#TBT Universal Geneve Polerouter – A Design Triumph

Welcome to 2019 as we kick things off with a review of a vintage favorite in the Universal Geneve Polerouter. Today’s #TBT comes hot on the heels of yesterday’s review of a pair of dress watches, the retro-inspired Hamilton Intra-Matics with smoked dials, so we’re keeping on theme. The Polerouter is a far more famous name, though, and we’ll take a look at what I think is a truly fetching example.

Nearly three years ago, we went hands-on with a stainless steel Polerouter Jet, a more angular and modernized offshoot of UG’s flagship line. That watch featured a faceted case, slender lugs, a simple dial, and the novel Microtor movement. Our example today is a more typical Universal Geneve Polerouter and was designed by Gerald Genta. It’s gold-capped, contains a lovely black gilt dial, and seemingly has seen little wear during its lifetime. This UG was well taken care of, though, as it saw multiple services that are indicated on the inside case back. Also, and you can see this in all of the pictures I’ve taken, the watch came with its original paperwork. By the way, this watch will celebrate its 60^th birthday this year; it was delivered in 1959 to a shop in Geneva.

While I do enjoy gold watches, I normally steer clear of gold plated or capped pieces, but when friend and collector Wayne Puckett shot me a note about this particular Universal Geneve Polerouter on eBay, I took notice. Wayne knows a thing or two about these watches and he could tell, despite so-so photos, that this was a nice piece. He wasn’t wrong and a couple weeks after I forked over a negotiated $600 or so, the watch arrived. Aside from some dust under the crystal – likely as a result of on of those prior services – the watch was in fantastic condition. I notice no gold loss, the dial is in great shape complete with its lume pips at the hours, the lumed hands look complete, and the original signed crown is present. So, it was great advice from Wayne.

First introduced in 1954, the Universal Geneve Polerouter became famous for being worn by SAS pilots as they flew the Polar route for the first time in commercial air history. Offered in date and no date versions, the watches came in a variety of dial styles, in gold, steel, and capped. Movement wise, a bumper automatic led things off, but the Microtor cal 215 joined the fray in 1955 as an option. In many ways, I like to think of the Polerouter as a competitor to the Rolex Datejust and the Omega Seamaster. All the watches had some level of water resistance and were marketed as dressy watches that could survive the elements – or at least work as a tool on the arms of professionals such as pilots.

It’s hard not to see the design of the Universal Geneve Polerouter as anything other than a masterpiece. Those flowing twisted lugs and the thick bezel come together to create a beautifully proportioned watch.

With 19mm lugs, the Universal Geneve Polerouter was also sized a little larger than most dress watches of the day despite a case size of 35mm. With a length of about 44.5mm, though, it wears much like a 36mm Datejust. Then there’s the dial, which caps things off perfectly. It’s restrained and simple, yet there’s a real element of grandeur. With its detailed gold outer ring that evokes the machine age in combination with a cross-haired black main area, the dial is supremely legible and seriously classy. The applied logo is simple as are the dagger hands that contain just a stipe of luminous material. Even the gilt writing is kept to a minimum, but a nice touch is the italicized model name to provide a touch of differentiation.

We’ve discussed the Microtor in the past and it’s present here on this Universal Geneve Polerouter. You can see that it’s an absolute gem inside and is beautifully finished. The gold-colored “micro” rotor, the turning on the plates, and the gold-filled inscriptions all speak to a watch that was carefully planned and highly thought of by Universal. Plus, with such a novel movement, it allows the watch to come in at a slender 11mm.

The Universal Geneve Polerouter starts up immediately when picked up and winds smoothly. As you can see, it’s covered by a screw-down case back complete with the Polerouter symbol. As on so many UG’s, these case backs are worn down and it takes a lot of work with a loupe to make out the serial number. Still, it’s a good-looking logo indeed. Finally, when flipping over the case back, we can see that noted case maker Huguenin Freres constructed the case.

The Universal Geneve Polerouter has gone through periods of real interest over the recent past. Initial hype came about when the UG chronographs found fame around five years ago and then things went a bit quiet. Now, though, there seems to be renewed favor for these lovely watches and prices have followed. Polerouters, in general, aren’t hard to find, but condition varies wildly. Furthermore, bumper movement pieces show up more frequently today on sale sites as well. Pricing is all over the map depending on the version, but figure on somewhere around $1,500 – 2,250 for a nice example like you see here. Fine stainless and solid gold versions obviously sell for more. All in all, at the price I quoted above, that’s still relatively affordable money for what was a top-of-the-line dress watch that competed with all of the big names of the day. If serviced well, these watches can easily serve as part of one’s normal rotation of watches.

