Nivada valjoux 237/3/2023 ![]() Cairelli, featuring a funky 16-minute totalizer and reportedly produced in as few as 50 examples, total. Oversized at 44mm, these military-inspired 24 hour-dialled and split seconds-equipped giant was retailed by Italian dealer A. The most collectible Universal Genève from the period, and likely the most collectible one, period, has to be the split-seconds A. Cased in a 36mm steel case, the Compur was powered by a movement likely conceived by the Martel Watch Company. The Compur was the watch that started it all, presented at the Basel Fair in 1934, the same year that Breitling introduced their two-pusher chronograph. That honour belongs to the chronograph – a watch style that defined Universal Genève throughout the 30-year period between 19. These early creations are not what defined the brand, however. Other designs followed, like the octagonal Auto-Rem, which was the brand’s first self-winding watch, and the Cabriolet, which served as inspiration for future releases. After the passing of co-founder Numa-Emile Descombes in 1897, co-founder Ulysse Georges Perret and new hire Louis Edouard Berthoud began producing pocket and trench watches that were widely used in World War I. Though the brand was founded in Le Locle in 1894, it was relocated to Geneva in 1919, producing components rather than completed watches. Universal Genève’s current dormancy, if you will, isn’t for lack of trying (more on that later), but what if one of these revival attempts actually worked? Rich history Universal Genève Auto-Rem. For a brand with such an expansive heritage of innovation and pop culture relevance, it’s frankly surprising that it’s not around today, or at least not in the capacity enthusiasts would like it to be. Multiple star athletes, musical icons and toppled dictators all sported Universal Genève watches in some capacity, a few becoming heroes in WIS folklore, with their names becoming synonymous with particularly prominent models. The brand experienced fruitful periods for much of its lifetime, only to become a victim of several unsuccessful post-quartz crisis revivals. Universal Genève’s story is one of the highest of highs and lowest of lows. I/trending 3119 WHAT IF… Universal Genève was revived? Borna Bošnjak ![]()
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