I bought this recently and it arrived today but leaves me puzzled for my next move. The model number on the back is 269111/04 and it is an 18k one piece case with 19mm lugs. The dial looks to have crisp printing but is lacking the usual swiss at the bottom. Could it be a redial? What i'm now also worried about is the cost of repair after reading another thread where somone spent $1500(obviously that was a chronograph). Is it worth having it repaired as I would have assumed it was only worth $500 or so working but could be wrong. Thanks

 

I know nothing about these watches either but maybe you and I can work through your concerns together.

It is true that many watches have been redialed, but the closeup photos you have provided of the printed text suggests your dial is original. Many watches of that era do not have Swiss or Swiss Made on the dial, so the lack of a country of origin should not be concerning.

This website suggests the Polerouter Geneve model ran between 1960 and 1970, and that timeline would correspond with the applied "U" logo, the dial style and the fonts used in the dial text on your watch. Use a serial number table to check the serial on your watch. I might suggest finding other examples of Polerouter Geneves to see how they compare and contrast against yours. You may never find another example that is identical to yours, but the examples you do find should show a resemblance. The photos are not great but here are a couple:

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With respect to servicing, if you intend to wear it you should service it with a watchmaker familiar with vintage watches. A clean, oil and adjust is hopefully all you need.

 

The case number beginning with a 2 indicates a steel rather than gold case.

Does it have a stainless steel case back? If so, that would suggest that the back of the case does not belong with the rest of the watch.

 

I saw that and the original seller's pictures seemed to suggest that the top right lug was deformed - well done on taking a punt as I believe the final price (particularly if it's gold) was a bit of a bargain. I think it would be easier to appraise if you took some decent pictures of the whole watch from various angles and preferably in natural light (e.g. it's impossible to tell if the caseback is a different colour to the rest of the watch in the ones that you've provided). In the meantime here is the seller's only pic.

 

The reference number system you are refering to doesn't apply to Polerouters, AFAIK.

In this thread you can see period advertising with both SS and capped cases bearing ref. no. starting with "2"...

 

Good point, thanks. My suspicion was raised by the final two photos, where it looks like the caseback is a different colour but as @Carlton-Browne points out, that could just be the lighting.

 

Thanks for the help so far. I couldn't find other dials without the swiss at the bottom and also know how rare genuine black dials are. The case is a one piece design (split stem) so no case back. I have acid tested the case as I couldn't make out the hallmark and it is defiantly 18k. The movement is not running so this is where my concerns regarding servicing come from. I'm in the UK if somone has any recommendations and guidance on how much I should be paying. I only had last night to look at it so it was a nice surprise to see it in natural light to find out the case is rose gold!

 

It's an odd one - if I'm reading it right the serial puts this as either a 1966 or more likely a 1967 model but it has lugs for female spring bars which I'd always assumed would make it much earlier. Or have I missed something? And what from what you're saying it's a front-loader .

I've tried to tease out a bit more detail on the hallmark in Lightroom but I'm not getting much.

One side of my brain is capable of seeing a squirrel (14k) but the other side sees the rear spoiler on a 1981 Skoda Rapid .

Is there anything on this page that looks familiar with the watch in hand?
http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/swisshallmarks.php

 

I have taken two much clearer photos of the hallmark as it does have the ladies head that you would expect from 18k. Have you any thoughts on the dial?

 

Well I have now found a few examples of the same case and dial but not in rose gold
http://www.chrono24.com/all/universal-polerouter-geneve-18kt-yellow-gold-automatic--id7247239.htm
http://www.chrono24.com/universalge...automatic-microrotor-gold-18kt--id6020153.htm
http://www.watchtrade.com.br/relogios/relogio-universal-geneve-polerouter-em-ouro-macico-18k.html

 

Please can anyone recommend someone in the UK that can service it?

 

The watchguy perhaps?

http://watchguy.co.uk/price-list/

 

If you do a search on UG he has done quite a few! I've sent several UGs to Rob Horan in France with agreeable results.

http://www.roberthoran.eu

 

Thanks for the advice regarding servicing, I have sent it to Brendan AKA webwatchmaker who is also completing another job for me. He has sent me a photo of the inside case back and there is the number 143 stamped next to the hallmark. Please can somone tell me what that refers to?