For certain, the Universal Geneve Polerouter has received a lot of adoration amongst vintage junkies. At one point, I felt this was a bit overdone and that so much of it was due to the association with Genta, but I’ve changed course. The Polerouter is a design triumph, but in Microtor form, it’s also technically significant. Enjoy the start to your year – until next time…

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In-Depth: The TAG Heuer Carrera Heuer 02 By Fragment Design Hiroshi Fujiwara

Modern chronographs that mimic the classic models of the 1960s face a couple of problems. Whether made by Heuer, Breitling, Omega, or Rolex, until the introduction of automatic chronographs in 1969, the classic 1960s chronographs used manual-winding movements, in relatively small cases (say, 35 to 40 millimeters). However, in order to address current consumer preferences for larger watches and to incorporate modern automatic movements, most of the re-issues use cases that are in the 42 to 44 millimeter range. More troubling, however, to many vintage enthusiasts is the fact that today’s re-issues tend to be much thicker than the predecessors. I go from one display case to the next at my local watch retailer and am troubled by the shift from elegantly proportioned models from the 1960s to the lumps or blobs offered by many of today’s brands. These re-issues can sometimes have a whimsical or comical look, as a well-proportioned 35 or 38 millimeter watch is blown-up to the more popular 42 to 44 millimeter size.

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Hands-On With Two Hamilton Intra-Matic Smoked Dial Watches

Christmas is always that perfect time to wear a dress watch. Or better said, the time you realize you really need a dress watch in your collection. Last Christmas, I was actually prepared and instead of wearing my Speedmaster or Submariner, I found myself wearing a dress watch almost the entire holiday period. Of course, you don’t just purchase a (dress) watch to wear it during Christmas only, but I can think of more appropriate occasions where you might prefer a more classic watch over a sports watch. Then, there are people like my younger step-brother for example, who wear a dress watch every single day of the year. It is not for me personally, although I do wear my Globemaster a lot, which can definitely be seen as a dress watch (despite its thickness).

Anyway, Hamilton reached out to us with their American Classic Intra-Matic collection and I picked two models I would actually consider myself if I’d be in the market for a new dress watch. It is the 42mm gold (PVD) watch with a brown smoked dial and the 38mm stainless steel watch with a grey smoked dial. Both are under 1000 Euro (or $1145USD) and have the same movement. Without further ado, let’s have a look.

Hamilton American Classic Intra-Matic

I was searching for the Intra-Matic collection on the Hamilton website but didn’t find anything. Apparently, the Intra-Matic models are a sub-collection of the ‘American Classic’ family of watches. Although nearly 35% of our readers are from the United States and probably most of them are familiar with Hamilton having American roots, let’s talk about Hamilton’s history for a brief moment. The Hamilton company was founded in 1892 and was in American hands until 1974. From that moment, the ownership of Hamilton became Swiss as SSIH (together with ASUAG the predecessor of the in 1983 founded Swatch Group) bought all shares. But surely most people will think of Hamilton being an American brand, despite being owned by Swatch Group and situated in Switzerland. One look on eBay and you will find an astonishing number of vintage Hamilton watches offered from the USA. It shows how big this brand was, and still is, in the United States.

And who isn’t familiar with the unusual shaped Hamilton electric (Ventura) watch that was on the wrist of Elvis Presley in the movie Blue Hawaii? Hamilton is also known for their (US) military watches (and a lot of the modern Hamilton pieces refer to military watches, as we wrote here and here) and watches used on the movie screen. The first time in 1932, in the Marlene Dietrich movie ‘Shanghai Express’. Since 2003, Hamilton (originally located in Pennsylvania) resides in Biel, where we also can find other big Swiss brands like Swatch, Omega and Rolex. More about the history of Hamilton can be found here. Today, Hamilton produces (Swiss made) watches that are considered affordable and have a wide selection of mechanical watches as well as quartz powered pieces. Myself, I consider them to be a watch brand that offers no-nonsense mechanical watches at an attractive price point even considered that the competition is huge.

