
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
1970s Universal Geneve Polerouter Day-Date Movement Dial Cal 72 Microtor 17J 29mm Auto
- Maker / attribution
- Universal Geneve (maker)
- Date
- 1970s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Auction house
- LiveAuctioneers auction archive
- Lot
- Item 232875874
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 215, EXCLUSIVE WATCHES AND POCKET WATCHES 11, Sphere Auctions LLC (2026), via LiveAuctioneers
- Catalogue title (original)
- 1970s Universal Geneve Polerouter Day-Date Movement Dial Cal 72 Microtor 17J 29mm Auto (English)
View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 232875874), this is a wristwatch by Universal Geneve, made in Switzerland, dated 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) 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
Up for sale is a vintage circa late 1960s to early 1970s Universal Genève Polerouter Day-Date movement and dial set, removed from its case. The champagne gold-toned sunburst dial is signed "Universal Genève / Polerouter / Automatic / Swiss T" with applied gold baton indices and a dual-aperture day and date display at 3 o'clock showing day in full ("MON") and date side by side. The movement is signed "Universal Geneve / Swiss / Microtor / Seventeen Jewels / Unadjusted" and is the proprietary Caliber 72 micro-rotor automatic — the movement used exclusively in all Polerouter Day-Date references. Dial diameter measures approximately 29mm. The watch runs. No case or band is included.The Universal Genève Polerouter is one of the most celebrated vintage Swiss sport-dress watches, originally designed by a young Gerald Genta in 1954 to commemorate the inaugural SAS transpolar flights. The Day-Date configuration with Caliber 72 is a distinct and less common variation within the Polerouter family, highly prized by collectors. This movement and dial set represents an exceptional opportunity for a watchmaker or collector to case a correct-era Polerouter or acquire a complete running Microtor movement. Sold in its current condition.That is a mechanical watch. Watch may run at time of listing. We do not guarantee extended runtime or accuracy.
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Calendar, moon-phase and perpetual calendar watches
Calendar complications range from a simple date to the perpetual calendar, which automatically allows for months of different lengths and leap years until 2100. Pocket watches with perpetual calendars were made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; Patek Philippe made the first perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1925, and series production followed in 1941. The annual calendar (Patek Philippe, 1996) needs correction only once a year.
Moon-phase displays use a disc with two moons and 59 teeth advanced daily, approximating the 29.5-day lunation; more precise trains reduce the error to one day in over a century.
What to look for
- Apertures or subsidiary dials for day, date, month and leap year.
- Moon disc under a 'bosom' shaped aperture.
- Recessed correctors on the case band for setting the calendar.
Dating clues
- Triple-date wristwatches: popular c. 1940–1955.
- Perpetual calendar wristwatches: from 1925 (unique) and 1941 (series).
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.
Related records
Wristwatches · 1960s
Universal Geneve Uni- Compax (Ref. 884100/02) “Big Eye”, 1960s
Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles
Wristwatches · 1960s
Universal Genève Tri-Compax (Ref. 881101/01) "Eric Clapton", 1960s
Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles
Wristwatches · 1960s
Universal Geneve Compax (Ref. 885103/01) "Evil Nina" W/ Base 200 UPH Bezel, 1960s
Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles
Wristwatches · 1960s
Universal Genève Tri-Compax (Ref. 881101/01) "Eric Clapton", 1960s
Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles
Wristwatches · 1970
Wristwatch by Heno, Switzerland, 1970
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · 1960–1986
'Tri-Compax' calendar chronograph wristwatch in gold case, by Universal, Geneva, Switzerland, 1960–1986.
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · 1969–1970
Beta 21 Quartz wristwatch movement, made in Switzerland, 1970.
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · c. 1969
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, ref. 145022-69st, c. 1969
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
