Universal Geneve FS, the "other” railway watch

Carlton-Browne

Do you have a movement shot; the dial logo suggests that it is a Unisonic? The UG and the Perseo FS watches I've seen all have dial numerals stamped from behind so as to give something of a 3D effect; this makes me doubtful about yours as it presumably wasin the spec. The other thing to look at is the inside of the caseback for any model reference and you could also sample some of the FS serial numbers to see if this is at the end of a range (doesn't prove anything but one could imagine that if it were a tuning fork model it wouldn't belong in the same range as the mechanicals).

Rumar89

I'm actually on the Amalfi coast right now. Anybody have a suggestion on dealers/shops that might have one of these? It'd be a great souvenir.

Rman

It’s not “for sale” and it doesn’t stand for “fuori serie” or “outside the series,” so often marked on limited edition cars to signify custom built. Italian government administrators enjoy ordering special editions of timepieces for their state employees and military, and in this case the FS stands for Ferrovie dello Stato— The State Railways.

As early as the 1800’s the FS issued pocket watches from brands such as Longines and Zenith. In 1927, the fascist administration granted the Italian company Perseo a monopoly, and Perseo really dominated the pocketwatch scene on the FS up until wristwatches came into popularity.

Towards the end of the 50s, the FS give the choice between pocket watches and wristwatches. They granted access to a few other suppliers at this time. Some brands would be allocated directly, such as Universal and Perseo, but others could comply with specifications and sell to railway workers for replacement. These approved wristwatches could be bought by the ferroviere through withholdings on their paychecks.

The requirements were that the wristwatch measure 35-36 mm in diameter, have a white dial, a sub-seconds dial at 6 o'clock, arabic numerals and a threaded caseback.

These Universal Geneve FS watches were in production from 1960 to 1970. The UG FS were not chronometers like the Railrouter and non-hacking, but the caliber 64 movements were nicely made, hand-wound movement with oversized balance wheels.

As far as I can understand the numbers on the case backs are non-consecutive and unassigned to a particular employee or conductor. The FS engraving is really a treat.

The first Ferrovie dello Stato with this enamel dial came in a slimmer 34mm case with faceted lugs:

The second iteration is a cushion case measuring in at 36mm. The only real difference on the dial is the subdial on the earlier reference has the wide open 6, while the latter looks closed until you look through a loop:

They both have a beautiful die-stamped dial with exceptionally subtle snailing and glossy enamel paint. The dial is quite characterful with the numbers in relief and the open 9. Combine the dial with the high polish case and a nice strap and you have a simple little timepiece with a lot of panache.

The watches are found with slightly different crowns, however almost all of the examples I’ve observed have the simple rounded U mark without the badge outline. The two in my possession have identical crowns.

I’ve really enjoyed my FS, purchased directly from a cheerful Italian seller. So much so that I've found another for my father-in-law, it's a great gateway watch into the world of vintage.

The watch is handsome on a variety of straps and can easily be dressed up or down.

Most of the information has been gathered, synthesized and translated from orologi y passioni and forumamontres so thank you to our brothers and sisters over at those forums. I invite anyone with corrections or additional information to please chime in.

aap

Here's mine; bought a few months ago: