Thought I'd tap the collective thoughts on exactly what I've got here... original vintage watch? recased movement & dial? franken? fake? Ulysse Nardin is not a brand I've spent any time on.

Case - press-back case, teardrop lugs, quite large for a vintage watch - just over 40mm diameter without crown, over 50mm lug-to-lug. Appears to be stainless steel, not much wear.





Movement signed Ulysse Nardin - manual wind, column wheel, two-register chronograph, running seconds on the left sub-register, minutes on the right, center-sweep chrono. Didn't find a match on ranfft or elsewhere...






Dial...

 

IMO, this watch is complete fiction. The case doesn't look signed, I don't remember UN ever using that movement, and that dial also looks odd and uncharacteristic. I might be completely wrong - UN's are uncommon and I'm not greatly familiar with them.

 

Chinese copy!

Check out this site and you will see a lot with the "Chinese Venus 175" movements.

http://www.perpetual-watch.com/chronograph.html

Genuine Venus 175 http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Venus_175

 

Thanks both. Good info in these knockoff venus movements, not one I was familiar with.

 

UN is a minefield - given the brands recent 'luxury' status it has become prime game for counterfeiters and frakenmeisters, as there is not a ton of information out there. Their actual output was of very varying quality by the end when they were in the death throes of the Quartz crisis. A while back I almost paid the noob tax on this howler - the guys over at the UN forum on purist pro were very helpful in ensuring I didn't!

 

That looks like a Landeron 54 movement.

 

I don't know enough about them, but at the time I skimmed through Lang und Meis and found this Landeron 48 which seemed pretty close ... But the UN on the bridge was after market. And the dial was badly printed close up. And the bezel/tachy thing was all wrong

 

It kept good time though

 

Also one other snippet - I've been hunting for the 'proof' but I can't find it so will just pass on for now - I don't think the logo is correct - the '3D' style anchor came much later, and is frequently copied on to 'older' models because that's what the frankers have access to. Will keep trying to find that, it was a decent web site with all the different logos through the ages. BTW if alarm bells weren't sounding already, a lot of these seem to be supplied from South America (usually Argentina).

 

All good info. And the best recommendation of all:

All unplanned (and unresearched) brand and reference excursions have been cancelled until further notice.

 

It would be nice to find one of these though...

 

Here's a TINY one that I'm pretty sure is original:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ulysse-Nard...395?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aed5ef5c3Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

I concur

 

UN used valjoux 22/23's for their 2 reg chronos. Almost always.

Also, if you see the "modern" logo on the dial of a vintage watch...run!

This is an original UN dial...(I think it's one of my nicest watches)...

 

I totally agree with Geo! To me this is a repolished ST19 from sea gull - a movement (Venus 175 clone) often used in fake chronographs. check pics. 1st yours - second one sea gull st 19

 

I know it's an old post, but, while documenting the brand, I found two examples, both with Landeron. The same watch is for sale on Chrono24 with service papers from UN USA: https://www.chrono24.ro/ulyssenardi...nless-steel-w-service-records--id25106595.htm

So, the papers are fake?!

Also, check this one from Christie's, it's with Landeron 248, is it fake?! https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/...-chronograph-steel-tachymeter-bezel-114/62226