Why We Love It
There's no shortage of old watches, and certainly no shortage of wrists on which to don them, but rare is the watch that can check multiple boxes in the hearts and heads of an experienced vintage collector.
The Polerouter hasn't always been that watch, though. Previous style trends — super-sized cases and ornate dials — had relegated the Polerouter to second-tier. But as those trends fade, sleek cases and simple designs, with clean dials and great history are becoming all the more desirable, allowing timepieces like this Polerouter to shine.
This has everything we love about this iconic mid-century design. An early Polerouter before the dials went matte, and the crystals got plain - and yet still housing a beautifully decorated in-house microrotor automatic from one of the great brands in watchmaking history.
The Story
Most of us, even the most diehard collectors, know only one watch designer by name: Gerald Genta.
The man behind the AP Royal Oak, the Patek Philippe Nautilus and the IWC Ingenieur, Genta changed the watch industry with his luxury stainless steel sports watches with sharp 70s lines and his characteristic integrated bracelet design. But before he could pioneer haute horology, he had cut his teeth on a more approachable timepiece; the Universal Genève Polerouter.
The Polerouter was Genta's first watch design brought to market, penned by the young Swiss designer in his early 20s. The watch was a sales success and propelled Genta’s career forward (allowing for the greats such as the Royal Oak and the Nautilus.) The first Polerouter was released in 1954 (and originally called the POLARouter) to celebrate and promote Scandinavian Airlines’ Royal Viking polar flights between New York City, Los Angeles and Europe. The flights forged a new route over the North Pole, reducing flight times between the two continents. Flying over the North Pole presented a unique set of challenges for a watch, and the Polerouter was designed to be highly resistant to magnetic fields (in addition to the usual shock and water resistance) so as to maintain accuracy during the trip.
