Universal Genève: Icons of Swiss Watchmaking

With names like Numa-Emile Descombes and Ulysse-Georges Perret, the sky is surely the limit when building a wristwatch brand. Initially conceived as 'Universal Watch' by a pair of Swiss watchmakers in 1894, the brand quickly grew into a big player when it came to reliable and sturdy timepieces. For 25 years, the Universal brand called Le Locle home until its move to bigger premises in Geneva. Now under the watchful leadership of Ulysse-Georges Perret and Louis Berthoud, due to the passing of Numa-Emile Descombes, the brand continued to grow from strength to strength. 

In 1933, the brand struck gold with one of its first real icons - 'The Ideo' or, as it's also affectionately named, 'The Cabriolet'. With a hinged case, rectangular shape and clear Art Deco DNA, the Cabriolet couldn't epitomise 30's style and functionality anymore if it tried. 

By the early 1940s, Universal Genève, as the brand is now officially known, had managed to weather the storm of war by producing incredibly precise and reliable chronographs. Meeting standards high enough to warrant being officially issued to the Dutch Armed Forces. In 1944, UG's next icon came along, in the form of the 'Tri-Compax'...

This three-register, full calendar complication chronograph wristwatch was a big step for not only the brand but Swiss watchmaking in general. It rapidly became a worldwide success and gained UG a reputation. One of style, function and dependability. These watches were cool. 

Fast forward ten years. A decade of continued innovation and pushing boundaries led to Universal Geneve entrusting a young watch designer to create a watch that was equal parts 007 and 747, class and consistency, style and soundness. The Polerouter. The designer - Gerald Genta. Need I say more? 

Designed for pilots of the Scandinavian Airlines System, resistant to water, magnetic fields and shocks, this watch was quite a considerable piece of kit. Seemingly blending tool and dress watch into one package, in a way only Genta could. 

There's a kind of underground hall of fame within the watch world, one reserved for pieces with weight only serious icons can obtain. When a brand chooses to reissue a watch, it not only endorses the initial design but solidifies the watch's standing in this hall of fame, making the initial iterations even more desirable! 

What could possibly be better than the opportunity to own a piece of the horological annals as steeped in history as an original Universal Geneve Poulrouter, I hear you ask? How about two chances? 

Universal Genève Polerouter Watches at Auction

In our upcoming Watches auction on Thursday the 23rd of April, we are incredibly lucky to have two Original issue Polerouters as lots 92 and 93. 

Lot 92
Universal Genève - Polerouter
Estimate £700 - £1,000

Lot 93
Universal Genève - Polerouter
Estimate £700 - £1,000