COMING BACK TO LIFE

After Breitling's acquisition, Universal Genève recently unveiled three new models that join its historic Polerouter line. We recap what makes the brand, and the line, iconic.

- Somya Rauthan

In December 2023, Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling's acquisition of Universal Genève from Stelux Holdings, the Hong Kong-based company that has owned the brand since 1989, became a hot-button issue. While reportedly bids had been made several times by different brands for Universal Genève, Breitling, together with private investment firms Partners Group and CVC Capital Partners, eventually won. One cannot also discount the two brands' shared synergies in aviation watches, not to mention, chronographs. "This revival is a dream turned into a vision," said Georges Kern, CEO, Breitling. "It's a process we are embarking on with the utmost respect and dedication with the aim of seeing Universal Genève restored to its rightful place in watchmaking."

Recently, the progress made by Breitling and Universal Genève was made known via the introduction of three new Polerouter watches, which commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) flight over the North Pole. This was the first commercial transpolar flight that took off on November 15, 1954, flying from Copenhagen over North Pole to Los Angeles, trimming 2,600 kilometres from the journey. Taking inspiration from the icon itself, the three new Polerouter SAS Tribute watches are essentially tributes and are not available commercially. Two are part of the Universal Genève archive-the Ref. AU6910 in stainless steel, and Ref. RU6910 in 18K red gold-while Ref. JU6910 in white gold will be auctioned at Phillips in May 2025, to benefit CFP Arts in Geneva, which teaches applied arts.