Universal – Polerouter Date

Very rare Universal Polerouter Date from 1950’s, 34mm solid 18kt yellow gold case, automatic movmement caliber Universal 215, amazing black glossy dial with radium our markers and radium yellow gold dauphine style hands, plastic crystal, original signed crown. Vintage nato strap. This incredible watch, original in any of its part, is in perfect condition. The Universal Genève Polerouter is the first masterpiece designed by Gérald Genta and it’s also the ideal starting place for any vintage watch collection. In the early ’50s, Universal Genève enlisted an unknown 23-year-old Genta to design a watch in honor of the newly opened “polar route” operated by Scandinavian Airlines Systems. The route opened up a quicker way between Los Angeles and Copenhagen, flying over the magnetic North Pole. The watch Genta designed was issued to the pilots and crew of these flights, and it went on to serve as the foundation for an entire line of watches under the Polerouter designation. The first Polarouters hit the market in 1954. The story goes that the North American market, one of the largest export markets, had trouble with pronunciation. So in 1955, the Universal Genève marketing department changed the name to Polerouter to make it more digestible. This watch has a gorgeous 18kt gold case, 35mm wide and comes whit a radium dial and original screw back case. The Movement is the 215 Universal in the date variant using a micro-rotor winding mechanism.