
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
1960s Universal Genève Polerouter Date 35mm 10K Gold-Filled Cal. 69 Microtor Automatic
- Maker / attribution
- Universal Genève (maker)
- Date
- 1960s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Auction house
- LiveAuctioneers auction archive
- Lot
- Item 215247052
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 293, Exclusive Watches and Jewlery, Sphere Auctions LLC (2025), via LiveAuctioneers
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1960s Universal Genève Polerouter Date 35mm 10K Gold-Filled Cal. 69 Microtor Automatic (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 215247052), this is a wristwatch by Universal Genève, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Lot description — Sphere Auctions LLC
Vintage Universal Genève Polerouter Date wristwatch, circa 1960s. Case size 35mm, 10K gold-filled case with stainless steel back. Sunburst grey dial with applied gold-tone indices, date display at 3 o’clock, gold hands, and sweep seconds. Signed crown and Universal Genève leather strap with signed buckle.Powered by the in-house Universal Genève Caliber 69 Microtor, automatic movement, 17 jewels, signed “Universal Genève Swiss Microrotor 69.” Caseback interior marked “Universal Genève.”Condition: Running and keeping time. Dial shows light patina, case shows wear to gold fill, crystal with minor scratches. Strap is later but Universal signed buckle present.
Historical context
Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.
The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
Atlas type guide
Automatic (self-winding) watches
Self-winding watches use the wearer's motion to wind the mainspring. Abraham-Louis Perrelet and Breguet made 'perpétuelle' pocket watches with oscillating weights in the late eighteenth century, but the principle only became practical in the wristwatch. John Harwood patented a bumper automatic in 1923; Rolex's Perpetual rotor (1931) winding in one direction, and later bidirectional rotors (Eterna, Felsa Bidynator), established the modern form. Micro-rotors (Universal Genève, Buren) and peripheral rotors made automatic watches thinner.
What to look for
- A semicircular rotor turning 360° over the movement, or a 'bumper' weight that rebounds between springs.
- 'Automatic', 'Perpetual' or 'Self-winding' on the dial.
- A sealed screw-back case, since automatic watches are wound less often by the crown.
Dating clues
- Bumper automatics: 1923–c. 1955.
- Full rotors: from 1931 (Rolex); widespread after c. 1950.
- Micro-rotors: from 1954–1958.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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