38mm and 42mm

Let’s get back to the two watches that I received from Hamilton for this review. Although my initial preference was the 42mm gold version, I have to admit that the 38mm with grey dial version was the one that attracted me more as soon as I unpacked them. The gold is of course not solid, but a PVD layer on a stainless steel case. The colour is a bit darker than solid gold, but certainly not bad. My wrist size is about 18cm (~7 inches) and that’s also why I thought 42mm would be more suitable. But I have to say that 38mm just felt better, for me. That can be entirely different for you, of course. It is a matter of preferences and what you’re comfortable with. I don’t mind wearing 36mm watches (or even smaller), but I know enough people who have similarly sized wrists who are of the opinion that everything under 40mm looks ridiculous. To each his (or her) own, I’d say. Dial wise, these watches are both available in each diameter. So the grey dial Intra-Matic is also available in 42mm and the brown dial model with gold PVD case is also available in 38mm. Good thinking, Hamilton!

Caliber ETA 2892-A2

Inside these Hamilton Intra-Matic 38mm and 42mm models, we find the same mechanical self-winding movement. Strangely enough, the press kit we received nor the website had any mention of the movement caliber inside these Intra-Matic watches. It just informs you that there’s an automatic movement inside. On the American website though, you will find that these watches have an ETA 2892-A2 caliber movement. The stainless steel model with grey smoked dial also has the caliber number engraved on the caseback, the PVD gold model doesn’t.

So anyway, it is the ETA 2892-A2 movement. A movement with a solid track record, as it goes all the way back to 1983 (as ETA2892-2). In 1999, it received an update and was dubbed ETA 2892-A2. It is considered to be the upper-range automatic ETA movement and is regarded higher than the often used ETA 2824-2 for example. This exact movement has also been used by brands before they went ‘in-house’, such as Breitling, Omega and IWC for example. These brands used it as ebauche (base movement) and often made some technical and aesthetical changes of course, but it does show that higher positioned brands rely on this movement as well. The engraving on the steel version (see above) shows 2892-2 and not 2892-A2, which makes me wonder why they decided to skip the ‘A’ (the 2892-2 was discontinued in 2000).

Using this movement means that the Hamilton Intra-Matic 38mm and 42mm watches have a power reserve of 42 hours, feature a stop-seconds hack (important for those who appreciate accurate timekeeping) and a quickset date. The movement ticks at 28,800 beats per hour and have 21 jewels. It can also be admired through the display back of these Intra-Matic watches. Below, the PVD gold version (with the sticker still on the crystal).

Smoked Dials

The main attraction of these Hamilton Intra-Matic 38mm and 42mm watches are the smoked dials. We’ve seen similar dials on much more expensive watches, such as the H. Moser & Cie Endeavour and Venturer watches for example. The gold and brown really match well on the 42mm watch I have here. Hamilton refers to this dial as whiskey brown (reference H38735501) and the 38mm version has the smoke grey dial. The latter matches with the ‘cold’ steel of the case and the black soft leather strap.

The dials have long and sleek hour markers, that are printed on the dial in a colour that corresponds with the hands. Our yellow PVD gold 42mm Intra-Matic has hands in a matching colour, whereas the steel 38mm watch has rose gold coloured markers and hands. The brand and model name, as well as the ‘Automatic’ indication and date window frame, are also in corresponding colour. A black date disc has been fitted, with contrasting white printing of the numerals. Now, you can say that this should have been also done in either yellow or rose gold colour, but those with less good eye-sight might prefer this contrasting white. Personally, the date would not have been necessary at all for me, but I am happy that Hamilton at least positioned it at 6 o’clock instead of 3 o’clock.

I happen to find the smoked grey dial more attractive in the end. And not only that, but it was also better readable for me.

On The Wrist

Some of you might disagree, but I think 38mm is a great size for a dress watch. Even for me, 1.90m tall and with a wrist size of 18cm I think it works nicely. I can also easily get away with 42mm, but for a dress watch, I simply prefer a somewhat smaller looking watch. For me, larger dress watches (three-handers, round case and leather strap) always remind me a bit too much of design or fashion watches.

Surely, the watch is not as legible as a sports watch, but I didn’t have any difficulties reading time or date on the Hamilton Intra-Matic. Operating the watch is dead simple, pull out the crown to correct the date and pull once more to correct the time. Winding and setting the watch by the crown is very easy, you don’t need an instruction manual for that. At least don’t forget to take off the watch before you wind, set or correct it. Twisting the crown while the watch is on your wrist can damage the mechanics as there can be too much tension on the winding stem this way.

