Thank you for putting an artist’s name to that particular carving and please pardon my ignorance on the history behind the sculpture. I was completely unaware. Even the UG adverts school you

 

Interesting Saudi Arabian box: https://www.ebay.fr/itm/255198898387?hash=item3b6b0a28d3:g:d-8AAOSwUoNheXQxPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Picked up a copy of Volume 18 of Esembl-O-Graf's "World's only fully illustrated chronograph watch course". Esembl-O-Graf produced a series of 28 books on all chronograph movements for sale in the US in 1949. There are three volumes covering UG movements being Vol. 8 (Cal. 285, 385, 385), Vol. 20 (Dato-Compax) and the one I acquired, Volume 18, which covers Cal. 281.

It is not UG branded but I am keen to see the pictures and descriptions. Below a few photos from the sales ad. Curious to hear if anyone else has a copy of these?

 

Assorted UG models pamphlet from Stern Watch Agency

 

Love the "Business Man's Compax"

 

1950s Universal Genève dealer display sign. These loose letters were found with the later 60s logo tile. I have seen this a few times over the years - the giant 60s ‘U’ popping up like an unwanted guest on beautiful 40s and 50s brass UG signs.

 

Interesting. Is this because, you think, Universal Geneve sent the dealer a replacement logo during the 60's but let the rest stay?

 

I think so, yes, probably something along those lines.

As another example, there was a UG ‘Official Agent’ dealer sign up on eBay recently. It was punched on an old brass plate like the one in this thread but had a later ‘U’ logo white tile stuck unceremoniously in one corner over the old branding. I have spent more hours than I’d like to admit this morning looking for it, to no avail. I’ll post it here if I find it.

 

Universal Geneve desk clock from the 1950s in a massive 17cm brass case. I find this clock interesting for so many reasons so please forgive this long post.



Firstly, the clock has a jump-second hand. The mainspring is manually wound via a key on the back of the case. Two trains come off that mainspring. The first is geared into the escape wheel which, in turn, is connected to the balance wheel and controls the actual timekeeping as one would expect. The second train is likewise driven by the mainspring but runs back to the dial and ingeniously dead-beats the second hand. The oversized scale of the hand itself, complete with a flamboyant tail, seem to have been designed to draw attention to this very unusual feature.



Furthermore, the dead-beat seconds hand can be hacked via a discreet button located at 12 o’clock on the outside of the case. Depressing it completely freezes the seconds. The clock seems to have been intended to be very precise indeed. One can easily imagine it being displayed in a public place and set to the exact correct second each morning, with others using it throughout the day to accurately set their own time pieces as they passed by.



In addition, it is worth noting that the quality of the movement, and the finishing especially, are utterly spectacular. The striping and spotting are extraordinary to see in what was largely an encased movement. There is a tiny glass viewing window under the clock to allow some visual access but here is the movement in all its glory.



Finally, the dial design is pure Universal. I love the open ‘6’ and ‘9’ hour markers, very reminiscent of the charming date wheel fonts found on watches of this era, perhaps most famously the Polerouters. The same can be also said for the mirror-polished dauphine hour and minute hands and the applied ‘U’ logo, both of which are also found in many famous UG watches from the 50s. Every single aspect of this clock seems to have been so carefully considered, and, for me, it perfectly encapsulates everything that was glorious about UG in the golden years.

 

This case arrived yesterday. I’m guessing 1950s based on the logo but I’m happy to be corrected on this.

It has two presentation trays in it of which one is now full so I guess I need to fill up the other one

 

Wow - absolutely splendid piece! Congratulations!

Your case is in superb condition and seems to have enjoyed a very easy life on the road. Definitive proof that 1950s UGs sold themselves!

 

Very nice piece!!

 

beautiful case and collection

 

That is exactly what those clocks were used for, and in watch dealers' windows. I have owned more than a few, and from different manufacturers.

Like the middle and lower parts of yours, most show a fair bit of corrosion, as the plating was prone to degrade over time. But the top plate looks very nice. One interesting and unusual design choice that was made on yours was the use of "l'heure" alone, as the vast majority use "l'heure exacte", or the equivalent in different languages. A fair percentage of them did employ "dead-second" functions, and the marketing aspect is fairly obvious, as it implies precision.

 

Very elegant and stylish. I came back to look at this again.

 

It actually came with a leather protective cover which probably explains the good overall condition of the case itself

 

French language vintage advertisement for a very similar date version:
"Chronometre de vitrine" - showcase chronometre... or something.

 

Here is a simular version manufactured by Luxor without any company
branding.

 

Nice one for the mancave: https://www.ecygallery.com/en/unique-enseigne-lumineuse-universal-geneve-circa-1960/