1940s Universal Geneve UWECO Genève Bi-Compax Chronograph | Ref. 6309, Cal. 385

UWECO is stand for “Universal Watch et Company,” an earlier name of Universal Genève before the brand evolved into using “Universal Genève” in the 1930s. It later functioned as a registered brand or trade name within the Universal brand.

This bi-compax styled chronograph from 1940s features a silver dial housed in a 35mm three-part steel case. The dial features clean and refined tracks alongside thin arabic numerals in an art-deco style. A running seconds sub-dial sits on the left, complemented by a 45-minute counter on the right.

The blue-heated hands are in beautiful original condition, with their tips subtly bending inward to complement the curved crystal and enhance legibility. The opposite side of the seconds hand features a distinctive reverse teardrop shape.

In this example, the underside of the case back shows that the case was manufactured by Berthoud Genève, a name that traces back to Louis-Edouard Berthoud (1867-1947). Berthoud Genève chronographs frequently house Universal’s in‑house chronograph calibres, such as cal. 385.

Uweco and Berthoud are both historical sub‑brands or trade names associated with Universal Genève, created for more market-specific watches rather than as fully independent manufacturers. Both sit under the wide Universal Watch / Universal Genève umbrella that grew out of Perret & Berthoud in the late 19th and early 20th century, representing parallel strategies for segmenting different markets and price points through distinct dial signatures while often sharing Universal movements and construction quality.

Key Features of this UWECO Genève Bi-Compax Chronograph:

• 35mm stainless steel in a three part case with a flat bezel, 18mm lug width
• beautiful olive pushers
• Snap on case back, underside stamped Berthoud Genève
• "Fab Suisse" at bottom of the dial
• Cal. 385, a manual winding movement renowned for its use in some of the more famous Universal Genève Compur and Compax models
• blue-heated handsets with the tips bending downward for better legibility
• Silver dial in clean honest vintage condition with Art deco styled numerals