The black strap is a bit boring perhaps, but it doesn’t distract much either. I wouldn’t have minded a dark grey or anthracite strap. The yellow gold PVD version has the brown strap and was a bit too light toned for me, but I also realize that these straps will get darker after some wearing. For those who prefer a metal bracelet, there’s also a stainless steel bracelet version of the grey smoked dial watch. The leather is soft and supple and thus super comfortable. The lug width is 20mm for the 38mm version and 22mm for the 42mm version. Hamilton’s Intra-Matic comes with an engraved pin buckle in matching material (to the case).

Conclusion

The Hamilton Intra-Matic watches I reviewed here are the reference H38455781 (38mm steel, grey smoked dial) and H38735501 (42mm, PVD gold, brown smoked dial). The 38mm steel version has a retail price of 795 Euro ($895USD) and the 42mm retails for 915 Euro ($1145USD) and come with a leather strap and pin buckle.

Competition

Under 1000 Euro, there are many watches to choose from these days. Besides a lot of microbrands that operate in this segment, you will also find a pretty decent Seiko Presage under 1000 Euro with a 4R caliber movement (and only one with the higher regarded 6R movement). The microbrands in this price range most of the time use Miyota or STP movements. Nothing wrong with those, but I have to say that I prefer an ETA2892-A2 above any of them. It was actually a bit of a surprise that Hamilton is able to offer a watch for 795 Euro with this movement. I guess that is the power of being part of the Swatch Group.

Intra-Matic Smoked Dial For The Win

Of course, there’s more to a watch than the movement. It is not the first thing that attracts me to a certain watch. In this case, it is the smokey dials that make the Hamilton Intra-Matic stand out from the crowd. Besides the two versions I showed in this article, there’s another model in a rose gold PVD case with a ‘Havanna’ brown smoked dial. Also available in 38mm and 42mm. I would have a hard time making a final decision to pick one of these watches, but I think it would be a tie between the steel model with grey dial and the rose gold PVD version. The yellow was a bit too ‘hard’ for me. As a daily wearer, the steel version would be a no-brainer for me.

The combination of the smoked dial and the ETA2892-A2 movement in a classic looking three-hander watch is simply great. If you are looking for a dress watch under 1000 Euro, this should be on your shortlist.

More information via the official Hamilton website.

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Inside The Manufacture: A Visit With Carl F. Bucherer, And A Look Inside The Double Peripheral Tourbillon

Above is the movement, but this time, seen from the dial side. The peripheral winding rotor, as well as the module for the automatic winding train, have both been removed, and the mainspring barrel, as well as the going train, have been removed too, leaving the tourbillon, for now, in place. The cage is driven on its periphery as well, and inside the lower circular assembly (which is not a bridge, as it does not support or cross over the tourbillon cage) you can see the inward facing teeth of the fixed fourth wheel, which gears to the escape wheel. As the cage rotates, these teeth mesh with the pinion of the silicon escape wheel, driving it; the escape wheel in turn transmits energy to the lever escapement, and the balance. 

from Best Watches For Men http://bit.ly/2TouvQ6

Top 10 Best Read Articles Of 2018

It is the last day of the year, time to share with you the Top 10 best read articles on Fratello in 2018. In total, we published just over 450 posts on watches.

2018 was a very important year for us, as we made a number of important decisions for the future of Fratello, which we will tell you more about soon. Also, of course, there was the release of another Speedmaster ‘Speedy Tuesday’ (Ultraman) which means a great deal to us. We very much enjoyed doing watch reviews (a big thank you to all brands that cooperate with us on that) and hosting watch events (another thank you to the brands and boutiques involved). We will do more events in the future, starting next week actually.

For 2019, we hope to increase our coverage on different brands, also by hiring new writers (so you will see some new names on Fratello) and we are planning to publish (more) video content. Recently we started using videos to report events and as part of certain watch reviews, we are planning to expand this in the coming year.

Last but not least, our team would like to thank you for reading Fratello, joining us at our events and support us on our social media channels.

10. The Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical Or How To Spend $475

A no-brainer almost for those who would like to stay under 500USD/Euro and still want something good on their wrists. The Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical (hand-wound movement) was instant love for Michael Stockton who wrote about it last year. A watch with real military heritage (based on the vintage Hamilton with military spec of GG-W-113).

You can read it here.

9. Speedmaster Speedy Tuesday 2 “Ultraman”

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