Universal Genève Compur Colonial Style Case Jeanneret, 1930s

Dealer description — S.Song Watches

Founded in Le Locle in 1894, Universal Genève established itself from its earliest days as a manufacturer of in-house movements of exceptional quality. They were also famed for making elegant and complicated wristwatches back in their heyday- becoming known as a more accessible alternative to Patek Philippe. Not only that, but the brand has a longstanding heritage of producing exceptional chronographs with a lineage that can be traced back to as early as 1927. One such example is the Compur. First released by Universal Genève in the early 1930s when wristwatches were starting to become mainstream, the Compur was the brand’s first ‘modern’ chronograph and cemented its position as the premier chronograph manufacturer in Switzerland. This particular example we have on offer here houses the manual-winding Universal Genève Cal. 285 and comes in a 34mm ‘Colonial’ style case, which is a rarity for the era it was produced in. Speaking of rarity (and while we’re on the topic), colonial-style cases are among the rarest and most interesting finds in the world of vintage Universal Genève collecting. Introduced in the mid-1930s as Universal Genève's first attempt at creating a climate-proof chronograph, these cases were produced for only a very short time. This rarity is further heightened by the fact that this particular Universal Genève was crafted by the renowned case maker Henri Jeanneret in Peseux, as indicated by the ‘Hammerhead 166’ engraving found beneath the caseback. Back then, it was common practice for brands to outsource their case-making processes, with one of the most collectable Universal Genève cases being those made by Spillman. In a similar vein, while more under the radar, Jeanneret cases are incredibly difficult to come by and are made distinctive by its dual-faceted angular lugs, giving the watch a very nice on-wrist presence. Turning to its dial, this particular Compur boasts a striking and distinctive dial design with applied gold baton as hour markers, a set of hands in similar styling, a seconds sub-dial on the left and a 45-minute counter on the right. Adding to the overall aesthetic, the dial also showcases a minute track in black, a telemeter scale as well as a chronograph hand in blue, which provides some nice visual contrast against the watch's yellow-gold tones. Indeed, the Compur model had a relatively short production run in Universal Genève's catalogue of horological offerings, and even more so with those that come fitted with Colonial-style cases. It was eventually succeeded by the Compax, which debuted in the latter half of the 1930s and gradually replaced the Compur from 1940 onwards. Consequently, early examples of the Compur, especially ones like the one we have here with this particular case configuration, have become exceptionally scarce and arduous to source. Overall, this Compur can be described as a horological time capsule, preserving the essence of a bygone era and serving as a testament to Universal Genève's exceptional technical capabilities during its prime. To be able to offer this extraordinary example on our site today is a true delight for us.