Post your Universal Geneves

Carlton-Browne · Thurs. 4:06am

To be clear, a Dioramic is specifically identified in this advertisement:

The box clearly does not match the watch so please do not try to use this forum to construct a correlation that isn't there. The hang tags and blank papers suggest to me that someone has tried to make a "set". Rather than trying to drawer imaginary lines perhaps you can share some primary evidence such as how long you know that the "set" has been together. Are they, for example, in your possession? Can you tell us where they came from?

skand · Thurs. 11:38am

Carlton-Browne
To be clear, a Dioramic is specifically identified in this advertisement:

The box clearly does not match the watch so please do not try to use this forum to construct a correlation that isn't there. The hang tags and blank papers suggest to me that someone has tried to make a "set". Rather than trying to drawer imaginary lines perhaps you can share some primary evidence such as how long you know that the "set" has been together. Are they, for example, in your possession? Can you tell us where they came from?

I’m not claiming the watch left the factory as a set like this - I’m simply trying to understand whether such combinations might have existed at all, and more broadly whether Universal Genève ever supplied other models in Dioramic- labeled boxes in the same period. At the moment, it feels a bit inconsistent, which is exactly why I’m trying to get a better sense of the context.
If it ultimately turns out that no one has ever come across a Dioramic-labeled box in this context, then paradoxically I’ll do quite well financially- I already have some very good offers for the box alone on FB. If I were certain it was an original set, I wouldn’t even consider selling it.
In any case, this is a recent purchase, and the watch itself is worth what I paid for it, so I see this more as an interesting thing to understand rather than something I need to prove.

bgrisso · Thurs. 11:49am

skand
I’m not claiming the watch left the factory as a set like this - I’m simply trying to understand whether such combinations might have existed at all, and more broadly whether Universal Genève ever supplied other models in Dioramic- labeled boxes in the same period. At the moment, it feels a bit inconsistent, which is exactly why I’m trying to get a better sense of the context.
If it ultimately turns out that no one has ever come across a Dioramic-labeled box in this context, then paradoxically I’ll do quite well financially- I already have some very good offers for the box alone on FB. If I were certain it was an original set, I wouldn’t even consider selling it.
In any case, this is a recent purchase, and the watch itself is worth what I paid for it, so I see this more as an interesting thing to understand rather than something I need to prove.

I'm not sure if the factory made sets, that seems more likely done by the retailer? If that's the case, it impossible to know what any particular employee in any particular retail location did on any particular day? Actually I suppose it's impossible to know what the factory did at this point either 😆 If the factory even paired boxes (which seems unlikely, as I don't think it's a safe way to ship the watches/boxes, I assume they would need to be separated?) then it seems very unlikely they would pair the completely wrong model box?
Anyhow it's a very cool box, congrats! If it were me, I would probably hold out for the highest possible offer I could get on the box (and papers?), and then put that money "against" the watch, which would probably bring the purchase price down to a very nice level 😊

skand · Thurs. 12:33pm

In the past, people didn't pay much attention to the details that are so crucial for us collectors today. I have a gold Omega Constellation with its box, tags, and certificate. The certificate and movement numbers differ by +1, and the tag—while having the correct reference number—indicates the wrong caliber. My experience as a collector tells me to remain cautious and avoid jumping to conclusions. Another example: Omega Ranchero models were shipped to Sweden but sold poorly under that name, so the agent, Brandt, replaced the dials with 'Seamaster' ones. I'm new to Universal Genève, but the same level of caution remains.