Los Angeles.
Andy Warhol(1928-1985) was an artist who defined an era of pop art and sent the visual arts movement into high gear. His bold creations extended far beyond the canvas to photography, sculptures, silk screening, printmaking, sculpture, film, music, album covers and products. His concepts of branding continuously influences the industry today. He painted iconic objects and celebrities in the American lifestyle of the 1960's: Celebrities such as Marylin Monroe, Elvis Presley, Mohammed Ali and Elizabeth Taylor... and he adored fine watches.
He would seek out the best watches for his collection.
And Andy knew the supplier of fine watches was none other than Movado Group Founder Gerry Grinberg. Andy Warhol called Gerry Grinberg.
Gerry Grinberg, a Cuban immigrant who came to America with a suitcase and a dream, became the most recognized high end watch supplier in the 60's and 70's. He even played a large role convincing companies like Van Cleef & Arpels to sell expensive watches.
Gerry Grinberg was a master at the luxury watch trade learning from the greats like Adolph Vallet managing director of Omega in the 1950's in Switzerland. Gerry Grinberg escaped Cuba in 1960, and began selling pricey Piaget timepieces from a single suitcase to affluent Americans.
This was one of the most difficult times to sell expensive Omega's and Patek Phillipes even to the American rich. No one in New York wanted an expensive watch. The trend was low cost miracle merchandise like polyester suits and $18 Timex watches. (Who can forget the Timex Slogan - "Timex – Takes a Licking and keeps on Ticking")
However after some reconsideration Van Cleef & Arpels agreed to give Piaget watches a chance virtually changing America's mind set about luxury watches. Gerry Grinberg decided to distribute the then new Corum brand becoming the official North American Agent. The brand with its signature Gold Corum Watch designs became highly popular among powerful men like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagen. After seeing the advertisements for Corum watches, Andy Warhol, who had a penchant for collecting fine watches, wanted a Corum Ingot watch. He contacted Grinberg who also was an avid art collector. A deal was struck: Andy Warhol became the proud owner of a Corum Ingot and Grinberg prouder still of an Andy Warhol lithograph.
They became close friends. One of the last projects before Andy Warhol died was to create a watch for Movado called the Andy Warhol Times 5. The first watch in Movado's Artist Collection. The watch has five faces to form a bracelet, each containing a different Warhol black-and-white photograph of various New York City buildings. These watches ,limited to 250 pieces in 1988 and originally sold for $18,000 each, are highly collectible and displayed in numerous art and design museums.
In 1988, a year after Andy Warhol died , Sothebys auctioned off his vast collections of cookie jars, toys, art, jewelry, watches e.t.c ... and who spent the most money purchasing Andy Warhol's possessions? Gerry Grinberg Founder of Movado Group.
Gerry Grinberg past on in January 2009, leaving behind a legacy.
Source: www.movadogroupinc.com Article from "Watch Time", October 2003
By Joe Thompson
Los Angelos Times "Still Paying the Price for a 'Piece of Andy" by Suzanne Muchnic April 26, 1998