| Author | Message | ||
     Blgg New member Username: Blgg Post Number: 9 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
Hello Zaf, I know it will be impossible for you to comment on price for this piece -- as information is sparse -- but I'd very much appreciate any thoughts the come to mind from the limited presentation. Thank you again for your time. I just bought this on the spur of the moment on eBay... had only been up for auction about 20 minutes -- did not want to chance time involved for asking questions. A NOT FUNCTIONING 18k Universal Geneve Chronograph. It was supposedly from a South Florida Estate. (I hope there is a movement inside.) They had not cracked open the back as they did not know how to open the hex screw cap (neither would I without a pipe wrench). I can not find anything the same in Engle ('07) -- somewhat similar to the '49 "medico compax" on on page 1099, but with round buttons and round hour marks... I've enhanced the photos so the piece can be seen much better than when I took it. Is there a fault with the minute hand? The face looks pretty good. ... any thoughts would be very much appreciated... Ben   | ||
| Blgg New member Username: Blgg Post Number: 10 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
Hello again Zaf, I've been searching the web for information... * The serial number dates it to 1943-45. Other pieces having similarities are actually on your store: Richard's Universal - #287, 17j (no model name above the '6' as well), and his Universal Compax - signed, 17j, manual, #381   Best, Ben | ||
| Blgg New member Username: Blgg Post Number: 11 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
A forum moderator on the WatchNet 'Watch Talk' discussion thread suggested that it might be a: "Ultimor model, ca. 1945" for which I can find no active google search results -- only a couple of dead German eBay links. sigh My best bet to date was a Compur model -- something along this line on eBay - though a variation, and this one is in S/S: http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-AUTH-SWISS-UNIVERSAL-GENEVE-COMPUR-WATCH-NR_W0QQitem Z130046228836QQihZ003QQcategoryZ31387QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem ... it has the round buttons and angled, screw back... and a similar face font, though clearly different design... I'm inclined to suspect mine might have been intended more of a 'dress' face... | ||
| Blgg New member Username: Blgg Post Number: 12 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
re: Ultimor model I had no luck with 'Ultimor' web searches -- the only image I can find for the 1945 Ultimor is on page 1099 of Engle ('07). I must confess that I have a hard time identifying similarities with this model -- whether considering the width of the case around the crystal, to the face design itself, or the small dial demarcations, or the fonts, or the chrono buttons, or the hands... Perhaps there were other '45 Ultimor models... I can find no evidence supporting that it is an Ultimor -- even if someone tried to make an Ultimor into a Universal -- the case width proportion around the crystal is all wrong... it's very much like the Universal M#281 on the bottom right of page 1100 of Engle ('07) - more broad and rounded. | ||
| Blgg New member Username: Blgg Post Number: 13 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
Here are 2 I've found with similar face designs: 1945 Compax Cal283   1946-49 Uni-Compax Cal287   | ||
| Blgg New member Username: Blgg Post Number: 14 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
 | ||
| Zaf Moderator Username: Zaf Post Number: 2545 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
UG chronos have NO PARTS availability, unless you canabalize another watch. I'd suggest a very thorough examination before you jump into one that needs repair by someone that knows what they are doing.... | ||
| Blgg New member Username: Blgg Post Number: 15 Registered: 04-2007 Rating: N/A |
Thank you Zaf, I'll post detailed pictures of the movement when it arrives. Would you be interested in probing about and providing a diagnosis? What is your fee schedule? |