When Watchmaking meets Royal History - Universal Genève

Available Now 👉 Universal Genève Polerouter De Luxe in rose gold with King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz portrait dial

Some watches simply tell the story of a manufacturer. Others tell the story of the world.

This pink gold Polerouter De Luxe by Universal Genève clearly belongs to the latter category.

𝖨𝗆𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍: 𝖶𝖺𝗍𝖼𝗁𝖯𝗈𝗈𝗅 / 𝖢𝖺𝖿𝖾 𝗇𝗈𝗂𝗋 𝗅𝖾𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗌.

The Polerouter debuted in 1954 to celebrate the first commercial transpolar flights operated by Scandinavian Airlines between Europe and North America.

𝖨𝗆𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍: 𝖲𝖼𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗇𝖺𝗏𝗂𝖺𝗇 𝖠𝗂𝗋𝗅𝗂𝗇𝖾𝗌 𝖧𝗂𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗋𝗂𝖼𝖺𝗅 𝖠𝗋𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗌.

To design this new model, the brand entrusted the task to a young designer of just 23 years old: Gérald Genta. He would later become one of the most influential figures in modern watchmaking, famously creating the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the Patek Philippe Nautilus.

𝖨𝗆𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍: 𝖦é𝗋𝖺𝗅𝖽 𝖦𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺 𝖧𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖺𝗀𝖾.

The reference 10234-2TL perfectly illustrates the elegance of the early Polerouters. Its 36mm pink gold case, featuring the straight lugs characteristic of the De Luxe versions, offers beautifully balanced proportions on the wrist. Inside beats the 138SS automatic caliber, one of the collection’s original movements. This is a ‘bumper’ movement, where the rotor oscillates between two spring bumpers rather than rotating a full 360 degrees. This architecture produces a subtle mechanical sensation on the wrist, a detail vintage watch enthusiasts recognize instantly.

A Dial Steeped in History

However, what makes this piece truly exceptional is found on its dial.

𝖨𝗆𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍: 𝖯𝗁𝗈𝗍𝗈𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗉𝗁𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝖲𝖺𝖻𝗂𝗐𝖺𝗍𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗌.

Engraved in gold is the portrait of King Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, ruler of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1964.

𝖨𝗆𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍: 𝖲𝖺𝗎𝖽𝗂 𝖱𝗈𝗒𝖺𝗅 𝖢𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗍 𝖠𝗋𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗌.

During the mid 20th century, certain Swiss manufactures produced special watches for Middle Eastern markets, sometimes adorned with the portraits of local sovereigns. These pieces were often commissioned as diplomatic gifts for official visits or to mark political relations between states.

These versions were almost never mass produced. Consequently, each example represents a rare intersection of Swiss watchmaking and political history.

Today, Polerouters are already among Universal Genève’s most sought after models. But the De Luxe versions with royal portraits occupy a category of their own. They are prized not just for their design or movement, but for the historical weight they carry.

𝖨𝗆𝖺𝗀𝖾 𝖼𝗋𝖾𝖽𝗂𝗍𝗌: 𝖶𝖺𝗍𝖼𝗁𝖯𝗈𝗈𝗅, 𝖢𝖺𝖿é 𝖭𝗈𝗂𝗋 𝗅𝖾𝗌 𝗆𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗌, 𝖲𝖺𝗎𝖽𝗂 𝖱𝗈𝗒𝖺𝗅 𝖢𝗈𝗎𝗋𝗍 𝖠𝗋𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗌, 𝖦é𝗋𝖺𝗅𝖽 𝖦𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖺 𝖧𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖺𝗀𝖾