8 of the Best Vintage Watches From Universal Genève

Ahead of UG's resurrection under Breitling, let's revisit some of the classics from this beloved brand

January 14, 2025 2:44 pm EST
Universal Genève Compax “Nina Rindt” ref. 885103/02, one of our favorite vintage watches from Universal Genève, which is being revived by Breitling
In the lead-up to Universal Genève's revival, let's look back on its best watches over the years.
Watch photo: Analog:Shift

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Now that Breitling is reviving Universal Genève, one of the watch world’s most beloved brands, we can’t help but speculate as to what the newly reconstituted maison will release beginning in 2026. Surely Breitling CEO Georges Kern and company will think up new collections as well as fresh takes on old favorites, as they should — but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t want to see the occasional straight-up vintage reissue. While we rail against the practice of having these throwback watches constitute the majority of one’s production, offering a smattering of greatest hits is perfectly welcome. (LVMH’s watch brands tend to strike this balance well — think of Zenith’s Chronomaster Original, for example, or TAG Heuer’s Monaco re-edition.) 

Founded in 1894 in Le Locle, Switzerland, Universal Genève quickly began specializing in complicated chronographs such as the Compax, Aero-Compax and Tri-Compax. These specialist watches, largely produced between the 1930s and 1960s, were distributed by famed retailers such as Hermès in Europe and the Henri Stern Watch Agency in North America — the same firm that owns and distributes Patek Philippe. During the 1950s, a young designer named Gérald Genta designed the anti-magnetic Polarouter — soon renamed the “Polerouter” — for use in Scandinavian Air Systems’ North Pole-routed flights from Los Angeles to Copehagen. By the 1970s and the onset of the Quartz Crisis, business slowed considerably, and UG was eventually purchased by Hong Kong-based Stelux Holdings in 1989.

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Beginning in the late 2000s, enthusiast websites such as Hodinkee began touting the beauty, utility and sheer variety of vintage Universal Genève designs, and watches that once traded for relatively insignificant sums in the dusty corners of the internet soon found themselves attracting serious money. Vintage watch dealers such as Analog:Shift and Wind Vintage couldn’t keep Polerouters and Compax chronographs in stock, and much speculation began stirring around the possibility of an acquisition and relaunch of the brand. Many interested parties supposedly approached Stelux Holdings, all to be turned down — until Georges Kern and Breitling, who were finally able to make an offer that, it would seem, Stelux couldn’t refuse.

Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until 2026 before the first new UGs hit the shelves. (Thankfully, the brand has put together a special advisory board of some of the most knowledgeable Universal Genève collectors and scholars in the world, so it would seem the wait will be worth it.) In the meantime, however, there are plenty of vintage micro-rotor automatics, chronographs, calendar watches and divers to enjoy — and possibly to buy up before the inevitable rush on the market! Here are some of our absolute favorites from Universal Genève over the years.

Universal Genève Polerouter ref. 20357-2
Universal Genève Polerouter ref. 20357-2

While the very first Polerouter references were powered by bumper automatic movements, UG fairly quickly switched over to micro-rotor automatic movements, particularly the Cal. 215. With its compact 34mm case with “twisted” or “lyre” lugs, a beautiful crosshair dial with engine-turned chapter ring, luminous dauphine handset, and screw-down caseback, the ref. 20357-2 is perhaps the quintessential Polerouter — although, we must admit, the date-equipped versions are no less beautiful, and perhaps more utilitarian.

Universal Genève Polerouter Sub ref. 869109/01
Universal Genève Polerouter Sub ref. 869109/01

Beginning in roughly 1961, UG began offering a single-crown, dive-ready version of its Polerouter in the form of the Polerouter Sub. The model’s design changed over the years — first up was a Compressor-style version with dual crowns, then a smaller 37mm version with a symmetrical case, then a larger 40mm version with an asymmetric case — but the idea was consistent throughout: Here was a funky, automatic Universal Genève that one could take beneath the waves. The ref. 869109/01, with its midsize 37mm symmetrical steel case, rotating dive bezel, trapezoidal date window and highly stylized Arabic cardinal indices is simply too cool for school.

