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  1. RandyTime Feb 27, 2015

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    Does the dial on this Steel 138 SS appear to be original or a redial? My concern is over the lack of minute markers. I have seen photos of a number of gold Polerouters both Deluxe and regular without the minutes indices but never a photo of a steel watch dial without the markers.

    Help needed -- Thanks
     
    Silver Polerouter Face.jpg
  2. Darlinboy Pratts! Will I B******S!!! Feb 27, 2015

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    I am going to say redial, based on the fonts/thickness, with the caveat to wait and hear from others more expert.

    Edit: photo of an original added for comparison
    ImageUploadedByTapatalk1425055919.707588.jpg
     
    Edited Feb 27, 2015
  3. Hijak Feb 27, 2015

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    For comparison...
    Universal Geneve Polerouter Automatic Cal. 138SS, 1.JPG
     
  4. Spike Feb 27, 2015

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    I thought the crosshairs are suppose to actually go right through the fonts, passing through the first stroke of the 'M' and right through the centre of GENEVE, not stopping short of it which makes both the above examples redials........but I'm a lot newer to this game than the 2 esteem members above so take what I say with a pinch of salt......Uncle Lou is our man to pass comment here I would imagine.
     
  5. Alpha Kilt Owner, Beagle Parent, Omega Collector Feb 27, 2015

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    I would be inclined to agree with you Spike but again I am far from being a guru.
    My example shows your thoughts -
    Screen Shot 2014-12-30 at 09.31.34.jpg
     
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  6. Spike Feb 27, 2015

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    That's exactly what I mean!

    Oh and DIBS by the way..........a forlorn hope I fear........:(
     
  7. Alpha Kilt Owner, Beagle Parent, Omega Collector Feb 27, 2015

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    Duly noted, :thumbsup:
     
  8. Tony C. Ωf Jury member Feb 27, 2015

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    I'm going to play devil's advocate in this case.

    First, like so many nuances in the vintage watch world, I would not assume that this is a redial based on the broken crosshair. Remember, all Swiss companies outsourced their dial work, and it was not uncommon to find minor variations depending on the year/model in question. Furthermore, if that is a redial, it appears to be exceptionally good. The black borders around the lume dots, the aged apprarance and uniformity of the lume. Then you have SWISS T at the bottom, which is very interesting. Some experienced collectors would exclaim "Aha! There should be two 'Ts"." But you see, I look at it differently. If a restorer were good enough to do that kind of job, he wouldn't likely make such a mistake. It would either read SWISS, or there would be two Ts. (And there are many examples of such dials in terms of lume that did not feature two Ts – another inconsistency found across many brands.)

    My verdict is more likely original.
     
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  9. LouS Mrs Nataf's Other Son Staff Member Feb 27, 2015

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    This question comes up all the time - it's time for some serious dial-ologist to bite into this topic of POlerouter dials and establish some criteria for authenticity based on an in-depth survey. Somewhere on these forums, Styggepygge posted some images of a trove of original Polerouter parts he came upon by "luck" (holding cherished pet of aged and sickly watchmaker hostage, I suspect - it is not beyond him, he is the desperado type), among which are dials with broken crosshairs, if I recall correctly.
     
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  10. RandyTime Feb 27, 2015

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    Tony, are you speaking about the watch in my original post or one of the others added as examples?
     
  11. Alpha Kilt Owner, Beagle Parent, Omega Collector Feb 27, 2015

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    All interesting posts, as @LouS mentions it would indeed be ideal if some definitive criteria for authenticity could be established.
    Cross hairs I have to say were the only Item that gave me any doubt with the other pieces.
     
  12. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member Feb 27, 2015

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    I think each reference number and iteration would have different configurations of fonts, registers, cross-hairs and wording. Polerouter.com would the largest variety of dial pictures for reference purposes.

    Some Polerouters have odd configurations. My steel versions (one bumper and one microrotor) both have radium dots on the dial and none on the hands. This made the lume pretty much useless, even when new.

    gatorcpa
     
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  13. eustace Feb 27, 2015

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    I've come to believe that the crosshairs should break around the letters. If someone were to do a redial, why would they take the extra effort to have the crosshairs avoid the letters -- it would seem to be much more work than just letting it intersect the letters. In either case, the vertical crosshair generally appears to be in line with the "M" in automatic.

    upload_2015-2-27_17-58-40.png

    Here's mine. Cal 215. I make no claims about its authenticity (please discuss). Note that the vertical crosshair breaks above "Automatic", in between, and below "Microrotor". Note the line breaks similarily at the 12oclock position too. Seems like a lot of work for a redialer when a single vertical line would suffice.

    Thoughts?
     
    Edited Feb 27, 2015
  14. lenny Feb 27, 2015

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    FWIW, I too spotted the ad for that watch. After quite a bit of googling, I came to the conclusion that it is probably a redial. I could not find any reliable sources documenting this specific design (aside from a single ebay auction). Also, there are no direct close ups of the dial - everything is from an angle, which to me is suspicious.
     
  15. Tony C. Ωf Jury member Feb 27, 2015

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    I was referring to the one originally posted.
     
  16. eustace Feb 27, 2015

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    Note the top vertical crosshair runs right over the applied "U" logo. That's just lazy. There's also something off with the "Polerouter" font (hard to see from the OP's picture, easier to see from the source). I vote redial.
     
  17. ELV web Feb 27, 2015

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    The "A" on OP looks like a redial. Pointy....
     
  18. Alpha Kilt Owner, Beagle Parent, Omega Collector Feb 28, 2015

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    Having had http://polerouter.de/frameset-collection.htm bookmarked for some time I admit to never having spent much time viewing images, that is until now. Time well spent as the split between continuous and broken cross-hairs looks to be pretty much a fifty fifty split.
    My humble conclusion, cross-hair whether continuous or broken really has no bearing in this thread.
     
  19. styggpyggeno1 ΩF Enforcer ....and thread killer Feb 28, 2015

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    I do hold some old watchmakers in my basement just for fun... Sometimes I go down there and practice my enforcer skills. One of them - when I twisted his arm - remembered where to find this old thread:
    http://omegaforums.net/threads/universal-geneve-polerouter-de-luxe.3495/
     
    Edited Feb 28, 2015
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  20. Alpha Kilt Owner, Beagle Parent, Omega Collector Feb 28, 2015

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