Universal Genève’s After-Sales Service and Heritage Department is Open for Business
Universal Genève was once one of the top watchmakers in Switzerland, with their headquarters appropriately located right between those of Patek Philippe and Rolex. Like many once-glorious watch companies, they were bankrupted by the “quartz crisis,” and the brand is currently on its third post-quartz corporate revival. Fortunately for fans of their vintage pieces, this reboot includes a Universal Genève After-Sales Service and Heritage Department that aims to restore as many of their old watches as they can. And even though this version of Universal Geneve hasn’t released any watches aside from a set of three one-off Polerouters, their service center is already operational.
After a fairly cool but brief 1990s reboot, and a super lame 2000s reboot, now that Breitling has bought Universal Genève this looks to be the most credible attempt at reinvigorating the brand yet. Watch geeks have been wondering if Breitling would take UG upscale, and having a service center with a heritage department certainly points that way.
How Old of a Watch Will They Service?
Universal Geneve is aiming to service watches that are up to roughly 90 years old. Depending on the level of damage and the parts that are needed, though, restoration may not be possible for every watch. Universal Genève’s service department confirmed to Luxury Bazaar that they “no longer have any components prior to the 1930s.”
Which Models Can They Service?
“We carry out overhauls on all our models,” Universal Genève told us. So even quartz models are on the table, subject to parts availability. All of their popular vintage models like the Compax, Tri-Compax, Polerouter and White Shadow should be no problem unless they’re severely damaged.
Can Universal Genève Service My Watch?
While many of the top luxury watch brands operate on a send-your-watch-in-first basis, a Universal Geneve service starts with a few quick photos. Take a few clear shots of both sides of the watch, with all numbers visible, send them to [email protected] and within 2-3 weeks the Universal Genève service team should tell you whether or not to even bother sending it in.
Universal Genève Service Cost
Universal Geneve declined to give us a “baseline” service cost, as they really prefer to take things on a case-by-case basis. We do know that the cost of a quote is CHF 150 (about $170) which will be applied to the service if you accept. Keep in mind that, in general, there’s a worldwide skilled watchmaker shortage going on. Don’t expect to pay too much less than $1,000 for a proper full service of any quality vintage watch.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the direction that UG will go, but it bodes well that they respect their history enough to staff a heritage department with skilled watchmakers capable of restoring vintage pieces. Collector interest in vintage Universal Genève models–particularly the “Nina Rindt” chronograph and the Gerald Genta-designed Polerouter–has been on an upswing in recent years, and this can only help.
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