Universal Genève White Shadow ref. 866101/05
Universal Genève White Shadow ref. 866101/05

Designed once again by Gérald Genta, the Shadow series was a line of ultra-thin dress watches in tonneau-shaped cases that took advantage of UG’s slim automatic movements. The White Shadow ref. 866101/05 is particularly stunning: Within the confines of its 6mm-thick stainless steel case is a gorgeous (and unusual) blue lacquer dial with a painted “silver star” motif. Inside is the cal. 1-66; introduced at the Basel Watch Show in 1966, it measures an astonishing 2.5mm thick, which made it the thinnest automatic watch movement in the world at the time. At 35mm in diameter, the White Shadow is perhaps the perfect dress watch for today’s slimmer-leaning tastes.

Universal Genève Uni-Compax “Big Eye” ref. 884100/02
Universal Genève Uni-Compax “Big Eye” ref. 884100/02

In contrast to the highly complicated Tri-Compax, the Uni-Compax ref. 884100/02 and ref. 884100/01 used a fairly straightforward dual-register approach, with a 45-minute counter at 3 o’clock and a running seconds indicator at 9 o’clock. The “Big Eye” name comes from the enlarged 45-minute counter, which makes it more legible and also offers an idiosyncratic look. When combined with the black-over-white “panda” dial configuration and the unique blue modified sword handset, this highly rare watch takes on a character all its own. (Massena LAB’s Uni-Racer, available in several configurations, is a modern take on this watch.)

Universal Genève Compax “Nina Rindt” ref. 885103/02
Universal Genève Compax “Nina Rindt” ref. 885103/02

Yet another beloved UG chronograph is the three-register Compax ref. 885103/02, known by collectors as the “Nina Rindt.” Born Nina Lincoln, Finnish model Nina Rindt was the wife of legendary F1 driver Jochen Rindt, who was tragically killed on the track in 1970. Nina was frequently photographed with a reference 885103/02, and the modern collector community has come to associate it with her. With its well-sized 36mm twisted-lug steel case, black tachymeter bezel, white “panda” dial and triple-register chronograph, it’s the classic picture of a midcentury racing watch. Pair it to a leather “rallye” strap and you’ve got yourself a true 1960s icon.

Universal Genève Tri-Compax ref. 22297
Universal Genève Tri-Compax ref. 22297

It’s difficult to offer a watch that is both highly utilitarian and simultaneously extraordinarily beautiful, but this particular iteration of the Tri-Compax — a chronograph type that offers a full calendar and moon phase — manages it splendidly. While earlier versions of the Tri-Compax featured flat, doorstop-style pushers, the ref. 22297 features miniature pump pushers combined with a screw-down steel caseback. While indices and hands were offered in different configurations, the layout always included a triple-register chronograph, day and month displays, and a date display combined with a moon phase indicator.

Universal Genève Aero-Compax ref. 22286
Universal Genève Aero-Compax ref. 22286

It’s pretty mind-blowing to think that UG was making a watch such as the Aero-Compax all the way back in the 1940s: Equipped with four registers, the dial features a 30-minute counter, a 12-hour counter, a running seconds indicator, plus a secondary time zone indicator below 12 o’clock controlled via a secondary crown at 9 o’clock. Powered by the column wheel-equipped Universal Genève cal. 283 hand-wound movement, this spectacular tool watch is perfect for the pilot or frequent traveler, while its 37mm diameter and doorstop pushers make it comfortable for daily wear.

Universal Genève Film-Compax ref. 22522
Universal Genève Film-Compax ref. 22522

What at first may seem like a fairly run-of-the-mill chronograph — 37mm stainless steel case, triple-register layout, doorstop pushers, hand-wound movement — is actually an ultra-rare Compax variant from the 1940s. Used to compute the amount of 35mm and 16mm film used in feet per second, it’s an extraordinarily niche product even for a time when such purpose-built timepieces were significantly more common. (The outer ring in black displays 35mm film, while the inner ring in red represents 16mm film.) It’s thought that fewer than 10 examples of the watch exist on the market, making its reissuing a very exciting (theoretical) proposition indeed.

dd

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