The Bracelets of Universal Geneve

jban
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I've put off asking until I looked on my own first and from what I've found there seems to be a slight vacuum of bracelets for these guys.

I think of 60's watches like the Aero Compax I picked up to be fairly modern and would think that a lot of bracelets should survive, at least in a condition that is usable. The 20mm are almost non-existant from what I see.

Were straps the usual dress for these?

Or....is there a secret store of these where those in the know just go and pick out whatever they need for the price of a twist-o-flex?
Edited:
 
Modest_Proposal
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Many of the bracelets for these have been squirreled away by collectors. Some Universal Geneve Gay Freres bracelets and end links are selling in the thousands of $$$ these days.
 
M
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Modest_Proposal Modest_Proposal
Many of the bracelets for these have been squirreled away by collectors. Some Universal Geneve Gay Freres bracelets and end links are selling in the thousands of $$$ these days.
Silly prices being paid. There are/were other makers who produced signed UG bracelets.
 
Diabolik
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Taking into consideration that they are vintage (50-60 years old) and were made by GF, the prices are not that silly in my eyes.

Consider a Rolex or Heuer signed bracelet of the same era go for UKP1500-2000, UGs in comparison, are still very well priced and have a way to go. Added to a classy Nina or 60 tri compax, a bracelet kind of makes it much more attractive.

Then there is the Champion UG bracelet, produced for the American market. It is nice, but lacks the finesse of the GF.

I cant blame collectors for keeping them together. From a flippers point of view, splitting the bracelet from the watch may yield a better margin but that is not what most of us are in for ...
 
Modest_Proposal
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I don't gauge the reasonableness of the value of UG bracelets by comparing them to higher-cost alternatives and then saying "well - at least they're not as expensive as those ones! Not a bad deal after all."

I look at the majority of vintage stainless steel bracelets of the era. Even Gay Freres bracelets.

When compared to the whole market, these are very, very expensive. We're coming to the point where UG GF bracelets are becoming worth more than the "unworthy" Polerouters they are tethered to. Take this Tissot GF bracelet, for example. What's the difference between it and a Universal Geneve bracelet of the same designation? About $800-1200 and a stamp.
 
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Diabolik
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Yes. Agree, it is a bit of steel with a stamp and if you are happy with the alternative stamp then why not go for it. You are right, Heuer bracelets are basically NSA bracelets with a clasp that has Heuer stamped on it. The NSA clasp version will cost you $500, the heuer will cost you three to four times that.

We all know what our passion is like; we like to restore our 60s pieces of art to their former glory and strive to obtain the accessories to complete them. As there are not so many, prices are what they are. An example is this rolex clasp that is up for UKP1500 + ....

I would call it folly. However, it may well be liquid gold to a hardline Rolex collector.

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Bottom line is that they are worth whatever you are willing to pay and at the moment there are plenty of people out there that are happy to pay thousands for an original, good condition and complete GF UG bracelet. There are fewer and fewer coming up for sale and unfortunately, price will go north.

Expensive? again, that is relative ... Expensive compared to what ? Considering the price of a nina, my view is "no, not really" ...
 
Vitezi
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Modest_Proposal Modest_Proposal
Take this Tissot GF bracelet, for example. What's the difference between it and a Universal Geneve bracelet of the same designation? About $800-1200 and a stamp.
Thank goodness for that. Otherwise I'd never have had a chance to own one, just to see what they were like to wear, and what all the fuss over the GF brand was all about...
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jban
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I find these observations all to have merit. I don't get sticker shock any more when it comes to this type of thing. I have Rolex and more than know what the prices of them to be.
What's surprising to me is how few actually turn up for sale. I'm not a total obsessive about things like this so if I find something that is of the quality that the watch deserves I will pick one up. For the most part I'm ok with using NATO type straps and use them most of the time even when I have a bracelet for a watch.
 
G
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Just got an Universal Geneve bracelet, made in USA, probably Champion, but made for UG, 18 mm wide.
Cheers Gerald
 
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Fost
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Sorry for the pics , but I just got this In a lot ... I will have better pics soon but any idea what it is ?
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Carlton-Browne
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I believe it's for one of these (and missing the end links):
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Z
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Hello,
I have my Tissot Visodate T12 Seastar with a Gay Freres bracelet.
This is a family watch and I would like to repair the bracelet since is a bit loose in some places.
Does anyone know how to do this?
 
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Carlton-Browne
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There's Michael Young in Hong Kong and a chap called Seth (aka watchdealer.co.uk) in the UK. Both produce very good results but you need to persevere with the comms (Michael had a Rolex bracelet of mine for 3 years with zero communication) - they are both also used to doing 90-95% Rolex so expect that to add a twist. Seth did the UG bracelet in the thread above and his work was excellent - if I remember correctly he was so apologetic about not replying to emails he did it for free and we agreed on a charitable donation instead.
 
bgrisso
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I had a UG branded JB champion bracelet with "fixed" endlinks, which were missing for some reason. I bought another generic JB champion bracelet of the same style, to try and pirate the parts, but I found that the metal tabs holding my bracelet together were completely brittle, and would just snap off with any movement.

So the entire exercise was a failure. I have ended up with various parts left over. The two on the left are the original bracelet I was working with (without clasp), and the two on the right were the replacements that I was trying to steal from.

I'm happy to give these away for free to anyone that can make use of them....
 
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MarktheTime
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Happy to give this thread a long overdue bump! It’s amazing how these Gay Freres bracelets dial up the look and feel of so many great vintage UGs. Yes, they’ve gotten silly expensive for what they “are” but as mentioned earlier in this thread, they take the pieces they’re attached to straight into the “way back” machine for that truly original and vintage 1960s/1970s feel. 😀
 
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fizz
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Timely thread - I recently acquired an Evil Clapton without a bracelet and @MarktheTime's timely intervention allowed me to pair it with a period correct UG GF bracelet last week.

It really does take the watch to the proverbial "next level" with regard to wearability and pure vintage appeal.

WhatsApp Image 2023-02-11 at 4.54.40 PM.jpeg
 
MarktheTime
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fizz fizz
Timely thread - I recently acquired an Evil Clapton without a bracelet and @MarktheTime's timely intervention allowed me to pair it with a period correct UG GF bracelet last week.

It really does take the watch to the proverbial "next level" with regard to wearability and pure vintage appeal.

WhatsApp Image 2023-02-11 at 4.54.40 PM.jpeg
Just takes that already incredible reference to the next level! Glad it worked out…and enjoy!!
 
bgrisso
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fizz fizz
Timely thread - I recently acquired an Evil Clapton without a bracelet and @MarktheTime's timely intervention allowed me to pair it with a period correct UG GF bracelet last week.

It really does take the watch to the proverbial "next level" with regard to wearability and pure vintage appeal.

WhatsApp Image 2023-02-11 at 4.54.40 PM.jpeg

congratulations, it looks amazing
 
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