Universal Geneve Tri Compax 481 "french cased" - who can help ?

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We can talk about it, 10 years, it's just not genuine... 🙁
 
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I still like @Mlafra 's theory. Any way its a stunning piece. Would be interested in what the rest of the community, especially our senior experts have to say about this.
 
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Universal really managed to make us wonder ! But, maybe it is somewhere why we like the brand !? 😉
A) They are just cool designs. A Patek for the regular guy. B) They allowed customers to customize so there are so many possibilities C) They were innovators D) There is always new stuff to discover.
 
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@jb1986, first, welcome to the group! I enjoyed checking out your new watch. The overall aesthetics of the case, those lovely lugs, dial and handset taken together are all very appealing. Wear it and enjoy it.

@Larry S wrote>>> I have a few but I also have some with service parts.Are we being too hard on watches like this if she was serviced with UG parts over the course of her life? <<<

Sometime, yes, I believe so. Posting pictures of a watch here will usually generate a good set of opinions and ideas on originality and correctness, which I find valuable. We need a hard critique to stay on our game. However, As long as one is aware of deviations from originality of a given watch, you can then create your own valuation and buy with your eyes wide open.

The OP's watch is visually appealing to my eye, and that appeal, more often that not, rules the day for me.
 
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For what it’s worth on the dial ring issue discussed above, here’s an ad from about 1950 that’s pretty close if not identical to my 12268 pictured above. Note the absence of a ring around the date dial in the ad (at least as best as my old eyes can see...). So while @Mlafra may well be generally correct about @jb1986 ’s watch, I think it’s pretty evident that UG did make original dials at that time *without* the ring.
Now if only the ad were in color and I could tell if the “31” were black or red...!! 😉
 
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Red or black 31 .... not an issue. UG did both.
 
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Red or black 31 .... not an issue. UG did both.
Thanks for confirming. Breathing a little easier now. 😀
 
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The caseback diameter is common, swapping a caseback with one from another watch is easy imo. There should be the ug logo, whatever the market...

Not true, I think. Foreign cases may not always carry a UG logo. I believe this is an original, foreign case. Can we have a closeup of the hallmark in the middle of the inside caseback, the diamond lozenge?

Caseback is a service case back from the mid/end 1950s, that could explain the lack of the usual engravings and the 6 digits reference number.

Service caseback? Ever seen one?

Swiss-made spare part? Is there a Swiss hallmark?
 
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Foreign cases may not always carry a UG logo. I believe this is an original, foreign case.

+1
 
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This is getting good!!
 
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I am now convinced on the dial without the ring around the date numbers, but it has to be at least from 1950s (consistent with the add MarkTheTIme posted), in 1940s the ring is must IMHO.

As for the service case back: I clearly said my was an hypothesis, not a certainty. Mainly driven by the 6 digits long reference number. But it might also be a foreign case and perhaps foreign cases followed a different reference numbering convention.
 
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I am now convinced on the dial without the ring around the date numbers, but it has to be at least from 1950s (consistent with the add MarkTheTIme posted), in 1940s the ring is must IMHO.

As for the service case back: I clearly said my was an hypothesis, not a certainty. Mainly driven by the 6 digits long reference number. But it might also be a foreign case and perhaps foreign cases followed a different reference numbering convention.
So if it is a foreign case watch and serial still follow UG then it looks like it is legit then. In any event it is very nice.
 
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Am I crazy or was France one of the markets that made it very tough to import gold watches so cases were made there? This could explain this watch.
 
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Am I crazy or was France one of the markets that made it very tough to import gold watches so cases were made there? This could explain this watch.
You are not Lous has a number of French cases UGs with the owl.
 
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You are not Lous has a number of French cases UGs with the owl.
Yea I was just doing a search and that totally explains this case.
 
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And about the serial? If original and following the UG, the serial puts the watch in the mid 50's. Is this a correct dial for a mid 50's watch?
 
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I am now convinced on the dial without the ring around the date numbers, but it has to be at least from 1950s (consistent with the add MarkTheTIme posted), in 1940s the ring is must IMHO.

As for the service case back: I clearly said my was an hypothesis, not a certainty. Mainly driven by the 6 digits long reference number. But it might also be a foreign case and perhaps foreign cases followed a different reference numbering convention.

For what it’s worth, my “ring-less” dial has a serial number (14...) that places it early in the 1949-1951 range on the chart. Maybe I still snuck into the 1940s... 😀
 
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And about the serial? If original and following the UG, the serial puts the watch in the mid 50's. Is this a correct dial for a mid 50's watch?
So the dial is a mid late 40s but since we have a French case is it plausible that a dealer has dials, parts and movements in stock and builds watches under UG license..? in which case a customer picks the dial hands and case/movement and off we go?