16k Euro for a new UG. Are you buying one?

paulmiami · Wed. 6:20pm

Mark020
Which vintage UG’s will you be buying? Only ones I can think of is Claptons and the like

I’m just trying to get my grandfather’s Tri-Compax from mid 1940s working again. It’s been at my watchmaker for 19 months. Had some problems sourcing several parts. I think we have all we need now, so hopefully I get it before Christmas.

I’m not a collector. But I started reading this forum in an effort to educate myself on the Tri-Compax. I’m very grateful for how helpful some of you have been. The cumulative knowledge of the Forum is quite impressive.

I’m a retired, formerly professional investor. I’ve learned through many mistakes to try to leave emotions at the door when it comes to investing. But as our family heirloom watches are not investments, I can justify irrational decisions when it comes to fixing them!

As an investor, I thinks there is a chance UG will succeed with the pricing they recently proposed. But unfortunately as I see it, it’s a small chance. There are too many brands out there that are better positioned. And even those struggle selling watches. I would have been more optimistic had someone like Richemont been the buyer. They own brands like Vacheron, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Lange …

bgrisso · Wed. 9:27pm

They didn't buy UG for 70 million without a plan. We already knew they wanted an upscale brand above Breitling, so the pricing reflects that.

As to how successful it will be, only time will tell.....

Multi mega million companies be business-in' and collector watch forums be forum-in'

😀

Verdi · Wed. 10:04pm

bgrisso
They didn't buy UG for 70 million without a plan. We already knew they wanted an upscale brand above Breitling, so the pricing reflects that.

As to how successful it will be, only time will tell.....

Multi mega million companies be business-in' and collector watch forums be forum-in'

😀

You would think so. But we have many examples where it didn't really work.
Look at Girard-Perregaux, a brand with a richer history compared to UG, imo. Are they selling a lot? Not really. Have you seen the resale value of their new watches?
Laureato model is beautiful, costs around 15k new and you can get one for 5-7k pre-owned.

The problem is UG has never been a high-end brand. I don’t think people are gonna line up to buy a basic steel 16k usd watch from them.
People have just top many choices at that price tag, all from established high-end brands: VC, Lange, PP…..
JLC has triple date models with moonphase going for 15k brand new (steel).

I just happen to be in Cartier shop today and I tried their Santos model. It comes with metal bracelet and extra leather strap. It costs only 7500 usd!!! We are talking about the iconic Cartier Santos, ultra known brand and model.

Evitzee · Wed. 10:06pm

Dan S
Or better yet, play the Omega game. Put them into high-end auctions and bid them up with shills.

Patek Philippe is the master of that game, they perfected that strategy decades ago.

banders · Wed. 10:48pm

Mark020
Some traders are already anticipating on higher prices: https://www.windvintage.com/universal-genve-tri-compax-reference-22539-non-luminous-unpolished USD 22k for a ok 22539 😬

Gonna put on my tinfoil hat for a sec. Given that Eric Wind is on the UG advisory board, maybe he's listing this tri at 22k to give UG legitimacy as a top-tier brand ahead of the relaunch. Great marketing for UG considering how many eyeballs his website attracts.

Makes me sad to see prices this high, since I would be priced out of acquiring more 🙁

Verdi · Wed. 11:10pm

banders
Gonna put on my tinfoil hat for a sec. Given that Eric Wind is on the UG advisory board, maybe he's listing this tri at 22k to give UG legitimacy as a top-tier brand ahead of the relaunch. Great marketing for UG considering how many eyeballs his website attracts.

Makes me sad to see prices this high, since I would be priced out of acquiring more 🙁

Hmmm, I think dealers should not be part of this advisory board if u ask me……..for obvious reasons.
Anyway, it’s normal to have a slight increase in price for vintage UG models given the wait for the new models. UG is kind of trending now and people are trying to take advantage of the events taking place in the brand re-launch.
On that note, I personally loved what they did with the SAS and I hope they can sign a partnership with the airline. I also hope that they gonna wake up and charge sane prices for their new watches.
As much as I love the brand, UG is not worth that much. They can make it worth more slowly, slowly. You cant just show up to the party and steal the show.

banders · Wed. 11:21pm

Mark020
Some traders are already anticipating on higher prices: https://www.windvintage.com/universal-genve-tri-compax-reference-22539-non-luminous-unpolished USD 22k for a ok 22539 😬

Wind Vintage had this same piece listed in early 2023 link

Looks like it was listed for 15.8k link

STANDY · Wed. 11:32pm

All you peasants need to get out of that $15k is a lot of money mindset. 🎤🤚

pdxleaf · Thurs. 12:31am

STANDY
All you peasants need to get out of that $15k is a lot of money mindset. 🎤🤚

(Those numbers hurt my head)

Mark020 · Thurs. 12:46am

Verdi
The problem is UG has never been a high-end brand.

Well it was. In 1945 😉

vujen · Thurs. 1:41am

Answer is simple: if they will list a "wannabe Polerouter" with a blue soleil dial that looks more like a Orient (with all respect) clone, than to a luxury watch, at 16k, I doubt many collectors will buy it.
If they will produce watches that are really interesting and nice, with real quality, maybe other collectors will buy it.

Market is king. And new UG has a reputation that is zero, in this moment. They have to rebuild it from the beginning.

At this exact point, the only thing in common between old UG and new one, is the brand name.

Dan S · Thurs. 7:07am

Evitzee
Patek Philippe is the master of that game, they perfected that strategy decades ago.

And when someone catches them doing it, "Oh, we were buying it for the museum!" 🤦

CaptainWinsor · Thurs. 8:17am

It’s not surprising since Breitling is owned by a private equity firm. Their passion is money not watchmaking

paulmiami · 2024-12-01T08:59:24-0600

Typically PE firms hold investments just a few years and then they exit, either to a strategic buyer, another PE firm or via IPO. UG alone is way too small for IPO. Don’t know how big Breitling is but I’m guessing it’s also small for an IPO. Perhaps the strategy is to buy a few brands as part of a roll up strategy and then sell out as a bigger company hoping that increased scale results in a higher valuation. Hard to know what they are thinking. From a marketing perspective they have quite a lot of work ahead. I would think given technology today developing the movements is the easiest part. Establishing the brand will be much harder.

vibe · 2024-12-01T10:35:16-0600

It seems like a really expensive and ambitious project to get UG up and going at that level. Breitling must be quite the cash cow. It’s also crazy that the brand sold for $70M. Was it just for the brand + IP or were there fixed assets?

Mark020 · 2024-12-01T14:44:33-0600

That's a question why I have as well. Dormant brand with - I assume - very little turnover. All interesting IP is decades old. I mean CVC are smart guys so they will have a reason to pay the amount they paid but I can't come up with an explanation