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Universal Geneve Compax 22705-1, 1960s — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Universal Geneve Compax 22705-1, 1960s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Universal Genève (maker)
Date
1960s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 36 mm
Stock no.
Product 4567010607191
Credit line
Dealer listing, S.Song Watches (product 4567010607191)
Catalogue title (original)
Universal Geneve Compax 22705-1 (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by S.Song Watches (dealer), Seattle (stock number Product 4567010607191), 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. Recorded dimensions: Case 36 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 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

Dealer description — S.Song Watches

Universal Geneve was famed for making elegant and complicated wristwatches back in their heyday- becoming known a more accessible alternative to Patek Philippe. It’s not hard to see why, with famed models such as the Tri-Compax and their Compax line in general. There are two distinct generations of collectible Universal Geneve. You have the early period, which featured more delicate dress cases in the 30’s - 50’s, and the second generation, which this example belongs to, between the ’60s to ’80s where UG produced watches that were sportier and more in tune with contemporary trends. The term Compax was Universal’s way of denoting the complications of the watch. With the Compax you see here today, it is named without a prefix because it only has one complication- the chronograph. The Compax 22705-1 is one of the most desirable configurations of Universal, due to both its rarity and wearability. Housed in a 36mm stainless steel case with defined twisted lugs that are characteristic of the era, this Compax remains as attractive and relevant today as it did in the ’60s. With an inner tachymeter scale, a sunburst silver dial with blue accents, a workhorse Valjoux 72 movement, and just overall beautiful proportions, it is hard to not love this.

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

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

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.

Read next:Detached lever escapementIdentification Centre

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