Founded in Le Locle in 1894, Universal Genève established itself from its earliest days as a manufacturer of in-house movements of exceptional quality. They were also famed for making elegant and complicated wristwatches back in their heyday- becoming known as a more accessible alternative to Patek Philippe. It’s not hard to see why, with famed models such as the Tri-Compax and their Compax line in general.
Offered here today is a remarkable example of a wristwatch that remains relatively uncommon in today's collecting landscape. This is the Universal Genève Medico-Compax Ref. 12426, a rare variant of the esteemed Compax line. Introduced during the late 1940s, this two-register chronograph was specifically crafted to cater to the needs of medical professionals, allowing them to obtain more accurate pulse readings from patients. I’d go as far as to say that to see a Medico-Compax in the wild is truly an extraordinary occurrence, considering the rarity and distinctive (almost obscure) purpose of these wrist watches.
The Medico-Compax showcases a beautifully patina’d silver dial adorned with a pulsation scale in vibrant red, positioned along its periphery. Notably, the scale's calculations are based on a standard of ‘15 pulsations’, extending from approximately the 8 o'clock to 12 o'clock positions. Complementing this distinctive feature, the dial follows a classic two sub-dial chronograph layout, featuring a running seconds sub-dial situated at 9 o'clock and a 45-minute totalizer positioned at 3 o'clock.
To provide a contextual understanding of operating a pulsometer and determining a patient's pulse, it's important to note that a pulsometer is designed to measure the number of heartbeats per minute. The scale typically ranges from 15 to 30 heartbeats. To utilize this feature effectively, the user would pause the chronograph precisely at either the 15th or 30th heartbeat (in this case of the Medico-Compax, it would be the 15th heartbeat) of the patient. Subsequently, the dial of the watch would directly display the patient's pulse rate without requiring any further computations.
While finding Universal Geneve Medico Compaxes are difficult, finding them in such excellent condition is even harder as most were put to use for their intended purposes. Furthermore, what makes this particular example even more special and above and belong other Universal Geneve’s is that in comes encased in a very rare case produced by famed case maker Jeanneret. Back in the day, it was common practice for brands to outsource case making, with one of the most collectable Universal cases being those made by Spillman. In a similar vein, while more under the radar, Jenneret cases are incredibly difficult to come by and is made distinctive by it’s dual-faceted angular lugs, giving the watch a very nice presence.
Encased within its beautiful 35mm 18-carat yellow gold case is Universal Genève’s very own 17-jeweled, manual-winding Cal. 285, a beautiful column-wheel chronograph movement which was first introduced in the early 1940s.
Throughout our journey of amassing vintage watches for our site, we have encountered various Universal Genève Compax models with diverse dial configurations and variants. However, this particular Medico-Compax stands out as one of the most captivating timepieces we have had the pleasure of handling thus far. To be able to offer this extraordinary Medico-Compax on our site today is a real delight.
