1958 Universal Geneve Microtor Polerouter Magazine Advertisement

Dimension: B4, ~250 × 353 mm

Universal Genève, "MICROTOR is what makes the famous POLEROUTER tick"

This is a striking vintage magazine advertisement for the Universal Genève Polerouter, one of the most significant watches in the brand's history. The ad's most distinctive visual element is its dramatic use of a parabolic mirror illustration from Montlouis, France, cleverly connecting the watch's innovative technology to cutting-edge solar energy research of the time.

This magazine advertisement emphasizes the revolutionary MICROTOR movement, presented as "the secret of UNIVERSAL energy is the movement." The design is sophisticated and modernist, typical of 1950s advertising, with strong geometric elements and a bold black-and-white contrast.

Relaunch of Universal Genève - Website

Notable features highlighted in the original advertisement:

1. The MICROTOR automatic movement, claimed to be the "world's smallest automatic watch rotor"
2. 28 jewels
3. Waterproof tested case
4. Antimagnetic alloys
5. Two days of power reserve
6. Shock resistance
7. Thin, elegant design
8. Available in three variants:
   • Stainless steel
   • Steel with gold plating (300 microns)
   • 18kt gold

Historical significance:

• It was the official watch of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS)
• The watch was designed by Gerald Genta, though this isn't mentioned in the ad
• The MICROTOR movement represented a major technical advancement in self-winding watches
• The Polerouter was specifically designed to withstand magnetic fields encountered during polar flights

Condition**

• Visible damage on the upper half of the magazine ad, from right to left.