRUEN WATCH CO / PRECISION / SWISS / UNADJUSTED |
| Jewels | 17 |
| Beat rate | 18,000 vibrations per hour (published caliber specification, not measured) |
| Nominal power reserve | Approximately 44 hours (caliber specification, not measured) |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, central sweep seconds; no date |
| Case | Plated base-metal bezel and upper case; stainless steel back |
| Case origin | Caseback marked MADE IN FRANCE |
| Case diameter | 34.4 mm |
| Lug-to-lug | 41.7 mm |
| Case thickness | 10.6 mm |
| Lug width | 17.7 mm |
| Dial | Satin silver-tone, applied faceted tapered markers; Ra SWISS Ra printed at 6 |
| Hands | Silver-tone luminous hour and minute hands; central seconds |
| Crystal | Replacement domed crystal; material not identified |
| Crown | Gold-tone fluted; factory originality not established |
| Strap | Navy-blue textured leather-look; likely later replacement |
| Running | Owner reports running solid |
| Setting | Owner reports setting works |
| Current rate | Not measured |
| Power reserve test | Not performed |
| Water resistance | Not tested; keep dry |
| Radium | Dial marked Ra SWISS Ra, historically designated for radium lume; present activity not tested |
| Accessories | Watch with photographed navy strap; no box or papers documented |
OPERATING CONDITION
The Gruen N710SS automatic is reported by its owner to be running solid, and the hands can be set with the crown. The 17-jewel signed movement and rotor are photographed. No current timegrapher reading, power-reserve trial, amplitude/beat-error figures or formal self-winding efficiency test is recorded. This is not being represented as fully serviced.
The movement has a conventional central self-winding rotor. Caliber reference literature gives 18,000 beats per hour and a nominal 44-hour reserve, figures for the movement design rather than verified results for this individual watch.
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WHAT WAS DONE
The restoration was deliberately limited: the crystal was replaced, renewing the view of the dial. No movement overhaul, lubrication, regulation, dial refinishing, reluming or case replating has been documented by The Found Dial.
The case's decades of plating loss and wear remain visible, while the radium-marked luminous details have been left in place.
CONDITION & ORIGINALITY
The silver-tone dial is bright and readable, with a delicate brushed texture and applied tapered markers. Its comparatively clean presentation contrasts with the substantial corrosion and finish loss on the plated base-metal case. Dark pitting appears along the underside, bezel/case joins, lug edges and around the worn gold-tone crown. The stainless-steel back has scratches and opening marks. The case should be judged carefully from the detailed side and open-back photographs.
The dial, signed 17-jewel Gruen movement and French-made 710 RSS caseback are period-consistent details; an exact catalog style and complete original factory pairing have not been proven. The domed crystal is a replacement, the navy strap appears to be a later addition, and crown originality remains uncertain.
The dial bears Ra SWISS Ra and retains luminous-style markings. Radioactivity has not been measured. The original luminous material must not be scraped, disturbed or cosmetically replaced without appropriate specialist handling.
THE STORY OF THIS WATCH
The dial is the quiet part of this Gruen Precision Autowind. Silver satin finishing draws light across a ring of long, faceted hour markers, while slender hands give the watch an almost architectural restraint. Then the case tells a different story. Its plated edges, lugs and crown have lived through decades of use, leaving traces that a newer watch would never carry.
The case and movement also carry the story of how the mid-century watch trade worked: Swiss automatic mechanics housed in a French-made Gruen-marked case. These were functional, wearable machines assembled across an international industry, built to accompany ordinary life rather than sit untouched.
Its restoration did not aim to conceal every mark. Instead, the crystal was replaced to let a well-preserved dial step out from behind age and surface wear. It is a reminder that a vintage watch can be compelling without pretending it escaped time unchanged.
REFERENCE & MODEL HISTORY
This example carries a signed Gruen N710SS rotor and a separate interior-case marking 710 RSS. These are related caliber-family identifiers, not the unique serial number of the watch. The N710SS belongs to Gruen's early-1960s 710 automatic family, which included center-seconds and calendar configurations as well as different jewel counts.
The 17-jewel movement is directly documented in the photographs. Movement reference catalogs also record 25-jewel variants of N710SS; the existence of those does not change this watch's marked jewel count. Period Comet and Nautilus model examples have been associated with the 710 family, but the pictured dial and case have not been matched to an authoritative factory catalog style. This piece is identified by its confirmed Precision Autowind markings instead.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Gruen grew out of the American watchmaking world of Cincinnati and forged close ties with Swiss manufacturing. Its Precision range brought Swiss-made movements to a broad variety of American-market styles. The mid-century watches were increasingly international: this one has a Swiss-signed automatic movement and a Gruen-marked case explicitly stamped MADE IN FRANCE.
That contrast tells us more than an uncomplicated country-of-origin label would. The fine mechanical work and the everyday case were contributions from different parts of the watch industry, brought together as a single Gruen Precision.
FOUND DETAILS
Approximate period: Early 1960s
Movement: Gruen N710SS automatic, signed Swiss, 17 jewels
Case: Plated base metal with stainless-steel back; stamped MADE IN FRANCE
Dimensions: 34.4 mm case × 41.7 mm lug-to-lug × 10.6 mm thick; 17.7 mm lug width
Dial: Silver satin with Ra SWISS Ra designation
Work performed: Crystal replaced only
Operation: Runs and sets, per owner's observation; not bench-timed
Included: Watch with navy strap
WHAT COMES WITH THE WATCH
The vintage Gruen Precision Autowind wristwatch and the navy-blue textured strap shown in the photographs. No original box, warranty card, papers or additional accessories have been documented.
A NOTE ON VINTAGE
This is a vintage mechanical watch with significant case wear and no documented complete service. The crystal has been replaced; current daily rate, power reserve and water resistance have not been tested.
Important luminous-material disclosure: The dial is marked Ra SWISS Ra, which historically designates radium luminous material. Actual radioactivity has not been measured. Keep the dial, hands and luminous material undisturbed; do not open, scrape or attempt to remove the luminous compound. For background, see U.S. EPA guidance on radioactive antiques.
PHOTOGRAPHED PURELY. SOLD HONESTLY.
These photographs are intended to show the watch as accurately as possible—the wear, the patina, the imperfections, and the details that matter. If there is something you want to see more closely before buying, ask.
