Wristwatch Review: Precision by Gruen Mens Dress Watch

In the world of cheap watches, there are a few gems.  One of those gems has to be a Precision by Gruen quartz dress watch that I found at Kohls several months ago.  It's a men's dress watch with a Japanese quartz movement, a date window, a brown leather strap, and a gold colored case.  It retails for less than $30. Ordinarily there wouldn't be much more to write.  However, this watch has one feature that makes it special:  a domed crystal.  That feature combined with a well executed vintage look makes this watch look much more expensive than it actually is.

Precision by Gruen with Domed Crystal

Construction.  This watch has a stainless steel caseback and base metal case.  At this price point, you won't find much information about the materials used. 

Dimensions.  This watch has a 40mm diameter case. stainless steel caseback and base metal bezel or case. With a gently domed crystal, it is 11.5mm thick. 

Battery. The watch takes a 377/SR626SW watch battery.

While Precision by Gruen was once a great name in American watches, today It is made in Asia by M.Z. Berger.  However, the company knows a thing or two about making watches.   I highly recommend this one.

Precision by Gruen with Domed Crystal

Gruen Watches for Christmas

In my collection, G is often for Gruen II.  Gruen was another fine name in American watches.  They manufactured watches from the 1890s through the 1950s.  Ebay has lots of vintage Gruen watches at a variety of price points.  These vintage watches could make memorable and meaningful gifts.

Like the Elgin name, the Gruen name has been revived by MZ Berger.  While these new Gruen's are certainly less desirable from a collector's perspective.  You could still find some nice contemporary watches from these new Gruen collections. But don't be fooled into thinking that new Gruen watches are valuable because of the Gruen name.  At Kohl's I purchased a "Precision by Gruen Watch" for about $23.  It came with a really cheap nylon band, but looks very nice with this replacement bracelet. 

Precision by Gruen

I have also bought a Gruen II watch at Sears.  It's an attractive looking quartz watch for about $35.  It was a little too large for me, but I was easily able to resize it using the Android watch repair kit that I won from a contest on one of my favorite watch forums.

These new Gruen watches would be perfectly reasonable gifts if you are shopping in the under $50 price range.  They'd be great stocking stuffers.  My Gruen II watch also came in an attractive box.  That's always a nice plus for Christmas shoppers.

Watch Repair Kit

My First Watch Repair Kit

Back in early July of 2013, I was the fortunate winner of a drawing for an Android Watch Repair Kit from the now defunct MyWristwatch Forums.  It was a cool prize to win because I've long had a stash of cool watches that were just to big for me.  So, I've started removing links from all of those watches that just didn't fit.  Now, I can wear them and properly introduce them.  You can get a similar watch repair kit here on Amazon.

A Basic Watch Repair Kit

Resizing Watch Bands

Here is one of the first watches that I resized.  It's a Gruen II that I bought at Sears two years ago.  When I pulled them out of my secret stash, I was surprised to find that it was still running.  I liked this watch because it has a clear and readable dial and has a background that looks like high tech carbon fiber.  At somewhere around $30, the price was attractive, too.  When you set a watch bracelet in the blue contraption in the watch kit, you can twist the handle to push the pins in the bracelet right out.  You push out the pins so you can remove the links as needed.  Then you use the little hammer in the kit to tab the pins back in place at the smaller size.

Gruen II from Sears

There are some other watches made under the Gruen name today.  While the legendary Gruen watch company is gone, the name lives on. You'll find the Precision by Gruen watches on some basic watches at Kohl's.

[As of 2024, it seems like Precision by Gruen watches are most often found on Etsy or eBay.]