Found very weird uni-compax

Diabolik · Mar 19, 2015

while on a recent trip, I was offered what is meant to be a 70's UG uni-compax. Looks nice and works well but it does not tick any of the other boxes that I would expect it to as it does not figure anywhere when I search archives and google the model number.

Movement is not signed UG but has 281 on it. Uni compax print is rough and case back has 90's UG logo. It could be a re-edition but it does not seem to be documented anywhere. Surely it should be a compax (three registers) and not a uni-compax (two registers) ?

To me, it screams of a Chinese copy and I really am baffled as it must have been quite expensive to put together. I have searched and can't find anything with a reference of 885016 ... Any ideas ...

Modest_Proposal · Mar 19, 2015

I dare say, I think this is original. I've seen something like it before. It was probably one of UG's last chrono's.

Diabolik · Mar 20, 2015

I have trouble consolidating it with the earlier watches they produced. It looks like a cheap and nasty slapped up chrono you would probably find in a replica watch site.

I wonder what the price tag was on it.

Modest_Proposal · Mar 20, 2015

I understand - but I still believe it to be original.

gatorcpa · Mar 20, 2015

Modest_Proposal
I understand - but I still believe it to be original.

Hour and minute hands are way too short. Seconds hand is a bit long. Unusual to have black trimmed luminous hands with steel markers.

Serial number doesn't look right to me and neither does dial. The fonts are not uniform. Could be a generic dial later overprinted with the UG name.

Could be a frankenwatch made from different UG parts. Looks like a mash-up of different eras of UG stuff.
gatorcpa

lenny · Mar 20, 2015

Is that dried overflowing luminous paint on the hour hand?

Noodia · Mar 21, 2015

At no rate this can be a genuine Universal dial...

EDIT : "universal Geneve" typo has never existed in any UG, Uni-Compax is very poor later print...

Diabolik · Mar 21, 2015

I had to get some more images as I am intrigued and puzzled ...

I can see what you about intend by hands being too short or too long as well as markers looking out of place with the "what is meant to " re-create the old style hands. What is a real kick in the nuts, is the print (logo and uni-compax). Looks skewed and clearly unrefined. The font also looks a bit elongated and not quite square with dial.

I could have done better with a brush!

The following logos were used throughout the years and considering the back of case has the later (1988) logo, you would expect something similar on the dial (applied U as is seen on many others of the period) ...

Another thing is the T's on either side of swiss. I presume they stand for tritium. Was tritium used up to the 90's ?

gatorcpa · Mar 21, 2015

I've changed my opinion a bit. This watch looks to be a total fake designed to deceive collectors. Not sure that any part of it was made by UG.

The serial number and engraving is bogus. The movement is a higher grade Swiss column wheel chronograph. There are others hedge who have better knowledge in this area than I.

Tritium dials went away in the 1970's with the development of light charged, non radioactive luminous paints.

I will say that the dial is very nicely done other than the mixed up fonts. I'd like to know who did the work.
gatorcpa

Dre · Mar 23, 2015

This should be a compax too not uni-compax right?

Modest_Proposal · Apr 8, 2015

Here we go: One that looks similar:

http://www.ebay.es/itm/Universal-Ge...9?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_101&hash=item25a4061033

Diabolik · Apr 8, 2015

I think that one is also a fake. From what I can see, these are the similarities:

Same hands
Same dial (different 1990's logo)
Same movement but labelled compax (not uni compax)
Case (different pushers) ?

There does not seem to be any sort of marking on case back. That is unusual. Logo looks a lot better and the bridge is signed (the one above seems to have had whatever was on the bridge ground off), However it all looks a little too messy to have come out of UG.

It still looks a mess and definitely not right at all and I will not be putting my cash on that one!

;-)

woodwkr2 · Apr 14, 2015

It's a fake. Both of 'em.

Found very weird uni-compax

Diabolik

Modest_Proposal

Diabolik

Modest_Proposal

gatorcpa

lenny

Noodia

Diabolik

gatorcpa

Dre

Modest_Proposal

Diabolik

woodwkr2

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