Description
A rare and breathtaking prewar chronograph — the Universal Genève ref. 5922 from 1937 belongs to a period when Swiss watchmaking was producing some of its most technically ambitious and visually distinctive work. Universal Genève, founded in 1894, was at the height of its powers in the late 1930s — operating its own movement manufacture, Martel, and supplying chronograph calibres to the most prestigious houses in Switzerland.
The dial is immediately arresting. Against a warm cream background, two subsidiary registers sit at 3 and 9 o’clock, framed by a blue-printed tachymetre and telemetre scale that runs around the outer edge of the dial — a visual signature of the era that no modern watch can authentically replicate. The blued chronograph hands are the crowning detail: deeply coloured, elegantly proportioned, and in striking contrast to the cream surface. Arabic numerals and a bold “12” anchor the composition, while “Universal Genève” is signed across the upper dial.
The gold case wears with the full, generous proportions of late 1930s Swiss chronographs — substantial on the wrist, with the pushers flanking the crown in the classic configuration of the period.
At the heart of the watch, the manually wound calibre 285 — an 8-column-pillar-wheel chronograph movement of exceptional engineering, introduced by Martel and shared with Zenith, running at 18,000 A/h with a Breguet hairspring. It is widely regarded as one of the finest chronograph movements ever produced, and remains sought after by collectors and watchmakers alike for its robustness and elegance.
Prewar Swiss chronographs of this quality, in gold, with original dials and blued hands intact, are increasingly difficult to find. This is a piece that belongs in a serious collection.
What we love:
- Blued chronograph hands against cream dial — the defining aesthetic of prewar Swiss chronographs
- Blue tachymetre and telemetre scale — graphically extraordinary and period-authentic
- Calibre 285 column wheel chronograph — one of the finest movements ever made
- Gold case from 1937 — genuine prewar horological history
What you should know:
- Watch comes without its original box and papers. Delivered with a premium watch box and our warranty card.
