Universal Genève Jump Hour

While Universal Genève may be most famed for its Compax chronographs and the beloved Polerouter, its svelte dress watches are equally compelling. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, UG designed simple, time-only watches alongside its more complicated brethren that played with shape, color, and design in interesting and novel ways. In the 1990s, U.G. expanded its offerings with the addition of the vintage-influenced Reference 125.125, a rectangular dress watch offering a jump hour complication.  Housed in a 26mm x 43mm yellow gold case with an unsigned crown, a 'stepped' bezel, long lugs, and a sapphire crystal, it boasts a 'two-tone' silver dial with an upper minute subdial featuring 'Arabic' indices and a jumping hour display at 12 o'clock, plus a subsidiary seconds display beneath it above 6 o'clock. A simple gold 'pencil' handset completes the elegant picture. Powered by Universal Genève's hand-wound Calibre UG25 with 17 jewels and a straight-line lever escapement, it comes paired to a green leather strap with tone-on-tone top-stitching and a signed yellow gold pin buckle. Simple, handsome, and a bit outside the typical U.G. "box," it conveys the sense of subtle sophistication that made the brand a favorite amongst watch collectors everywhere.