Gedalio Grinberg
Encyclopedia
Gedalio "Gerry" Grinberg (September 26, 1931 – January 4, 2009) was a Cuban American
watchmaker who was the founder and chairman of the Movado Group
, based in Paramus, New Jersey
.
Grinberg was born in Quivicán, Cuba
on September 26, 1931. At age 15, he sold an alarm clock for a customer who sought one for $15. He was able to obtain the clock through his father's jewelry shop, which led to Grinberg starting an alarm clock business. He didn't make any money selling his first clock, but he established a market for the alarm clocks from the referrals that came with his first sale and that became his business. Grinberg recounted in a 2001 article about his first job how this taught him the importance of honesty and of word of mouth
as a way to build a business.
He attended the University of Havana
and switched his business to specialize in watches.
After the Cuban Revolution
, he was questioned and threatened by members of the Fidel Castro
-led government who offered him a government job. Grinberg declined and fled to Miami on August 16, 1960 with his wife and two children.
He initially struggled, but jumped onto an opportunity to establish a Piaget
distributorship in New York City
with two other refugees, starting their business as the Piaget Watch Company in 1961 with the contents of a single suitcase. Their company, renamed North American Watch Company in 1967, was initially a distributor of watches for Swiss manufacturers, but the firm later acquired the Ebel, and Concord brands, as well as manufacturing watches under brands it licensed, such as Hugo Boss
.
After reading Vance Packard
's 1959 book, The Status Seekers, and its message of how Americans were increasingly looking to project their status, Grinberg realized that he could convince Americans that wearing a quality watch was as much of a status symbol as owning a Cadillac in one's driveway. A 1988 Forbes
profile cited by The New York Times
described how "Grinberg helped make Americans conscious of their watches and made the glint of gold on a male wrist a status symbol" changing the American perception of a watch as a gift one received for their high school graduation.
As part of an effort to combat Japanese watchmakers, Grinberg invested in ultrathin quartz watches, culminating in 1980 with the Concord Delirium IV, which at 0.98 millimeters thick was the first watch thinner than one millimeter.
After acquiring the Movado
in 1983, the firm was renamed the Movado Group. Under Grinberg, Movado heavily promoted the "Museum Watch" a modernistic markless black face with a single gold dot at the 12 o'clock position based on a design by Nathan George Horwitt
in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art
, selling millions of the watches in dozens of different versions.
Grinberg donated an 18-foot clock tower, located across from the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
in Dante Park
at Broadway
and West 64th Street. The triangular tower, designed by the architect Philip Johnson
, has four clock faces — two on one side, and one on each of the other two sides — each bearing the Movado name.
Cuban American
A Cuban American is a United States citizen who traces his or her "national origin" to Cuba. Cuban Americans are also considered native born Americans with Cuban parents or Cuban-born persons who were raised and educated in US...
watchmaker who was the founder and chairman of the Movado Group
Movado
Movado is a Swiss luxury watch company whose name is Esperanto for "continuous movement". Movado was founded in 1881 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by Achilles Ditesheim....
, based in Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,342. A suburb of New York City, Paramus is located between 15–20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan and approximately west of Upper Manhattan.Paramus is one of...
.
Grinberg was born in Quivicán, Cuba
Quivicán, Cuba
Quivicán is a municipality in Mayabeque Province of Cuba. It is located in the south west of the province, bordering the Gulf of Batabanó. The name is of Taino origin .It was founded in 1700.-Demographics:...
on September 26, 1931. At age 15, he sold an alarm clock for a customer who sought one for $15. He was able to obtain the clock through his father's jewelry shop, which led to Grinberg starting an alarm clock business. He didn't make any money selling his first clock, but he established a market for the alarm clocks from the referrals that came with his first sale and that became his business. Grinberg recounted in a 2001 article about his first job how this taught him the importance of honesty and of word of mouth
Word of mouth
Word of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...
as a way to build a business.
He attended the University of Havana
University of Havana
The University of Havana or UH is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba. Founded in 1728, the University of Havana is the oldest university in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas...
and switched his business to specialize in watches.
After the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
, he was questioned and threatened by members of the Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
-led government who offered him a government job. Grinberg declined and fled to Miami on August 16, 1960 with his wife and two children.
He initially struggled, but jumped onto an opportunity to establish a Piaget
Piaget SA
Piaget SA is a Swiss luxury watchmakers and jewellers, founded in 1874 by Georges Piaget in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées. The company belongs to the Swiss Richemont group, specialists in the luxury goods industry....
distributorship in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with two other refugees, starting their business as the Piaget Watch Company in 1961 with the contents of a single suitcase. Their company, renamed North American Watch Company in 1967, was initially a distributor of watches for Swiss manufacturers, but the firm later acquired the Ebel, and Concord brands, as well as manufacturing watches under brands it licensed, such as Hugo Boss
Hugo Boss
Hugo Ferdinand Boss was the founder of clothing company Hugo Boss.-Early life:Boss was born in Metzingen, Germany. After completing his apprenticeship and one year of employment, he founded his own company in Metzingen in 1923.-Support of Nazism:Boss joined the Nazi Party in 1931, two years before...
.
After reading Vance Packard
Vance Packard
Vance Packard was an American journalist, social critic, and author.- Life and career :He was born in Granville Summit, Pennsylvania to parents Philip J. Packard and Mabel Case Packard...
's 1959 book, The Status Seekers, and its message of how Americans were increasingly looking to project their status, Grinberg realized that he could convince Americans that wearing a quality watch was as much of a status symbol as owning a Cadillac in one's driveway. A 1988 Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
profile cited by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described how "Grinberg helped make Americans conscious of their watches and made the glint of gold on a male wrist a status symbol" changing the American perception of a watch as a gift one received for their high school graduation.
As part of an effort to combat Japanese watchmakers, Grinberg invested in ultrathin quartz watches, culminating in 1980 with the Concord Delirium IV, which at 0.98 millimeters thick was the first watch thinner than one millimeter.
After acquiring the Movado
Movado
Movado is a Swiss luxury watch company whose name is Esperanto for "continuous movement". Movado was founded in 1881 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by Achilles Ditesheim....
in 1983, the firm was renamed the Movado Group. Under Grinberg, Movado heavily promoted the "Museum Watch" a modernistic markless black face with a single gold dot at the 12 o'clock position based on a design by Nathan George Horwitt
Nathan George Horwitt
Nathan George Horwitt was an American industrial designer. He is most renowned for his Museum watch created for the Swiss watch company Movado, which featured a black dial with a single gold circle situated at 12 o'clock. The Museum watch is part of the permanent collection of New York's Museum...
in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, selling millions of the watches in dozens of different versions.
Grinberg donated an 18-foot clock tower, located across from the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
in Dante Park
Dante Park
Dante Park or Dante Square is a park in front of Lincoln Center in New York City, New York.The park was established by Italian-Americans in honor of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. Carlo Barsotti, editor of the paper Il Progresso Italo-Americano, originally wanted to gather funds for a much more...
at Broadway
Broadway (New York City)
Broadway is a prominent avenue in New York City, United States, which runs through the full length of the borough of Manhattan and continues northward through the Bronx borough before terminating in Westchester County, New York. It is the oldest north–south main thoroughfare in the city, dating to...
and West 64th Street. The triangular tower, designed by the architect Philip Johnson
Philip Johnson
Philip Cortelyou Johnson was an influential American architect.In 1930, he founded the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and later , as a trustee, he was awarded an American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the first Pritzker Architecture...
, has four clock faces — two on one side, and one on each of the other two sides — each bearing the Movado name.