Interestingly, I was watching and reading about how some really high end watch brands hand make their watches. I'm wondering if UG ever did this, or was it all machine printed or hand applied, then put together by hands? Definitely of hand-made is quite loosely used; but just a curious thought.
Not sure what you mean by "hand made". Gears on even the most expensive watches are manufactured by machine, but finished by hand. On the other hand, perlage on plates and watch cases are made by machines that are guided by hand. In the US, vintage Universal watches were imported by Henri Stern Watch Agency, which was the same company that imported Patek Philippe. Not that I'm implying that there is any connection between the two brands, but it would not surprise me to find out that Patek and UG shared suppliers for certain non-essential parts like screws and springs. And that neither were "hand made" in the strictest sense of the term. gatorcpa