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Universal Geneve Triple Calendar Manual Wind circa 1950's — view 1 of 4
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Universal Geneve Triple Calendar Manual Wind circa 1950's

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Universal Genève (maker)
Date
c. 1950
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
silver
Lot
Item 194858195
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 141, Luxury Watches - New Year Auction, Sterling Vault Auctioneers (2025), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
Universal Geneve Triple Calendar Manual Wind Circa 1950's (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 194858195), this is a wristwatch by Universal Genève, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1950. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: silver. 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 — Sterling Vault Auctioneers

Brand: Universal Geneve Model Name: Triple Calendar Movement: Manual Wind Year: Circa 1950's Dial shape: Circular Dial colour: Silver Dial features: Arabic numerals, day and month apertures at 12 o'clock, moonphase at 6 o'clock, pointer date Bezel: smooth bezel Case size: 34mm Case material: Gold plated Case back material: Stainless Steel Movement jewel: 17 Bracelet or strap: Strap Strap material: Leather Condition report: Watch has intermittent issues when running, the minute hand is loose and does not set properly when setting the time. The other functions to the watch are currently running. No papers. No box.. Dial is in good condition. Glass is in fair condition. Case is in good condition.

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

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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