Reply With QuoteMight as well say Gary on the dial!
Is it a solid steel case?
I love it! Missed it if it was on sc!?
Had a brief moment of madness earlier in the week and bought a watch. Not just any old watch mind, but a Universal Geneve, a brand I've never owned before. Despite being on the watch wagon I just couldn't resist the sheer 70's madness of this one and that beautiful dial with highly polished hands, applied indices and UG logo.
The case shape is er pretty unique and a generous size with real wrist presence, it's bordering on being a door frame magnet but I kinda like its heft. The case itself bears testimony to this with a few dings, scratches and knocks but I know a man who can sort that out for me ;-)
It houses a UG cal. 1-52 which is actually a Bulova tuning fork movement (their cal. 2181F) so the seconds hand sweeps oh so smoothly over the dial. I'm not entirely sure if the minute track ring was originally a deeper yellow and has faded or if it was always this colour. I suspect the latter as it's a near perfect match for the colour of the tritium in the hands and applied lume dots between the indices.
Anyhow a few pics taken this afternoon.
My favourite feature is the dial and handset. The different finishes work extremely well together and the polished surfaces reflect light very well too, the whole dial comes to life with minimum movement of your wrist.
A quick P&S snap taken this morning
And a hasty wrist pic to give and idea of how it sits on my 7" wrist
I realise this won't be to everyones tastes but it's right up my street :D
Cheers,
Gary
P.S. Many thanks to Carlton-Browne for letting this one go and a super smooth transaction.
Might as well say Gary on the dial!
Is it a solid steel case?
I love it! Missed it if it was on sc!?
Yep it's a solid steel case mate and a pretty hefty one at that. Dimensions are actually fairly modest (37mm minus crown wide) but it wears way bigger.
And yes it was on SC but not for long ;-)
Cheers,
Gary
Looks bigger!
Lovely!
Like that... and want it :-)
Sorry my friend another forum member has got first dibs if I decide to move it on.Originally Posted by Cirrus
Cheers,
Gary
That's rather good! There's far more attention to detail on that than the majority of current watches. The printing on the date wheel, for example, is beautiful.
Awww :(
Sorry guys, Gary said i could have it for my birthday in July!
Did I? News to me mate and Andy will be most upset.
Cheers,
Gary
Thank you and I agree about the attention to detail.
Once you notice it the blue U in the centre of the applied logo really pulls you in and it compliments the minute tracks pale yellow colour really well. The lume dots in the centre of the applied indices is another lovely touch. I also really like how the minute hand touches the inside edge of the minute track exactly and the second hand is precisely half the minute track width longer.
Cheers,
Gary
They really dont make them like they used to.
Having hands that have full reach is such a basic design thing but is often lacking now.
Anyone got dating information for post 1967 Universal Geneve's?
I've found this fabrication date list for them from 1930 -1967 but my example is serial number 2,776,XXX so it's post 1967.
I'm guessing mine's from around the late 60's to early to 70's based on the above and the design.
Cheers,
Gary
I'm glad you like it Gary; I never really got on with it and I can't explain why as the two watches in my collection that it most resembles I absolutely adore (JLC Master Quartz and UG Zone Timer). I really came close to buying the bracelet for it to see if that changed anything but couldn't justify it; as a matter of interest are you going to keep it on the sharkskin (I deliberately chose a strap that tapered down to 20mm to increase the chances of finding an OEM buckle but that drew a blank as well, as you know)?
I can't wait to see how this looks after it's been on Rocco's lapping machine; if he can duplicate the fairly coarse graining on the face I think it's going to be absolutely fantastic. It's nice to see that it has a couple of other fans on here.
The other question that begs with this, and quite a few other UGs, is whether it's on of the 80 or so that Gerald Genta designed for them. I don't know how you'd find this out....
