Post your Universal Geneves

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For this one I will post more pics when it will arrive! But that patina on the dial, makes all the money for me!
 
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Here is my polerouter sub.
Bought it to the son of a Portuguese soldier who made Angola war with the watch on his wrist.
 
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Here is my polerouter sub.
Bought it to the son of a Portuguese soldier who made Angola war with the watch on his wrist.

Very clean ... Was he a cook 😀 !
 
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Hey guys,

First post on OF of my first "Jeager" (my first Universal Genève as well 😉)! I suppose it is OK to post this Enversteel beast here?

 
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Mine finally back and working correctly after a service. This one stays off the wrist while I snow shovel.

 
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Hey guys,

First post on OF of my first "Jeager" (my first Universal Genève as well 😉)! I suppose it is OK to post this Enversteel beast here?

Wow! So cool! Can you tell us something more about those red markings?
 
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Hey guys,

First post on OF of my first "Jeager" (my first Universal Genève as well 😉)! I suppose it is OK to post this Enversteel beast here?

Beautiful watch! and welcome.
I'm not familiar with Jeager at all, can you elaborate what's the connection with UG?
 
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Hey @berrychlossom , thanks for your welcome! The dial is indeed amazing depending on the light, kind of silver gilt.

I am by no way an expert in UG watches and in watches in general as well.... I read some info about Compurs that were shared between UG, Zenith and Jeager (sharing the 285 caliber). I also read (I do not have Sala's book unfortunately), that apparently, UG first patented the Compur model in 1934.

I then deducted that my exemplar was a UG Compur that was "branded" Jaeger (notice the different print of the logo, but that might as well be the case for UG Compurs too). The movement is marked "285" but with a "Jeager" engraved bridge. Caseback is "Enversteel" and the serial number points to a 1937-1938 watch according to the UG serial number table. No UWECO or any Universal engraving to be found though.

Do the UG experts around think my watch actually has any link to UG at all? Or was it put together using the exact same parts as UG Compurs? I though yes but I might be totally wrong! I had a hard time finding similar "Jaeger" Compurs on the web but many more UG ones appeared.
 
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Wow! So cool! Can you tell us something more about those red markings?

Thanks @vujen 😉

No idea why the chrono minute markings are red at every 5 minutes marker. I suppose that is something "post production" (what do you think?)! Considering the age of that watch I suppose it had a practical purpose at "ancient" times to be able to clearly see 5 minutes intervals. Artillery? Pilots? Sports timing? Fashion (not sure)? I know that a lot of chronos have red markings but either at 3 or 4 minutes markers to time the phone calls when people used to phone through telephone booths!

Note that as the dial has quite special "silver gilt" prints, and thus depending on the light angle it is sometimes quite tricky to properly read the markings (dial is almost "washed out" in bright sun, hard to describe but quite interesting effect). That might explain the red markings.
 
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@LRX_12 UG supplied these base movements to Jaeger & Zenith & even Mido for these types of "Compur" Chronographs in the 40s/50s. It's a beauty and dibs if you ever get bored of it 😉
 
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Wow! So cool! Can you tell us something more about those red markings?

the red hash marks are in 5 minute intervals obviously, and I swear I've seen them before, maybe even here on the forum. I remember thinking at first glance they looked super fake, but turned out to be authentic. It may have even been a different brand. I will have to try and find it.
 
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Very interesting! I personally never saw these on UG (or Jaeger or Zenith related, of course) watches. Always seen on Angelus chronographs. But they are anyway different.
I'll search for others examples.
 
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Thanks @bgrisso, I myself thought they were not "original" since I did not see any watch with 5 minutes markers highlighted as such. Yet, I still think they had a practical purpose at some point in the life of the watch. If you know what these increments were used for that would be very interesting to learn 😉
 
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@LRX_12 UG supplied these base movements to Jaeger & Zenith & even Mido for these types of "Compur" Chronographs in the 40s/50s. It's a beauty and dibs if you ever get bored of it 😉

Yep, thanks for the info! But weren't these movements manufactured by Martel and supplied to UG, Zenith, Jaeger, etc.?
 
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Polerouter 20360-3 Broad Arrow.


I find this watch to be remarkably beautiful. I assume that it is rare and difficult to obtain.

There is something about the design that makes it seem both old and new at the same time. What is the orange on the outside ? It looks like it is luminous compound or perhaps wood?