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Should I buy this UG Tri-Compax?

bgrisso
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S Slim1
Is this a better example of a dial? Also, what is on the movement at 3 & 6 o’clock positions in the 2nd photo? Is that rust?
IMG_1550.webp IMG_1551.webp
This dial is no good, maybe not as bad as the first, but still a redial

(The hour subdial hand looks weird?)

It's also just an ugly watch IMO. Don't lose sight of attractiveness in the search for originality. It needs to be not only correct, but also beautiful !

Anyhow, as others have already said, you have to understand that assessing Tri Compax requires expertise that is not going to happen overnight. Not trying to discourage you at all, just be realistic about the time it takes. And use the forum as a resource in the meantime, but mostly what people will tell you is to start putting in the several hundred hours necessary reviewing original dials.

Good luck !
 
S
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bgrisso bgrisso
This dial is no good, maybe not as bad as the first, but still a redial

(The hour subdial hand looks weird?)

It's also just an ugly watch IMO. Don't lose sight of attractiveness in the search for originality. It needs to be not only correct, but also beautiful !

Anyhow, as others have already said, you have to understand that assessing Tri Compax requires expertise that is not going to happen overnight. Not trying to discourage you at all, just be realistic about the time it takes. And use the forum as a resource in the meantime, but mostly what people will tell you is to start putting in the several hundred hours necessary reviewing original dials.

Good luck !
Thank you. I’ve got a lot of work to do, but this certainly helps me get started
 
bgrisso
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In terms of price, it really depends on several factors:

case size (small 33-34mm, medium 35mm, large 36-37mm)
case material (gold plate, chrome, stainless, yellow gold, rose gold, 14K, 18K)
condition and rarity (unusual dial, case, etc)

I haven't bought anything in a while, so I don't have my finger on the market, but I would guess

For 10K with some patience and working with private sales you should be able to get a really nice Tri
For 5K with some luck plus patience you might be able to get a decent/good Tri
 
TexOmega
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I haven't posted my 22543 in a while.....and my only advice to the OP is to start looking for the right watchmaker now and cultivate a good relationship in advance of finally presenting a TRI for service. My wm and I found that UG via Martel were constantly changing the design of their staff in the period of production for mine. The fourth staff was the one!

And.....THAT was the easy part of the service.

Blue moonphase dial.webp Full.webp
 
S
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TexOmega TexOmega
I haven't posted my 22543 in a while.....and my only advice to the OP is to start looking for the right watchmaker now and cultivate a good relationship in advance of finally presenting a TRI for service. My wm and I found that UG via Martel were constantly changing the design of their staff in the period of production for mine. The fourth staff was the one!

And.....THAT was the easy part of the service.

Blue moonphase dial.webp Full.webp
That’s a beautiful watch. I guess I need to get on finding a local watchmaker as well.

I did see these will doing research the past week or so, would anyone recommend?

https://watchrepairsusa.com/brands/universal-geneve/

https://www.genevawatchrepair.com/universal-geneve-watch-service/
 
Dan S
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Larry S Larry S
Washed dial, possibly partially redone/touched up outer track, and the springbar pins are filed off. Movement looks terrible. Case is over polished. Need to know ref and sn, more pics. However good hands and original moon. Fonts correct for a dial with original moon.
Interesting, my initial feeling was that this was certainly refinished, just based on the look of the subdials.
 
Larry S
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It has an illusion of authenticity to it. There were a lot of variations. It’s prolly refinished though. I haven’t delved further. It’s still an ugly watch.
Edited:
 
vujen
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S Slim1
So getting closer on the dial, but definitely a stay away due to the movement?
Another redial, I have to say
 
fizz
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Threads like this remind me of my own UG Tri-Compax journey that started about 4 years ago with many questions and a few threads asking for dial and watch evaluations from the experts here. I persisted and it paid off and I now have 3 of these beauties. The point is that while new people are constantly joining and asking questions about watches they like, the advice is always the same - self education is key (in fact essential) and there is no short cut to it (many, many hours spent viewing listings here and at auctions houses, both current and old). Using resources is highly advantageous (there are a few sites and online resources dedicated to specific models like the Polerouter in addition to a number of threads here) but nothing beats having the revised edition of the Sala book. Having said that, for me personally, the tipping point came when Max Bernardini exhibited about 50 of his watches at the DWW and I had the chance to personally inspect many of them. This completely changed the game for me. I may not be able to describe with accuracy as some of the experts here can "why" a certain dial isn't original, but my eye is forever trained (in most instances) and I can spot a redial with much more ease than I could before.

That's how I know my understanding has evolved.

Bottom line - enjoy the journey and good luck with your search. The success rate of those who tread the path of this sub-forum has usually been high.
 
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