I like that dial

 

Thanks for everyone's input/help. Got it at a price I'm very pleased with, even if everything is not 100% from the exact time period I'm psyched! Now I just gotta learn how to take as good a photo of it as you all seem to be able to hehe

 

Congrats! She’s a beaut.

 

37mm stainless

 

I like the double scale on this one

 

A young one.

 

And not so young.

 

Congrats all

 

Question about case work, specifically drilled lugs. I've used this board as a reference on a bunch of different topics regarding these early UG chronographs and haven't been able to find a conversation on this subject. Browsing the web, I've come across a lot of examples of 1940s era tri compax that look pretty spot-on correct outside of the drilled lugs. Did UG ever do it? Maybe later on at a client's request? If not, any idea why so many have been adulterated in that specific way when they seem like they were left alone otherwise? I'm finding this confusing because it seems like such a minor aesthetic point when a dial/case look great otherwise, but meaningfully effects the value of the watch all the same.

Thanks!

 

Perusing some old ads, there appear to be some case styles with drilled lugs. Generally these seem thicker and sporty. By and large, the default in the classic period seems to be female spring bars because they allowed a very clean and elegant lug design. I gues most watchmakers changed them over at customer request, or after uttering F..K!!!!! 10 times, probably strongly suggested it at first strap change.

 

How interesting. And here I was assuming drilled lugs pre-1950 was just incorrect! If it's possible to tell, do the watches that were originally sold with drilled lugs have anything in common like case material, size, particular references? Or is "thicker and sportier" as good as it gets given the state or the reference material you're looking at?

 

Love where this has gone.

 

Perhaps time to bump this thread up! First wrist shot with this 18k yellow gold 12253, mid/late 1940s serial.

 

I didn't notice your particular comment/question until just this morning on the lugs. For whatever it's worth, I'll note that 3 of my 4 Tri-Compax from the 1946-49 period (all with smiling moons) have male springbar holes, original to the watches (you can see the models earlier in this thread, and the latest with yesterday's post). Only my rose gold Tri has the "dreaded" female springbars. So I can concur that some of the models from this period - particular with "chunkier" lugs, did originally come with drilled holes for springbars. Let me know if you (or @Larry S ) want additional pics for any reason.

 

Seems SS models were more likely to have male spring bars.

 

the 1940ies were a poor time and gold was expensive. So case makers tried to reduce the gold of the cases to make them cheaper. That makes cases thinner, lugs are not solid. And as gold is soft, male lugs and female springbars are needed.

 

cheers

 

I hear you about that era, but am not sure I can concur on the result. My steel Ref 22258 has holes for male springbars, but so do both my 14k yellow gold Tri from that period (ref 52202), as well as my recently landed 18k YG (ref 12253, also from the same 1946-49 period). None of the three are drilled to take "male" springbars from later modification. Only my 18k rose gold (ref 12266) has male lugs and female spring bars...

 

As I said: To make the case more stable, often male lugs and female springbars are used. That doesn't mean that all the watches from that era have them. In fact, many have not.
But look at the cases of that era. Many are very thin. For example the UG uni compax 124103 has a very thin case and male lugs.

 

Another one from my collection ! No holes on this reference.