The editorial team of Chronos Japan covered Watches & Wonders 2025, the watch industry's trade fair for new releases. This article, originally published in our magazine under the title "New watches that shone in Geneva: The keywords were 'color' and 'small diameter,'" is now republished on webChronos. This time, we're looking at Universal Genève, which has been making waves with its revival in 2023. We're explaining the revived Polerouter watch and interviewing Gregory Bretin, a former Roger Dubuis designer.
Photographs by Yu Mitamura, Ryotaro Horiuchi
Masamasa Hirota (this magazine): Interview and writing
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
Edited by Yuto Hosoda (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]
Universal Geneva quietly begins full-scale operations
The motto of Raoul Pellet, who once led the company, was "Technology for Beauty." The new Universal Genève, which claims to be a watchmaking craftsman, has released a complete reproduction of the icon as its first release. Automatic winding (Cal. 1-69). 28 jewels. 18,000 vph. Power reserve of approximately 57 hours. 18KRG case (diameter 35mm, thickness 9.95mm). Water resistant to 5 bar.
Universal Genève became a subsidiary of Breitling in December 2023. While the products had already been announced, they were unveiled in Geneva. The first watch released was a complete re-issue featuring the original Caliber 1-69. Breitling's Georges Kern confirmed that Gérald Genta had designed the case for the original model before acquiring Universal Genève. Therefore, it was only natural that the original Polerouter was chosen for the first model. However, this was only just the beginning. The man leading the company today is none other than Gregory Bretin, who designed the micro-rotor at Roger Dubuis.
Interview with Gregory Bourtin
Grégory Bretin, who was a highly accomplished man at Roger Dubuis, is now the managing director of the newly reborn Universal Genève. I'm well aware of Bretin's talent and that he worked on numerous micro-rotors in his previous job. However, I was surprised when he moved to Universal Genève. "Universal Genève was founded in Le Locle in 1894 and moved to Geneva in 1919. The golden age of the company was particularly marked by the 50s, when Mr. Holt was at the helm. My current goal is to carry that history into the future." He showed me a reproduction of the Polerouter, which was released in 2024.
What really caught my eye was the micro rotor.
Born in Switzerland in 1977, he studied watchmaking theory at the Neuchâtel Engineering School and then earned a master's degree at the Ecole Arc. He joined Roger Dubuis in 2002 and was involved in the development of automatic movements, minute repeaters, and skeleton movements. After serving as Head of Development and Product Strategy Director at the company, he will assume his current position in 2024.
"Universal Genève, unlike other brands, has a wealth of icons. The Polerouter, for example, was the first model designed by Gérald Genta and was created to celebrate the inauguration of SAS's direct flight from Copenhagen to Los Angeles in 1954." Originally, it featured a half-rotor automatic movement, which was later replaced by the micro-rotor caliber 215 and, in 66, the even thinner caliber 1-66, measuring just 2.5mm thick. It was only fitting that the company would unveil this iconic model at the 2024 unveiling.
Universal Genève calls itself the "craftsman of watches." The Polerouter bracelet model demonstrates this approach. According to a company representative, it is handcrafted by a select few artisans in the world. It takes three to four months to make one bracelet, and the profits are donated to a school in Geneva that teaches chain-making techniques. Indeed, the "craftsmanship" is of the utmost quality.
However, his main topic of conversation was the new collection and new in-house movement that will likely be added in the future. Incidentally, back when the company was still Hong Kong-owned, it completed a new generation of micro-rotor automatic watches called the UG-100. When asked if they were reviving it, he replied, "No, not at all." I have seen that movement in person, and by today's standards, it has a short power reserve and is quite thick. "So what we are currently developing is an entirely new movement." He couldn't reveal the details, but hearing what he said, it makes sense that Bretin, known for his mastery of the micro-rotor, would be involved. At the very least, I never expected them to create a movement of this caliber.
As we were leaving, he told me why he joined his current company. "The truth is, when I was a student, I fell in love with Universal's micro-rotor. My passion for watchmaking started there. It would be an honor if one day a new model could appear on the cover of Chronos Japan." Bretin revealed his secret love for micro-rotors. The new Universal Genève, led by him, is sure to be an interesting manufacturer.
