It seems too odd to be a total fake. One hand seems to have been replaced.

Discuss!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1940s-Super...562941365?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item3ce65dbfb5Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Very interesting. Any reference number or caseback pics? Also a clearer movement pic would be helpful of the signed bridge.

 

I have included a link to the original Ebay auction.

 

Ebay pics reveal a caseback reference number of 22201, which corresponds to a Universal Compax of completely different case design.

Universal did make some military style cases with fluted bezels like the the Sky Chief, but these were found on early model Compur chronos.

 

I havent really the expertise to tell if this is genuine or not, but the word Universal seems to have been added later than the rest as it is more bold and clear

 

I suspect that the answer lies in a close inspection (watch-in-hand, loupe-on-eye) of the signed "Benrus" bridge. When the Peruvian fraudsters make their frankenwatches, they sand down the bridges and re-engrave (some even using a laser engraving based on the consistency and repeatability of their work). Problem is, they usually aren't skilled enough or are in too big a rush to really restore the proper texture and graining to the bridge following the sanding. The caseback engravings that these folks put out have gotten very convincing, but I don't think that's at issue here given that the reference numbers and case all check out.

The "Universal" applique at 6 O'Clock is of poorer quality than the rest of the dial. Perhaps you have a bezel-less compax and a spare Sky Chief bezel that happens to match up? From the pictures, I don't think we'll know. But I think the smoking gun, if one exists, would be in the bridge engravings.

 

Peharps it was made by Universal Geneve for Benrus and later someone added the universal on the dial. They did make chronographs for other companies like Girard Perregaux(http://www.farfo.com/menswatches/Pa...le_register_universal_geneve_chronograph.html) so why not Benrus;

 

I have never seen this plain "Sky Chief" font used
on any other Sky Chief. Although the word Benrus above it
has variation. But "Sky Chief" always has the distinctive "k" and "f"

 

and the import code....
AXZ:
Alden, Benrus, Langendorf

 

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I found this link:
http://www.syuukou.com/watch/chronograph/benrus.html

 

fake seems a little "far fetched". It would have been easier to just buy a UG rather than spending a lot of time making a benrus look like a UG. The movement is clearly labelled and a UG caliber and the caseback would have taken a lot of skill to do, seems to have an import mark, I agree, the dial could be better but we are talking about the war years ...

I will go for a rare original benrus made by UG

 

This one seems to be redial.

 

I don't think so... If it was a redial, then why does it perfectly match the OP's picture but is not the same watch. I'm also not calling a redial.. since I am pretty sure the 4 minute hashes would have been removed if redialed.

The Japanese site under translation is saying that Universal was a US only sub brand in the late 30's for Benrus. Which is what I was leaning to in the intial read of this post, that it was a super early Sky Chief and Benrus used Universal as a descriptor of some kind. They are asking $2,500 for it.

 

How is that 'perfectly match'?

 

How are they not the same watch variant? I never said they are the actual same watch.

There is no way that these 2 have the exact same redial, and whoever redialed it would do a bunch of odd things to it. I really think these are 2 examples of a really early Sky Chief. No one in their right mind would have copied over the 4 minute hashmarks on the chrono minute if they redialed it and put Universal on it to make it look more expensive.

 

Yes I understand that they're definitely different dial. Only the second one is re-dial. Look closely on the thickness of the paint, fonts and numbers are messy. Number 6 on the left subdial would be easiest to tell for you?

 

Second one is a bad redial. Several telltales. Hour counter sub register appears slightly off centre. The thickness of the 5 min markers are inconsistent. Universal font is bad. And it goes on....

The first one I am more uncertain about.
I have seen that certain strange combinations have occurred in the past.
I speculate in this being related to local representatives bidding for military/public contracts and wanting to strengthen local brand awareness? Or something in that line......
They could have been entering contract negotiations using a Benrus model that failed to meet spec, and then obtained a UG version that would?
Pure speculation but there have been stranger things happening.