Hello, I am new to the forum (and relatively new to the vintage watch scene) and I am seeking advice on finding a uni-compax ref 12111 or an aesthetically similar model; one came up for sale on Hodinkee last year for 2700; any ideas on what to watch out for in terms of redials etc, fair pricing, or where to find a good example? Any advice appreciated, thanks!

 

Welcome. The first step is to educate yourself -- read as much info as you can find, and familiarize yourself with how the watch should look, etc. There is a lot of info here on OF if you dig around, so it may be a good starting point. Watch the FS threads here, and also use WatchRecon and other similar sites to see what may be out there for sales on other forums. Once you find a watch you are interested in, look at things like the dial, hands, case, movement and crown to give your best estimate of what is good and what is bad, write it up and post it here for feedback (along w/ asking price).

The key thing is to do your homework, and not rely on others to do it for you. The more work you put into learning and assessing, the more critical reviews you will get for watches your post about.

 

My advice is to spend some time here, especially the UG INFO sticky. Feel free to post here if you are uncertain. Obviously you are looking for a clean correct dial, hands, crown, case, pushers and movement. The reference you specify is hard to find.

 

On a purely subjective level, I find the dual sub-register chronographs the most balanced and harmonious of all UG dials and probably the watches I wear the most.

If you like more ornate lugs and dressy cases like the 12111 you mentioned then perhaps you could look at Compurs too (although these usually wear a little smaller and can be treacherous for inexperienced buyers). They were the grandfathers of the Uni Compax family and for many collectors here they are compelling watches. There is a typically brilliant thread from the late Noodia here showing the progression of this two register style at UG through the decades;

https://omegaforums.net/threads/universal-geneve-uni-compax.4446/

And because this thread needs more pictures here are two of my Compurs;



Good luck!

 

I appreciate the advice, I will make sure to post what I find! Will def check out watch recon, thanks again.

 

Thanks!

 

Those compurs are amazing!!!!

 

Larry, I am drooling on my keyboard. Stop it.

 

Starting over ...two many beers tonight...2 Register Chrono...

 

Those Longines are spectacular

 

It’s the simplicity of UG Chronos that keep drawing me back. Also the gold. My vintage watch bug was started by a gift; my great grandfathers rose gold JLC triple calendar that was gifted to me.

 

Better lucky than good.

 

Well on the subject of gold JLC Triple A revival of that classic..

 

Once the UG bug bites its off to the races. Despite my boozy post, out drinking with my fellow sailors last night, you want clean and correct. Otherwise not worth the money. A little patina is fine.

 

I know this isn't UG, but I have found what appears to be a nice example of an Angelus cal 215; case looks good, lugs sharp, movement clean and correct compared with stock photos I found on fratello watches, pushers with some slight damage but not terrible. Price seems
ok at 2290; any thoughts on this example or these Angelus chronographs in general? I am think about it as well as UG.

 

This is a nice site to see old stock photos of in house angelus movements:
https://www.fratellowatches.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/angelus-collectors-guide-2016.pdf

 

Dial looks fair with a small amt of patina, some spotting between 4 and 6

 

Ha it looks identical to the watch on this post:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/sold-angelus-18k-cal-215-chronograph-reduced-£1600.86897/

Look at the pattern of scratches on the back case; am I correct?

 

Even the small dial defect right below the 1 is identical...

 

It's a nice piece, but I'm not entirely convinced that the red lines are original. Such marks are common in general, but the way they are drawn is not convincing to me. They aren't centered on the actual minute markers, and they spill out of the sub-dial in an sloppy way, even onto the applied metal marker.