Universal Geneve: An iconic watch brand is preparing for a big comeback
The past decade has seen several watch brands come back from the dead. None of these events, though, have triggered as much anticipation among watch lovers as the planned rebirth of Universal Geneve. The storied company, whose headquarters were once situated on the prestigious Rue du Rhone 43, between the Rolex and Patek Philippe buildings, was acquired in late 2023 by Breitling. Georges Kern, the man who has turned Breitling around and is also the architect behind Universal Geneve’s resurrection, recently gave a foretaste of what is to come. Also read | From Audemars Piguet to Berneron, finding beauty in asymmetry
In late November, Universal Geneve released three tribute Polerouter timepieces to mark the 70th anniversary of Scandinavian Airlines’ (SAS) inaugural polar flight from Copenhagen to Los Angeles. The Polerouter, a water-resistant, anti-shock, and anti-magnetic watch, was specially created for the flight over the North Pole. It was also the watch that kickstarted the legendary Gerald Genta’s career. Genta was only 23 when he penned the elegant but robust Polerouter. He would go onto design icons such as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Patek Philippe Nautilus, and the Cartier Pasha.
The 35mm SAS tribute timepieces, in stainless steel, 18k red gold, and an 18k white gold model with a bracelet created by Swiss bracelet maker Laurent Jolliet, are faithful recreations of the original, right down to the micro-rotor movement, but they are not for sale. The first new releases from the brand are slated to hit stores in the autumn of 2026.
The ‘watch couturier’
Founded in 1894 in Le Locle, Switzerland, Universal Geneve, which moved its offices to Geneva in the 1930s, had both mechanical pedigree – it produced the first chronograph in 1919 – and a distinct design philosophy that drove the creation of timepieces with a cosmopolitan vibe. Another factor that worked in its favour was affordable pricing.
Its Cabriolet, released in the 1920s, was among the first ever reversible watches, and vintage examples on the internet look every bit as alluring as Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso. Its Compax range of chronographs, which hit shelves in the 1930s, was both delicious-looking and extremely popular. The range included the four-register Aero Compax and the Tri-Compax, a triple calendar chronograph with moonphase, which the company launched in 1944. Also read | Best watches of 2024 for all budgets
But it is the Polerouter that established Universal Geneve as a posh, top tier manufacturer, one that lived up to its tagline of ‘Le Couturier de la Montre’, which roughly translates into the ‘watch couturier.’ With its twisted lugs, perfectly proportioned dial that was divided into sectors, and a micro-rotor movement that allowed for a thin case, the Polerouter communicated a dressy elegance that was underpinned by solid mechanicals. It was, as someone once said, the Alain Delon of watches. (The French actor, who passed away recently, incidentally sported one in one of his movies.)
Universal Geneve might have ended up with a Hong Kong-based company in the late 1980s after the ‘quartz crisis’, which brought the Swiss watch industry to its knees, and languished for over three decades. But its watches, particularly the Polerouter, found new fans in vintage watch collectors. These include the likes of the English singer and songwriter Eric Clapton, the Italian Auro Montanari, one of the world’s most respected collectors, and the American novelist Gary Shteyngart.
The Polerouter, which was available in several variations, from the Jet to the Day-Date, remains one of the community’s favourite timepieces, almost akin to a gateway drug. Also read | Will Favre Leuba soar again?
Collectors’ Special
In interviews to publications such as the New York Times and Monochrome, Georges Kern has revealed that Universal Geneve will be positioned above Breitling, with a starting price of around CHF 15,000 ( ₹14 lakh). He has also clarified that it won’t be a niche brand, and that the Polerouter would – obviously – play a prominent role in the revival. Breitling has spent $70 million ( ₹60 crore) on the Universal Geneve project so far, and the new company’s advisory board consists of several UG collectors, including managing director and former Roger Dubuis veteran, Gregory Bruttin.
But experts say the challenge the revived brand will face come 2026 will be to ensure that its appeal goes beyond watch aficionados. “A legacy is a strong asset, but not a guarantee that it can restart a company’s journey to glory,” says Oliver R Muller, a Geneva-based watch industry consultant. “It will need a subtle mix of legacy strengths with 2025 design codes, and it will need clever storytelling to communicate to a younger demographic why a dormant brand from another century should deserve their attention, especially given the ambitious positioning.”
That ‘ambitious positioning’, which is pretty much out of sync with Universal Geneve’s legacy, would mean that the revived company’s wares would mostly likely be off-limits to a majority of watch aficionados. But let that not stop you from getting acquainted with the iconic brand’s vast repertoire, and maybe investing in a vintage UG. While Polerouters in excellent condition can be found online anywhere between a relatively affordable $2000 to $3,500 ( ₹1.5 lakh to ₹3 lakh), Universal Geneve’s other gems, from the Space Compax chronograph, which came with rubber pushers, to the ultra-thin Shadow series, which, like the Polerouter, was designed by Gerald Genta, are no less alluring.
