Polerouter Sub - A Typology

dsio · Mar 3, 2013

Ah I see 🙁

RRP · Aug 19, 2013

Did asymetrical Polerouter Sub 1-69 bezels have a click and were they uni or bidirectional? I have seen them mentioned with stainless steel. aluminum or bakelite bezels, were all of these original types?
Thanks

Noodia · Aug 20, 2013

R RRP
Did asymetrical Polerouter Sub 1-69 bezels have a click and were they uni or bidirectional? I have seen them mentioned with stainless steel. aluminum or bakelite bezels, were all of these original types?
Thanks

if you're making reference with that one

bezel has click and is bi-directionnal

as it comes to the question what bezels could be original, we can see different variations here : http://polerouter.de/frameset-shop.htm

I could not say if they're all original or not

I would tend to believe the "red alloy insert" variation is correct though

here are the only period brochures I've been able to source

RRP · Aug 20, 2013

Thanks. That looks exactly like my watch, I just need a bezel for it.

ELV web · Jun 15, 2014

First of all thanks to Lou for being a great educator on all things Universal (including this thread), also all the forum members who are always keen to help, there was recently an ad on timezone listing a 1st gen 2nd execution. The case, dial, crown seems to fit the description in this thread but there is also an engraving on the case back re-US military issue. I have posted some pics here. Should it be dismissed as totally a fake or could it be some owner decide to engrave these letters after market? too bad seller not providing inner case back nor movement shots. I have requested for those as well, will improve this post once i receive them.

also I just re read the post about aussie dials the "GENE VE" on this dial seems badly QCed but the case steel composure looks solid. The crown cut off, I still don't quite understand whether the pattern should cover the whole surface or should it cutoff <1mm before the edge. These polerouter subs really are quite hard to get right. If anyone has any thoughts on this sample, please share 😀

omega67 · Jun 15, 2014

btw number 2 of Laurents list comes with different bezels.

my blue one

found a orange one (credit: unknown)

a red one (credit: unknown)

and a black one you can see on the one from Laurent.

blackwatch · Jun 15, 2014

Possibly my new favorite watch.

LouS · Jun 15, 2014

ELV web
First of all thanks to Lou for being a great educator on all things Universal (including this thread), also all the forum members who are always keen to help, there was recently an ad on timezone listing a 1st gen 2nd execution. The case, dial, crown seems to fit the description in this thread but there is also an engraving on the case back re-US military issue. I have posted some pics here. Should it be dismissed as totally a fake or could it be some owner decide to engrave these letters after market? too bad seller not providing inner case back nor movement shots. I have requested for those as well, will improve this post once i receive them.

also I just re read the post about aussie dials the "GENE VE" on this dial seems badly QCed but the case steel composure looks solid. The crown cut off, I still don't quite understand whether the pattern should cover the whole surface or should it cutoff <1mm before the edge. These polerouter subs really are quite hard to get right. If anyone has any thoughts on this sample, please share 😀

The US army engravings are regarded as bogus, and added after the fact. What's interesting is the rather solid steel of the case, free of impurities as you remark, but of the design generally held to be fake. IN combination with the fake-pattern GENE VE dial, I'd have to regard it a bit suspiciously.

ELV web · Jun 16, 2014

Thanks Lou, the case back picture is not clear at all so not sure whether there is perlage or not but clearly there is the HF mark and the UG shield is nicely aligned. Does the HF makes it legitimate or do you think it is still quite doubtful?

