Hello ladies and gents,

Put a bid on this and forgot about it... (found it in this WUS thread too - http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/other-other-watch-arrived-yesterday-universal-geneve-864060.html)









Any chance, that anyone knows anything about it?

Looking at other 260 movement pics, this one looks a little different - has Universal Geneve rather than Universal Geneve Swiss, or Universal WatchCo Geneve...

Any help appreciated!

 

I almost bid on that. I'm interested to see whether I am sorry I didn't.

 

For the price, I thought it was worth a punt.

Would love to have some idea of what it is, and what the dial should look like...

 

Looks like an ugly redial with likely replacement hands on an early screw back UG calibre 260. Hope you didn't pay much.

What's the size?

I'd need to see it in the metal, but it may also be missing the movement cover. The drift of this is that the watch movement may not be properly secured with the caseback on and winding/hand setting may cause the whole dial and movement assembly to torque in the case.

 

Not too much, dinner last night was more expensive than this watch.

32mm excluding the crown.

Pic with the movement cover above.

There don't seem to be a whole lot of resources around for the regular non chrono UGs - the 260 really doesn't bring much up on Google...so hard to tell what it should look like.

 

I guess as a company there's not as much history out there...

 

Here's the link that @woodwkr2 provided me when I was looking for info on my cal. 261 http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Universal_260 other than the variation in UG engraving on the movement, everything else looks pretty close (to my untrained eye). And you're right, it's tough to find much info on these.

 

Thanks gophishin!

I think it's just an early 260 (have found pics of a couple others that look the same).

Left wondering what to do with it - I was taken in by the case and the movement rather than the dial... quite a fan of the well used look, I was thinking that removing the lume of the hands might be a bit of fun, then the whole front of the watch looks equally bare.

Given how many watches must have been sold in the last 100 years, you've got to wonder that there isn't another one on google search coming up with the same case back :-/

 

Your latest picture shows that it included the movement cover, so you're good from that perspective.

The bottom number is going to be your reference number. You may have better luck searching with that, but there's not a whole lot of information out there on the time only, manual winders.

 

Google turns up... one.

Looks like the main hands are the same...would be a bit too much of a coincidence if they'd both had the same "wrong" hands fitted I think.

The question is, do I hold out and see if a proper dial ever turns up, or get this redialed?

I'm sort of inclined to get the movement serviced, and cosmetically leave it alone.

 

In light of the new photographic evidence, I'm inclined to agree with you regarding the Alpha hands, especially knowing that UG did, infrequently, use alpha hands on some of their other models. The sub seconds hand should be "stick" style like in your reference photos.

Do note that the watch in the reference photos you've found also has been redialed. But it was at least done in the correct style.

Given that you like the current state of the dial, I'd say get it serviced and leave it alone. You'd likely have to buy a second parts watch to salvage an original dial, but provided that you get a donor watch that's the same diameter and uses a calibre 260, I'd say your chances are pretty good for this reference.

 

Given that this is the only other picture of a watch with this reference that appears to be on the internet, I think finding another one, for parts could be an issue.

Now that I have a base to work from, I might design a new dial based on the UG watches of this style in the 1938-1942 period.

Bearing in mind that I don't buy watches to sell on, but for my own enjoyment, this could be a fun little project.

 

The reference that you have is mostly unusual for the "waterproof" case back.

Re-read what I wrote above regarding the dial search. You're not looking for another of the same reference. You're looking for a donor watch with with the same diameter and calibre.

 

Gotcha.

I think I'm going to go with a redial.

 

Seems like a lot of work...With not too much effort you should be able to find a UG Cal 26x with a nice dial, for not much more than you paid.

 

I can't find a single 260 for sale... not a sausage.

2 or 3 ruined 262's and 261's.

It needs a service one way or another... so maybe redial, maybe not, depending on what's on offer.

 

Patience, sir, patience. These are not endangered species. One will be along shortly.

 

Ahhhh but... Yes you're right of course. ;-)

Would it be sacrilegious to have a 261 in this case?

The centre sweep design is a little more to my taste to be honest...

 

So it's been a few years... and this little guy is still sat in my watch box.

Still love the case and the movement, still need to do something about a dial and crystal.

I've learned nothing more about which dial/hands it would have had, but I have learned that Cal 26X dials/movements in good condition don't seem to come up for sale all that often!

And I also now get understand that 21010 is the reference number (I'm an idiot), and that the number above it is the serial (Yes, I am an idiot), which places it into the 1938-1941production window (as I understand the various internet charts).

 

cal 262 but kind of reminded me of your dial and hands?.....

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