Dietrich Gruen

Dietrich Gruen (February 22, 1847 – April 10, 1911) German born watchmaker who emigrated to the United States in the 1880s and founded the Gruen watch Company. Attended both public and private schools. At age 15 began learning the watchmaking trade. Gruen apprenticed to Hans Martens in Friedburg, Germany and also worked in Karlsruhe, Wiesbaden, and Lode. In 1867 he travelled to the United States, following in the steps of his three older brothers, all of whom immigrated several years before. One of his three brothers had died in 1863 in the American Civil War. On this trip he met Pauline Wittlinger, the daughter of a watchmaker. Wittlinger lived in Delaware, Ohio. In 1869 Gruen married Wittlinger, moved to Delaware and worked for her...