Vintage Universal Geneve 856105/01 Pocket Watch Cal. 56 Manual Wind

SPECIFICATION

Reference: 856105/01
Movement: Cal 56
Age: circa 1970s
Case Size: 41mm
Case Thickness: 8.5mm
Condition: used Universal Geneve Pocket watch
Box & Papers: No
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Warranty: 12-Months Warranty

POINTS OF MENTION

• In lovely pre-owned condition, with light wear from use
• Traditional Stainless Steel Snap-back pocket watch case
  
• Clean time-only dial layout
• Stainless Steel chain
• Fully serviced manually wound movement
  

The Universal Geneve pocket watch

Is a wonderfully elegant late-1960s pocket watch that captures the clean and increasingly minimalist design language UG was exploring during this period.
Its 41mm stainless steel case has a slim, uncomplicated profile, giving the watch a far more modern appearance than the heavier and more traditional pocket watches of earlier generations. The result is a beautifully refined piece that feels equally at home with formal tailoring today as it would have done when first produced.
The dial is particularly attractive in its simplicity, Featuring only the Universal Geneve emblem and nothing more,

Inside the Universal Genève Calibre 56 is a Swiss-made, manually wound mechanical movement dating from circa 1965 into the 1970s. The movement is closely related to, and based on, the Movado Calibre 347, the movement features 17 jewels and operates at 18,000 vibrations per hour. It provides a healthy power reserve when fully wound and, in this particular configuration, features a simple two-hand display showing only the hours and minutes. Compact and straightforward in design, the Calibre 56 reflects the practical side of Universal Genève’s later mechanical production and demonstrates the close technical relationship between Universal Genève and Movado during this period.

Universal Geneve and the 'Revival' of the pocket watch?

During the 1970s, Universal Genève was operating in a rapidly changing Swiss watch industry. The company had already become famous for sophisticated wristwatches such as the Compax, Polerouter and Shadow, but it continued to produce more traditional timepieces alongside its newer electronic and quartz watches

Pocket watches from this period are interesting because they show that the traditional format had not completely disappeared, even as wristwatches dominated everyday use. Examples from around 1970 include relatively large, slim cases of approximately 41 mm, often with simple silver-coloured dials and understated designs. There were also more luxurious examples, including gold-cased Universal Genève pocket watches from the early 1970s.

Pocket watches still had a market, particularly as formal accessories, presentation pieces and traditional timekeepers. They also allowed a manufacturer such as Universal Genève to continue using mechanical movements and classic watchmaking techniques while the industry was moving towards quartz and electronic technology. This was especially significant because the 1970s became the period of the quartz crisis, when inexpensive, highly accurate electronic watches particularly from Japan, put enormous pressure on Swiss mechanical manufacturers. Universal Genève itself began moving heavily into quartz and electronic technology during this period, including the Uniquartz and later ultra-thin quartz calibres.

So rather than being a “revival” of pocket watches, the 1970s Universal Genève pocket watches as a continuation of traditional Swiss mechanical watchmaking during a period of enormous technological change.

OUR THOUGHTS

This is a wonderfully unusual piece of UGs history. While today’s AP-inspired Swatch Pop Watch offers a playful take on the pocket watch, this vintage UG is the real thing, beautifully made, wonderfully elegant and full of period character. Perhaps most remarkably, it offers all that history and refinement for very similar money.

What I find particularly interesting about this Universal Genève pocket watch is the period in which it was made. Produced during the 1960s–70s, it represents a time when traditional Swiss mechanical watchmaking was beginning to face major changes from the arrival of quartz technology. The simple two-hand layout and understated design give it a quiet elegance, while the Calibre 56, based on the Movado 347, adds an interesting piece of horological history. For me, it is a reminder that even as the industry was moving forward, Universal Genève was still producing beautifully simple mechanical timepieces with a character that is difficult to replicate today.