Gruen and Potter represent the polar ends of the Swiss American watch movement. Toward the end of the American watch trade, Bulova and Benrus became dominant players who took advantage of the highly competent Swiss labor force and the modernized "putting out" system to dominate the United States market for watches. Their effort was, of course, abetted by the decline of the U.S. watch industry during the Second World War while the factories were occupied with war production.

However, the Swiss American connection goes back all the way to Dennison and the Tremont watch company and includes a very large number of Swiss escapements and Swiss dials on otherwise fully American watches.