New to the forum, requesting advice on Tri-compax trade

Hello UG forum. First time poster, long time lurker. New member, potential incoming pending your advice.

I know UG is perilous to the uninitiated so I humbly request some advice from the forum experts.

I have been offered a Universal Geneve Tri-compax jumbo sized (39mm I think? bigger than 36mm), gold filled case in a trade.

This is a dream watch of mine and comes from a reputable dealer in a major city I would like to do business with. It is a good trade.

Everything on the watch -- dial, hands, movement -- is original and in very good condition. The watch is nearly perfect.

The catch? He and the experts he consulted (also very reputable) say the case appears to have been put together of multiple cases to make a good case -- IDK if that means the case back, bezel, or whatever. It stands to reason the rest of the watch could have been assembled in the same manner: of original parts made from two or more watches on the bench in disrepair to form one great watch.

I cannot provide pictures at this time, but please assume for the purpose of these questions all of the above statements are true.

1) Would you go for it? Assuming the watch is beautiful and in fact, actually made entirely of UG parts, albeit perhaps not all born together.

2) What would you consider fair market price for a watch like this? I know this is dicey, but any approximations or guesses are appreciated.

3) What is the bottom of the market for jumbo-sized Tricompax i.e. redials, poor condition, etc.?

4) What is the approximate market price of an all-original jumbo sized Tri-compax with GF case?

5) If I wanted to purchase a SS or solid gold Tri-compax with original dial, etc. in the jumbo case size, a) how much would I be looking to spend? and b) how long am I going to be looking for this watch?

6) How difficult would it be to find an example of a jumbo case Tri-compax with everything I want, i.e.: English language wheels, square pushers, straight lugs, jumbo case, SS or solid gold

Thank you for your time and your advice

Many of the members here would be more than happy to help, but you haven't provided us with any of the pertinent information, I'm afraid. Pictures are a must, but if they can't be provided for some reason, could you give us the reference and serial numbers? With at least that, I can try to reverse engineer the watch and tell you what to look for, but we can avoid all of that silliness if you provide us with pictures.

I'm assuming that you are talking about an earlier Tri-Compax and not a waterproof version. There is a 38mm watch from the late 60's, but it was made only in solid gold.


First thing - to my knowledge, Universal Tri-Compaxes are gold plated and never filled, but beyond semantics, gold plated examples are always less desireable. If the watch is indeed 39mm as you say and has period correct parts, then sky's the limit, even if it's not original per se. Oversize tri-compaxes are usually 37mm and 39mm cases are rare even for the early Compaxes. You are describing a unicorn watch - I have never seen or heard of one. Suffice it to say, I am skeptical. There are a lot of franken Tri-Compaxes out there in the wild as well as "reputable" dealers peddling them as "original", and while they may be objectively beautiful, there is very little market value for them. Admittedly, it is a bit misleading to use words like "market price" or "market value" for watches like this because they are not traded at the rate of other well-known brands like Rolex, Patek, or Omega and there is little consensus amongst dealers. A well known dealer in the States recently confessed to me when I visited his shop last month that he has no idea how to price these watches and has no interest in finding out (he recently sold a beautiful, original example for 4.5k usd), and then there are dealers that put them at untenable, sky-scorching prices well into 5 figures. I appreciate your enthusiasm in asking all of those questions, but to be honest, google, eBay, and Chrono24 are better resources for what you are asking. Buy yourself one of these and try to stay patient, but if you like it, buy it.

Thanks for your speedy and insightful reply, jordn.

I'm going back to check out the watch this week; I didn't snap photos when I was there and the dealer should have no problem with some due diligence. The model was late 40's early 50's, noted about the gold plate vs fill. I'm fairly certain it was 39mm -- it was massive by vintage watch standards, but I will check that, too.

39 mm cases did exist, correct?

I know of the Sala book and it's on a to-buy list but this trade popped in out of left field on a watch I speculated on and I could turn it into something I really want but probably couldn't afford otherwise.

You struck a chord with the anectdote about your dealer friend having no idea in how to price these watches.

I have done a couple years worth of eBay and Chrono24 research along with browsing dealers but as you said many are priced into five figures which I find to be too much I guess?

More pointedly, what would a 37 mm late 40s to 50s gold plate with a redial fetch?

Thanks, I'll try and come back with photos

Thanks for your speedy and insightful reply, jordn.

I'm going back to check out the watch this week; I didn't snap photos when I was there and the dealer should have no problem with some due diligence. The model was late 40's early 50's, noted about the gold plate vs fill. I'm fairly certain it was 39mm -- it was massive by vintage watch standards, but I will check that, too.

39 mm cases did exist, correct?

I know of the Sala book and it's on a to-buy list but this trade popped in out of left field on a watch I speculated on and I could turn it into something I really want but probably couldn't afford otherwise.

You struck a chord with the anectdote about your dealer friend having no idea in how to price these watches.

I have done a couple years worth of eBay and Chrono24 research along with browsing dealers but as you said many are priced into five figures which I find to be too much I guess?

More pointedly, what would a 37 mm late 40s to 50s gold plate with a redial fetch?

Thanks, I'll try and come back with photos

38/39mm cases do exist in Universal's repertoire along with the 46mm Universalone, but I have never come across a Tri-Compax cased in that size. If it is a thin bezel 37mm case it may seem bigger than its size suggests.

Here are two examples from Chrono24. Both are redials offered by dealers. asking price for the first is $7300 and the second is $4321.


edit: The point I'm trying to get across probably wasn't clear. There really is no rhyme or reason to pricing these watches. I personally would not pay more than the sum of the parts for either watch, so no more than $1k.

Hi,

For many (majority?) of collectors's here, it is all about authenticity. Then, even if you find a wonderfull watch but made of different pieces (even original), you don't have in front of you an original production from Universal which is by far less attractive/collectible.
It really depends of your philosophy but as it seems to be a watch you are searching for quite a long time, I would suggest (if it is really a franken watch as you was told) you to wait a bit more to find an at least correct example that will give you 100% satisfaction.
If you take a look in the for sale section you may find something from time to time 😉
If you like the object more than its anthenticity, for sure you should go for it.
It is really a personnal choice.

Nicolas