Yesterday Christie´s in Geneva had a 1. generation Universal Geneve Compur for auction.
I wasn´t aware that these early chronographs are so important, nearly tripled its medium estimate to 58k $!
Just love the black sector dial.

http://www.christies.com/Lotfinder/...6329&sid=89424454-098d-4c96-a4fa-fa1d09543bbc

 

These 1st Series Compur are uber rare and historically very important as most likely the first chronographs with 2 pushers (or among the first, not 100% sure yet).
They are finally getting the attention they deserve. The fact that this example was in steel and with a black sector dial definitively also helped !
FYI, these early Compurs actually work like a mono-pusher (start-stop-reset via the pusher at 2 o'clock) with the addition of an extra pusher at 4 o'clock to temporary stop and restart the chrono second hand while in use.
They were only produced for about 1/1.5 years back in 1934, then the "standard" Compur with Martel caliber 285 came out and they work as any normal 2-pushers chronographs that we see today (pusher at 2 o'clock start and stops and pusher at 4 resets).

 

What does the movement of that watch look like? Does it have a designation?

 

No designation yet, as Universal (or shall i say Martel, the movement producer for Universal) only introduced movement designation, in the form of numbers, from the Compur second series, i.e. from caliber 285.
I have no picture at hand but I'll try to find some at home tonight. It looks very similar if not identical from the movement side to the previously used mono-pusher movement, the difference is on the dial side of the movement where there is sort of a second column wheel (kind of) that is needed for the added pusher functions.
The Universal Geneve book by Sala explaines it all in great details and pictures !

 

https://omegaforums.net/threads/exc...pur-first-series-with-two-column-wheels.8153/

 

Here the movement

 

Thank you doctor steel and thank you Nicola (I did not realise that you posted your wonderfully researched discussion on 1st Series Compurs also here!)

 

This one which looks similar, although admittedly in very bad condition, sold for £320 last June. Unfortunately I was the under bidder...

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/...0385/lot-c2acb390-d6cb-4e43-a713-a62700cb057e

 

@timjohn - that is a jewel regardless of condition. Very unusual with the "nodo di savoia" on dial. worth a small fortune when restored !

 

This one is a very nice watch indeed but way less rare than a 1st Series Compur, this is a simple mono-pusher by Universal Watch (as Universal Geneve was known back then).

 

I guess there is a poor example with a lot of patina for sale at Chrono24 in Rome.
38mm, Olive pushers. But take a good look at the movement first and ask the seller how it works!
Needs more than a TLC, but as said, extremly rare...

 

Can this still be correct 1st series, even without the "Compur" on the dial? This one is serial 552XXX

 

Yes

 

Not 100% sure. Maybe the enamal dial is a bit earlier. There were pre Compur onepusher models with Valjoux 22gh movements...

 

The example posted above by @nicola1960 looks like a very similar enamel dial, but it has the "compur" text, and the one I just posted doesn't, hence my question.

Also does anyone know if most or all of the gold cases for these 1st series Compur are Jeaneret ? Because the last two I randomly looked at are both 166 hammers, and that seems an unlikely coincidence?

 

Lucky owner again?

 

Not me this time

https://omegaforums.net/threads/the-chronograph-universal-watch-pre-compur.73902/

 

Rare 1934 Universal Geneve 1st series COMPUR chronograph with special featurel https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com.sg/ulk/itm/163235762049

Nobody caught this? I had it on my watch list, but it was gone fast.

 

I grabbed it just on principle, not sure if I can afford to keep it, we will see....