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1970s Universal Geneve Polerouter Day-Date Movement Dial Cal 72 Microtor 17J 29mm Auto — view 1 of 4
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

1970s Universal Geneve Polerouter Day-Date Movement Dial Cal 72 Microtor 17J 29mm Auto

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Universal Geneve (maker)
Date
1970s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
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)

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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.

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