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
One other thought is there is now a Universal Geneve sub-forum on one of the Omega forums. You might copy this thread onto there to see if anybody has any more info. I've been meaning to do an intro on there for a bit.
http://omegaforums.net/forums/universal-geneve-forum/
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Hi C-B, I've got my eye on a few vintage straps on ebay which have a good period taper, it looks like they go from 24mm to around 16mm. In my experience a good tapered strap make fairly bulky watches far more comfortable with the added benefit that they stay in position on your wrist. How and why people like non tapered bulky straps I just don't understand, guess I'll never be in the market for a Panerai. I like the sharkskin but it's a tad too bulky at the lugs so I'm looking for something thinner.
Good idea about the Omega forum, I'm a member over there but must confess I haven't visited the site for a long, long, time. I hadn't realised that they'd broadened the site to include other brands.
I'll be taking the UG to Rocco's next week to see if he can do his magic. It should look stunning once completed
Cheers,
Gary
Now that's an interesting sub forum...ta for that Alan
I'll be taking the UG to Rocco's next week to see if he can do his magic. It should look stunning once completed
Cheers,
Gary
Excellent Gary....looking forward to seeing the results of that.
Looking forward even more to seeing the results of that on my wrist at a point in the future still to be determined
Interesting watch. Never seen that before!
That's better!
My period tapered NOS straps arrived this morning and what a difference they make. The Unisonic is now really comfortable on the wrist and doesn't move a round at all. It's a proper taper too, from 24mm down to 15mm, lovely!
Cheers,
Gary
Not sure on the black/brown but that strap is perfect
I was hoping to see it last week!
Hope Lucy's knee is better.
Thanks mate. Lucy's on the mend, knee is still a bit sore but she's got a weeks holiday to recover now completely now.
Cheers,
Gary
I have absolutely no connection with the seller but I thought I'd point out that one of these has just come up on the bay. Looks to be in nice condition but may have been refinished. Looks like it has the original bracelet.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/331076979048...048%26_rdc%3D1
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Gary
Did this ever make it's way onto Rocco's lapping machine? I've just bought another one and it'll be going Bristol-wards at some point in the near future. I'd be curious to see pictures if you have any.
The Ebay bracelet looks like it's gone so I'll have to find a source for that as well.
I like those late 60's and early 70's style watches. That one is in great condition
Very interesting watch. The case shape is growing on me.
I dig that case congrats
Hi C-B,
I'm afraid it's still in his 'to do' box. Knew I shouldn't have done that post about his lapping machine, he's been far too busy sorting your watches out ever since ;)
Good luck with your search for a bracelet and please let me know if you find a reasonably priced source.
Cheers,
Gary
A major thread revival as I've finally got round to taking some pics of my refinished Universal Geneve Unisonic. It's a bugger to photograph as the sides are highly polished, so reflections are a major issue. I don't have a lightbox or anything professional and my two bits of silver card weren't really up to the task.
I'm extremely pleased with how the refinish has revitalised the watch. Oh and I managed to get a period Unisonic instruction manual which I used as a background. Hope you like the watch and my efforts at trying to capture it.
Cheers,
Gary
Last edited by Omegary; 20th September 2015 at 21:00. Reason: Duplicate image
WOW!!!! That looks fantastic, good work by Rocco?
Nice pics too. Well done mate, that is a lovely sight to behold, thanks for posting!
Hi - there are a few Mercury batteries still available, but stocks are fast dwindling. Is there a viable replacement?
That is Amazing!
Stunning watch.
What a fantastic job! Best of the 70s there.
Well done, Gary; I've really been looking forward to seeing how that would look once Rocco had done his magic. I don't know what went through my head when I sold that to you and, as you know, ended up replacing it with a blue-dialled version. I had grand intentions of sending that off to Rocco as well and then one glorious day an Italian seller on Ebay turned up with an orphan NOS case.
Lovely photos as usual - I still haven't been able to top the ones you took of my Master Quartz. My advice is to stick with the bits of silver card.
This has seriously kindled my inner 70s child. I'm going to end up with one from that era for sure.
Stunning! Congratulations.
This is so very, very beautiful! Congrats Gary :)
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