Also the engraving on the back is not the Navy ordinance corps, but rather something else that has to do with the United States and I totally have no clue of that. It reads like this:

"Wrist Watch
GG-W-11J
FED STOCK NO. 6645-055-4221
MFG. PART NO 92230
CONT. NO G5-06S-6235
DATE DECEMBER 1971
SERIAL NO 9031
US"

also admittingly i have have been looking for a sub for quite a while 😜

georgetownhoya · Jul 22, 2014

Hi ELV web, I think the Huguenin Freres case is legit, but everything else is questionable. This goes along with my theory that the person producing these had a stockpile of original cases. He produced a number with bogus US military engravings, but then when those were called out on MWR Forum, they started showing up with polished casebacks (in order to remove the military engravings). It was rather a stupid move on the part of the person creating them. In any event, any of these with US military engravings are incorrect, even with some legit parts such as a legit UG case.

woodwkr2 · Jul 22, 2014

georgetownhoya
Hi ELV web, I think the Huguenin Freres case is legit, but everything else is questionable. This goes along with my theory that the person producing these had a stockpile of original cases. He produced a number with bogus US military engravings, but then when those were called out on MWR Forum, they started showing up with polished casebacks (in order to remove the military engravings). It was rather a stupid move on the part of the person creating them. In any event, any of these with US military engravings are incorrect, even with some legit parts such as a legit UG case.

Leaving aside the dial and the sweep seconds hand that was painted white, do you regard the hour and minute hands, and inner bezel on ELV's piece to be questionable?

woodwkr2 · Jul 22, 2014

To refresh everyone's memory, I'll throw this in the mix as well: Ug Treasure Found.

georgetownhoya · Jul 22, 2014

I haven't compared the inner bezel to the originals, but it looks correct. However, the SWISS is always covered on these questionable ones, but on real ones is not covered - another key tell. The hands could be correct or could be modern remakes - doesn't look they would be too hard to remake these days.

woodwkr2 · Jul 22, 2014

georgetownhoya
I haven't compared the inner bezel to the originals, but it looks correct. However, the SWISS is always covered on these questionable ones, but on real ones is not covered - another key tell. The hands could be correct or could be modern remakes - doesn't look they would be too hard to remake these days.

It was a bit of a leading question... 😜

If you really scrutinize the the inner bezels, particularly the fine details in the font, you'll likely conclude that they are correct. And if there's one thing that we all ought to agree on, it's the hands: correct. Sweep seconds hand appears to be correct as well, albeit painted white, which is not an uncommon customer request of his watchmaker on black dialed watches. The case also, appears to be correct... with the huge caveat being the faked military inscriptions, which may or may not have been engraved by the same group that allegedly assembled these. To my eye, the key debatable issues are the dial, lume (and any consistencies that we may or may not note in multiple examples), crowns, and movement (both condition and calibre).

If you know of anyone who custom manufacturers modern remakes of obscure vintage watch hands, please pass along the name. We've already found our guy for one-off crowns.

georgetownhoya · Jul 23, 2014

And speak of the devil, here is a fake LeCoultre Memovox from a guy with some other fakes and fake converted pocketwatches:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JAEGER-LECO...-S-/151361736751?ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123

georgetownhoya · Jul 23, 2014

Here is a fake Navitimer:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-VINTAG...360924024?pt=Wristwatches&hash=item233dd06978

papaebetu · Nov 6, 2014

Opinions about this one ?

GIGI

georgetownhoya · Nov 6, 2014

Hi GIGI, that looks to be the real McCoy to me.

Redwheelbarrow · Nov 7, 2014

This Polerouter Sub recently sold for $3383 on fleabay, yet demonstrates the tell tale signs of the fakes described in this thread. Its case is pitted, rough and oxidized. What do the UG experts think? Genuine or a fake?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-G...2Bu1%2F4kfeynrl7A4doo%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

georgetownhoya · Nov 7, 2014

Definite fake, sadly. The seller, 3duacon, does a lot of fake recased pocketwatches and has sold a ton of these fake Polerouter Subs. 3duacon also sold one or two fake Polarises for over $15,000.

Polerouter Sub - A Typology

dsio

RRP

Noodia

RRP

ELV web

omega67

blackwatch

LouS

ELV web

georgetownhoya

woodwkr2

woodwkr2

georgetownhoya

woodwkr2

georgetownhoya

georgetownhoya

papaebetu

georgetownhoya

Redwheelbarrow

georgetownhoya

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