Opinions on this "triple signed" chronograph with a Cal. 285 - Lecoultre, Cartier and Universal

C
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this co branded cartier watches ALL bear a second thing that shows it is authentic. not only the dial. there is numbers (in different places), sigend movements, cases without the manufacturer (piaget watch without piaget signature), etc.! so it is not that easy to fake this items. i know, each phoneline transports an idiot - so may be some people get bugged. but for real collectors that do their homework it is no risk.
 
M_franco
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Lemme know what you think! I'll start another thread if you guys are interested in hearing from a UG old timer.

That would be incredible! Maybe try and contact hodinkee I know benjamin clymer is a big UG fan and I bet they would love to film it and help.
Just an idea
 
Argtv7
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I think Ben is on the east coast, right? I'm in Northern California. Might make it difficult.
 
Diabolik
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Unijagver Carteve ?

I would not buy a watch with a name like that ...

sounds like codswallop to me. Much rather stick to the classics!
 
C
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wrong sight on these items. most of them are brand watches (true collector items - such as iwc, piaget or patek) sold by the king of jewelery!
if these manufacturers bought movements (banded and with other finish/better regulation) as they do till today (eta, frederic piguet, etc.) it does not make the watch cheaper. it is an added value to a collectors item. may be from sight of the "real" cartier collector this is a lower step of quality. i personally do not think so: cartier never ( or almost never) made watches themselves. they ran joint ventures with jäger, etc.! today they own (richemont) nearly all big players in the market (from panerai to jäger, from piaget to ..) so today it is still the same: cartier is a brand that
buys great quality and sells it to their customers.
in the past they simply wanted to profit from big names in the game and did not remove this name on the sold watches. today they do.
and the actual production manufactures not only one case, dial, rotor - they produce three or more and drop the finished product in the
matching box. 101 of profit: one product sold in different chanels at a (much too) high price (-;
 
O
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3 seperate number's on my UG/ Cartier 668 thin case above 18k gold upper area of back and 19797 thin case below heavy case 23286 number... it also has a strange face...the number's are very strange ruin type symbols almost a
Chinese flair to them but I have not seen anything like them on ANY U/G anywhere! I know the watch was my grandfathers so I doubt it's a fake. Will the other number's be worth more research?
 
Larry S
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One asks why UG is important? Why the watches are so expensive? This thread is an example. They were indispensable to the supply chain back in the day.
 
MattF
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Cartier most certainly did co-signed dials on UG's. You don't see too many of them but they do exist. I would say most are from later years. I agree with many here that the dial on this example is questionable and likely a re-do to try and increase value. As is stated the UG/JLC link is well known and those Jaeger pieces are simply wonderful when you find them.
 
O
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MattF MattF
Cartier most certainly did co-signed dials on UG's. You don't see too many of them but they do exist. I would say most are from later years. I agree with many here that the dial on this example is questionable and likely a re-do to try and increase value. As is stated the UG/JLC link is well known and those Jaeger pieces are simply wonderful when you find them.
You all might be right...but understanding the full history of this time-piece...I just can't fathom my grandfather or his wife trying to increase the value of this watch, to pretend it's a Cartier. Now my grandfather was a bit of a jokester and I wouldn't put it past him but to go to that trouble...if he did way back when doesn't make any sence to me. He pasted away wearing this watch, and it went to a safety deposit box. from there it went to me...And my mom bought the watch from me for $800.00 that day back in 1978...she told me that a very expensive watch...you'll ruin it. I thought nothing
of it at the time being 16 year's old. She kept it till her death in 2012...and back to me it came.So to the best of my knowledge it's never left the family. So if grand-dad or any other family member had the foresight to add Cartier to increase the value...it's only adding a value of confusion at this point...thanks
 
rcs914
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Argtv7 Argtv7
He's a super nice old guy. And I think he knows a lot, and could answer a lot of our questions. He has no vested interest. Nor does he understand the collector market. He's just a watchmaker. He was trained in Switzerland by UG in the early 1950s, brought to the US by UG in the early 60s and was in charge of their service dept then. Geez, last week, he told me he has an 18k bubbleback case that he would be happy to sell me for melt value. Of course, I wouldn't do that to him. And of course, he can't find it.

I'm a journalist and a publicist by trade. I've interviewed a lot of people, and I know how to build a good interview. My vested interest in this project is that doing this interview is that it would place me right in front of his bench (I've never been there before). God knows what cool things are in the drawers.....

So, yeah, I think an interview with an old timer UG watchmaker would be pretty cool here. And there aren't many guys left that know what he does. He worked for UG for decades. I just chatted with him on the phone (now) and he's game.

Let me know what questions you guys would like to ask. Try to keep them across the board, not just co-signed stuff. Frank knows.....

Lemme know what you think! I'll start another thread if you guys are interested in hearing from a UG old timer.

I think everyone here would love that.
 
R
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Hello everyone,
I come a few years after the start of this discussion, I don't know if the members are still active.. Did you get any answers? I have a watch, with a Cartier dial, a UG 285 movement signed by Lecoultre.
 
Mark020
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Some pics would help (dial and numbers). But: IMHO there are legit ones
 
R
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Mark020 Mark020
Some pics would help (dial and numbers). But: IMHO there are legit ones
Sorry.. I have more photos if you want
 
Mark020
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Well I don’t have close serials to yours with a Cartier dial but your watch is legit and the dial itself is legit. I’m inclined to say that the Cartier print is legit as well. Perhaps some better pics may help. There may be a Cartier inventory number on the case as well? The 8704 could be that as well. Is that number punched or scratched?

regardless of that: this is a valuable piece
 
Mark020
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There are actually a lot of parts missing. If you want to restore the watch buying a donor 285 movement may be the easiest (and cheapest) way to find the parts.

This seems to be a number?
upload_2024-2-9_13-14-50.png
 
Mark020
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Close cousin: https://catalog.antiquorum.swiss/en/lots/cartier-lot-296-184?browse_all=1&page=1&q=cartier+1940 (refinished dial I think)
184.jpg
 
R
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Mark020 Mark020
There are actually a lot of parts missing. If you want to restore the watch buying a donor 285 movement may be the easiest (and cheapest) way to find the parts.

This seems to be a number?
upload_2024-2-9_13-14-50.png
this might be.. I will look closer tonight. Oh yes a close cousin! nice! Thx for your fast reply
 
Mark020
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Always welcome!
 
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