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557
-
UNIVERSAL GENEVA De Luxe Bumper Polerouter
Ref.
See original version (French)
557
-
UNIVERSAL GENEVA De Luxe Bumper Polerouter
Ref.
See original version (French)
Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Voluntary lot
Description
UNIVERSAL GENEVA
De Luxe Bumper Polerouter
Ref. B 10234 3
No. 1792990
Circa 1955
Bracelet watch in 18k (750) yellow gold
Case: round, signed crown, screw-down back, signed with key hallmark no. 2
Dial: black with gold "crosshair dial" flange, hour-markers engraved in the flange and applied to the dial, dauphine hands, central seconds-hand, applied logo, signed
Movement: self-winding "bumper", signed - Calibre 138SS
Strap/clasp: leather strap with gilt metal pin buckle, unsigned
Diameter: 35 mm
Gross weight: 47.9 g.
Condition report given for information only:
at the time of writing, traces of wear and tear, knocks on the back, markings on the back and hallmark on the horn visible, movement in working order, need to be serviced, no warranty.
The Polerouter was born in 1954 from a collaboration between Universal Genève and the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), on the occasion of the opening of the first transpolar commercial routes linking Copenhagen to Los Angeles via the North Pole. These routes exposed the crews to intense magnetic fields, requiring a watch that was robust, precise and worthy of the elegance expected of an airline pilot.
The design was entrusted to a certain Gérald Genta, then aged just 23, who came up with a 35 mm case with twisted lugs, a biton dial surrounded by a guilloché bezel known as a "tuxedo" and a three-dimensional effect obtained thanks to a tension ring bearing the hour markers, fixed under the crystal, patented by Universal Genève in 1953. A formal coup for a beginner who, twenty years later, would sign the Royal Oak and the Nautilus.
The very first "Polarouter" models were powered by the 138SS calibre with automatic bumper winding, a shuttle system oscillating between two spring stops that was in vogue in the 1950s. This movement was replaced in spring 1955 by the famous micro-rotor calibre 215, and the watch was renamed "Polerouter".
Reference B 10234-3 belongs to the De Luxe version, an all-gold version produced around 1954, equipped with the 138SS bumper calibre in a 36 mm case. The iconic dial features the characteristic composition of the chapter ring model, with a central reticle in a solid 18-carat gold case. The black dial variant of this reference is particularly rare, with only a handful of examples known to date.
This timepiece combines several sought-after qualities: it represents the original bumper generation, predating the micro-rotor; it bears Genta's founding design in its most luxurious version; and it bears witness to a precise moment in the history of civil aviation.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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