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Universal Geneve Watches On Ebay

  1. bgrisso Mar 12, 2019

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    22502.jpg
  2. bgrisso Mar 12, 2019

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    22279.jpg 22279 B.jpg 22279 C.jpg
    byunjoe and slique12 like this.
  3. byunjoe Mar 14, 2019

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    So is this about the corrosion at the pusher apertures or is it a franken? I would like to know what's wrong with this example, thank you!
     
    fabfab_iconeek and Mark020 like this.
  4. Diabolik Mar 14, 2019

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    Looks like the pusher is incorrect or case has been modified. Both would be expensive to sort out I am afraid ...
     
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  5. DManzaluni Mar 20, 2019

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  6. billving Mar 24, 2019

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    I remeber going back and forth with the seller on this piece a while back (pre ebay) Theres a big piece of the case missing under the pusher, don't know how you'd fix that? I guess someone in the know could add metal and polish it in?
     
  7. bgrisso Mar 24, 2019

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    under both pushers I believe. I think that's a pretty tough fix. Anyhow when I politely pointed this out to the seller, that they are likely to get a return for undisclosed issue, they were sarcastic and nasty ::screwloose::
     
  8. rolokr Mar 24, 2019

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    More of a parts watch for me given the issues.
     
  9. sjg22 Mar 25, 2019

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    Xeer, 0uss and Woops like this.
  10. Woops Mar 25, 2019

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    Yep, amazing these are still being unearthed. It's already gone :(
     
  11. WhereMadnessLies Mar 25, 2019

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    That wasn't up for long :(
     
  12. Mazoue Mar 25, 2019

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    It was beautiful and presented very well.

    However the crown was not correct, which is a bit surprising given that it had supposedly never been worn.

    The box was also later and the papers were unsigned - the description didn't actually claim that these were original to the watch so it was not really the 'full set' that it first appeared.
     
  13. Woops Mar 25, 2019

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    Thanks for that - massively helps with my raging FOMO.

    I thought the box was odd as all the full set Polerouters I've seen have had the long thin red coffin box in the bundle.
     
  14. bgrisso Mar 25, 2019

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    what about the fat U strap and buckle?
     
    valjoux72 likes this.
  15. Mazoue Mar 25, 2019

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    Based on the information available in the Universal Geneve Information sticky thread:

    - the serial number dates the watch to around 1962
    - the fat U logo on the strap and buckle dates to around 1960, so is quite plausible
    - the logo on the box dates to around 1965, so it seems to be too late
     
    MarktheTime likes this.
  16. WhereMadnessLies Mar 25, 2019

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    One other thing that struck me as a little odd was the seconds hand. Most Polerouters that I have seen have a hand that has a slight curve over the hands face. This one doesn't seem to have that. Was there more than one style of seconds hand used on Polerouters?

    This image of a 20366/2 shows what I mean

    20366-2.jpg
     
  17. Mazoue Mar 25, 2019

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    You could well be right but it's really hard to tell without having the watch in hand.

    There is more than type of second hand seen on Polerouters but I suspect only one type seen on a particular reference.
     
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  18. CafeRacer Mar 26, 2019

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    This piece raises far too many questions for me.
    The main 3 issues I have with it:
    1) The front case and crown: It does not look to be from a 20366 reference, but more likely from an 869111 reference.
    (The crown and cutout in the case, curvature of the lug tips, and the "lip" on the back of the front case half are almost unique to the 869111 reference). The 20366 had no case "crown cutout", and a fat crown. Unusual to have this on a supposedly NOS watch...! The front half also looks to have been very lightly polished, but hard to tell from the photos;

    2) The dial: Although looking correct for a 20366-1 reference, the serial number may not match up to the dial. The late serial dials (230xxxx onwards) of the 20366 reference all had the vertical crosshair cut through the "Universal Geneve", "Polerouter" and "Automatic" text. Early serial dials (pre-230xxxx) did not. This is a 229xxxx serial with what looks to be a 230xxxx onwards dial, though it is close in serial to what seems to be the transition point.
    EDIT: the earliest serial for a late dial I have is 2299287.

    3) The "full set": as mentioned, the logos on the dial, strap/buckle, and box are different. I dont see a problem in this as there were 3 logos introduced between 1960 and 1965, and straps and boxes seemed to be mixed up around here. As I understand it, watches were not supplied with specific boxes, but were sold with whatever box the dealer had sitting at the cupboard at the time. So, this is probably more indicative of when the watch was sold than anything else. HOWEVER, the box supplied is for a watch on a bracelet, rather than a strap. The papers are also not filled out. Why would a NOS watch have papers and a box with it if it was never sold? To me this usually indicates a "put together" set. Not that I think there is anything wrong with a put together set, if it is put together correctly...
    Of course, this point is just speculation, but the seller should at least be able to give a plausible response to it; and

    4) Movement: there are no photos supplied, to tell if it is the correct one for this reference, whether the condition is immaculate, and with all correct parts that have not been swapped in/out. The seller claims they did not want to open the watch as it is a "time capsule"... so this point could be solved by the seller supplying photos of inside the caseback and the movement itself.

    There are a few other question marks, such as the seconds hand being in different condition to the H/M hands, but they are less significant than the questions raised above.

    EDIT: I should also add, that I am not some oracle of polerouter truth, and the assessment is only made in comparison to the patterns I have observed from other polerouter examples combined. All of these patterns are open to debate, provided there is observable evidence to back it up! :)
     
    Edited Mar 26, 2019
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  19. DManzaluni Mar 26, 2019

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    Talking of that second hand, it does look strikingly like this one I bought recently.

    20190326_130242.jpg
     
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  20. datniche27 Mar 26, 2019

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    Beware of this:
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-...tor-cal-218-2-with-NOS-OEM-Parts/202630322439Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

    I bought this set (watch + parts) from him on reddit, ultimately had to return it and it's relisted here.

    I saw value in it originally being described as including a NOS Polerouter case.

    The case was incorrect - from either a Railrouter or Polerouter Electric from what I gathered. He is now describing it as "NOS Polerouter/Railrouter case" but beware, it's not a usual Polerouter case.
     
    Masterofkarate likes this.