All about Gruen

[Fred]

I have him credited as Candy Candido since possibly his second recording of 1932 (still aged 18!) playing bass with Ted Fiorito’s big band. Growing up playing jazz in New Orleans, he would’ve gotten a nickname early. “Candy” is an obvious choice. A bit more obvious and less ownable than, say, Satchmo (“satchel mouth”) but it’s in the same shortened slang. And he was not as famous a player as Louis Armstrong, more of a session guy still cutting teeth. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had it early on (as soon as he started playing gigs) but used it only on and off while trying to break out professionally.

[Fred]

Here are session credits for Dec 1932

[Dietrich]

Thanks a lot for sharing! My earliest findings for the Candy nick name were of 1935...
But when he already had it with 18 just starting his musician career, why shouldn't this already having been his obvious nick name when he was still at school? Just shortening his last name to something nice sounding may happen already early in school, it happened also to me when I was about 10 years old. So he may simply have sticked to this.

Here is the watch engraving:

And here a nice autograph, the "C" style is even similar...

Three possibilities here, 1. Coincidence, 2. he copied the watch style when signing, 3. the watch was engraved later copying his signature a little bit.

[Fred]

Seeing it, now I think option 3. I do not think a coincidence, must be his. But I think possibly added later to a treasured gift he fondly carried—to ensure it didn’t walk away on the road. Perhaps not enough of a tabloid headliner to hope for a casual pic of him checking the time, holding this watch, but one can hope! Great find, sir!

[Dietrich]

Yes, also to me option three is the most likely. I will ask his daughter(s) if she/they remember her dad having had this watch.

[Mr. Bieser]

Can we please see a photo of the whole watch? Thanks

[Dietrich]

Yes, this is possible now as I received it yesterday...

I don't know if the hands are original to the watch, I did not see this style at a Semithin Junior before. It's the celluloid crystal which makes the dial looking yellow, in reality it is dirty but white.

[Mr. Bieser]

Wow, nevermind the hands, guessing you got a steal on it too. I think you scored.
The cursive font inscription, imo does make a tentative connection to Candy's signature, which stayed consistent throughout decades. I looked at perhaps 15 of his autographs and they ALL had that C.

Candy would've been a man with ALOT of watches. But intriguing to me that this could've been one of his first! It all seems probable but I hope his relatives can give you the smoking gun you seek.

So far in my search I can say for certain that Candy owned a Mickey Mouse watch:

Question, what US State did the watch come out of?

[Mr. Bieser]

I ask bc sometimes item location can be confirmation in itself.

A star after only 3 minutes of screen time! Maybe one of our lesser known celebrity wrists, Guy Madison.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Madison