Universal Geneve Polerouter, UG138, year 1954

Beautiful Universal Genève Polerouter from the 1950s, presented in a particularly attractive and completely original configuration.

The silver sunburst dial has developed a magnificent, even champagne patina over time, giving the watch a great deal of charm and character. The applied hour markers, faceted dauphine hands, and the Polerouter’s characteristic inner chapter ring create a beautiful sense of depth.

The 36mm stainless steel case, excluding the crown, with an approximately 46mm lug-to-lug measurement, has excellent wrist presence. The lines are sharp and well defined, and the case has never been polished, preserving the original geometry of the lugs and bezel.

The watch is fitted with the automatic Universal Genève Calibre UG 138SS movement, the iconic bumper movement used in the earliest Polerouters.

100% original example:

• original dial
• original hands
• original signed crown
• original signed crystal
• unpolished case
• caseback engraving still clearly visible

A beautiful collector’s piece, emblematic of Gérald Genta’s design work and the history of Universal Genève.

History:

The history of the Polerouter is particularly important in watchmaking. The watch was launched in 1954 at the request of Scandinavian Airlines System for its pilots operating the first transpolar flights between Europe and North America via the North Pole. These flights exposed watches to strong magnetic fields, temperature variations, and difficult conditions. Universal Genève entrusted the design to a very young Gérald Genta, who was only 23 years old at the time. The Polerouter is generally considered his first major watch design, long before his creations for Audemars Piguet or Patek Philippe.

Originally, the watch was called “Polarouter” before becoming “Polerouter” from the second half of the 1950s onward. The very first examples featuring the SAS logo on the dial are now extremely sought after.

As for Universal Genève, the company was founded in 1894 in Le Locle by Numa-Émile Descombes and Ulysse-Georges Perret. It became one of the great Swiss manufactures of the 20th century, renowned for its chronographs, technical innovations, and refined designs. Models such as the Polerouter, Tri-Compax, and Compax left a lasting mark on the history of watchmaking. However, the brand suffered greatly during the quartz crisis of the 1970s and 1980s and eventually fell dormant after being acquired by Stelux in 1989. Today, it has seen a considerable resurgence of interest among collectors and was recently relaunched following its acquisition by Breitling.