Worn & Wound
Universal Geneve is Back – Here’s the New Polerouter
While the watch industry braces for Watches & Wonders next week and anticipates a flurry of new releases to discuss that will take us through the next several months of watch discourse, today is actually the day that many collectors and enthusiasts have been waiting for for years: the debut of new watches from Universal Geneve. When it was announced that the brand would be formally relaunched by Georges Kern back in December of 2023, speculation began immediately as to what we would eventually see. Little tidbits have come out in dribs and drabs over the last two years, but today the watch community finally gets a look at what Universal Geneve will be in the modern era, at least to start. A few things are very apparent from the outset. This is a big swing on the part of Kern and others steering the ship at Universal. They could have gone small, and introduced a one or two references to reintroduce the brand to the community slowly, but instead they’ve come out o the gate with nearly 40 SKUs, with prices ranging from a relatively modest $14,000 all the way up to $320,000 for an elaborate jewelry focused Cabriolet (and that’s the only elaborate, jewelry focused piece). The other thing that’s clear is that the launch feels focused on the Polerouter, a Gerald Genta design that is likely the most well known watch under the broader Universal Geneve banner. It got the reference book treatment a few years back, and, once upon a time, was one of the most frequently recommen...
