My First Vintage Watch: The Universal Genève Polerouter Jet

By Josh Hendizadeh

My first vintage watch is a curious story. I had just been accepted into UCLA for my undergrad degree and I was eager to reward myself. I had been reading about Universal Genève chronographs for months and thought I could perhaps get lucky by finding something similar on eBay. Heaven forbid, should I spend $6,000-$8,000 on a watch I told myself! After a week of scouring eBay, I uncovered two listings that intrigued me: a vintage Wittnauer Professional chronograph and a Universal Genève Polerouter Jet.

After exchanging numerous text messages and DMs with those much more knowledgeable than myself, I purchased both for the princely sum of $375. Not a week later, the Wittnauer and the Jet were both in hand. I knew that the chronograph needed work, but at least both were unpolished and all original. I sent the chronograph to the legendary Grand Central Watch to get a diagnosis of work to be done. I nearly spit my coffee out as I received an estimate of $1,500. After finding composure, I asked for the watch back and requested a return through the eBay seller.

Now to my prize; the Polerouter Jet! The Jet had a beautiful golden dial that reminded me of the “Polerouter Luxe”. The matte center gold was accented by polished square indices that really made the watch pop! I was in love with the look as it gave me an ultra-exclusive and luxurious feel, yet with an extremely inviting price tag. The lyre lugs were unpolished, and the watch ran like a champ; It was unbelievable luck. I loved this watch so much. There was something rugged, yet refined about it. Not to mention, it was a Genta design!

I kept the watch on my wrist all throughout UCLA right up to my graduation. At the time the Universal Genève market was booming and my “grail” Polarouter with a black dial was nearing almost 4,000$ and way out of the price range. Between the price, quality, and elegance, the Jet was everything I was looking for at the time. Shortly thereafter, I fell into the world of vintage Rolex and sports watches and the rest is history. I always retained my fondness for a muted and refined look of Universal Genève. To this very day, they remain the tool watches with the most elegant look, and I feel that way about nearly their entire catalog. Whether it be a Polerouter, a Nina, a Clapton, or a White Shadow; it seems as if the majority of the UG designs were rugged and refined. My infatuation with the brand remains to this very day, as I often find myself staring at their designs when looking for my next piece. As a matter of fact, the Evil Nina and Aero-Compax still remain long term grails for me combining my three criteria for this hallowed term; beauty, rarity and quality.