The Most Legendary Lost Vintage Chronograph Is Finally Back

Without question, Universal Genève is the most lauded of the “lost” vintage watch brands that either closed up shop or became shallow husks of themselves following the Quartz Crisis of the 1970s and ’80s.

Of course, the good news is that Universal Genève is currently on the comeback trail, having been purchased by Breitling at the end of 2023. Though the reborn watchmaker doesn’t plan on launching any new models until next year, the brand has given us a couple of appetizers honoring its past to tide us over.

Last year, the newly revived UG unveiled the Polerouter SAS Tribute, a largely faithful reproduction of the brand’s most iconic vintage watch with a precious metal case and powered by a rebuilt vintage movement. The brand produced just three examples of the Polerouter redux, each a pièce unique, and now UG is implementing the same strategy to bring back another one of its icons.

Universal Genève

A style icon

Among collectors, there is perhaps no out-of-production vintage chronograph more beloved than “The Nina.”

That’s the nickname given to the white-dialed version of Universal Genève’s Compax, a decidedly sporty and good-looking chronograph from the 1960s that looks a bit like a cross between a Speedmaster and Daytona with its twisted lugs, pump pushers, thin external tachymeter bezel and panda dial, but was more compact than either at just 36mm.

The watch is called “The Nina” because it was made famous by Nina Rindt, a Finnish model and the wife of Formula 1 driver Jochen Rindt. The fashionable and beautiful Mrs. Rindt was frequently seen — and photographed —wearing her Compax trackside in the 1960s, where she would use it to time her husband’s laps.

Nina’s Compax was originally a gift from her husband, but she truly made it her own, swapping out the stock strap for a leather bund strap she picked up in Paris and changing out the seconds hand for a bright red one to make it easier to read (rumored to have been Jochen’s idea).

Jochen Rindt was tragically killed in a crash during a practice race in 1970, and Nina and her watch understandably disappeared from trackside after that. But her impact remained, and the watch became one of the most collectible chronographs on the market, with panda versions forever being known as “The Nina” and even reverse panda models earning the moniker “Evil Nina.”

Return of The Nina

Now, Universal Genève has resurrected “The Nina” with the new Tribute To “The Nina” Compax, and it’s done so in a similar ultra-exclusive fashion as its previous Polerouter redux.

Universal Genève

The new Compax has the same case design as before, retaining its gorgeous twisted lugs and its very vintage-feeling 36mm diameter. The external tachymeter bezel with its black aluminum insert is also unchanged, as are the pump-style pushers.

The dial is also mostly the same, with the three subdials occupying the lower two-thirds and the new Universal Genève logo placed beneath 12:00. The word “Compax” still appears in curved script above the 12-hour counter at 6:00. The running seconds are tracked at 9:00, and the 30-minute chronograph register remains at 3:00. The distinct broad handset has been kept intact, but the seconds hand is now bright red, just like on Nina’s watch.

Universal Genève

Despite the dial looking mostly unchanged from the original, right down to the subdial’s functions, the movement driving it is different. While the original Compax was powered by a third-party Valjoux Calibre 72 manually wound movement, the Tribute gets a vintage, restored Universal Genève Calibre 281, a legendary in-house hand-wound chronograph from the brand that powered its higher-end Tri-Compax from the same era.

There are, of course, a few other changes, as well. The generously domed crystal is now made of sapphire rather than acrylic, and it has an anti-reflective coating on both sides. The lume on the hands and accenting the printed indices is now non-radioactive Super-LumiNova.

Universal Genève

Other changes make the watch significantly more elevated than the version worn by Rindt. The case now comes in either white gold or red gold in place of stainless steel, and the dials — of which there are four: “Nina” panda, “Evil Nina” reverse panda, blue panda and brown panda — are made with grand feu enamel.

Also notable is the strap, as Universal Genève has partnered with Japanese leather artisan Satoru Hosoi, one of the most acclaimed craftsmen in the leatherworking game, to create an extremely high-quality custom bund strap. It’s the first time Hosoi has ever worked with a watch brand.

Universal Genève

Pricing and availability

The return of the Compax was inevitable, and it’s nice to see that Universal Genève isn’t beating around the bush and giving everyone what they want — The Nina — to mark the model’s return.

Still, this remains just an appetizer for whatever the main course of UG’s official return next year ends up being (which hopefully includes a modernized Compax and not a vintage reissue), and it’s an expensive appetizer at that.

Universal Genève has produced just six examples of the Tribute To “The Nina” Compax, which are available in a total of two one-off three-piece sets. In other words, just two people will combine to own these six watches. One of the sets features the Evil Nina and Blue Panda in white gold and The Nina in red gold, while the other has The Nina in white gold with the Evil Nina and Brown Panda in red gold.

Both sets are priced at CHF 135,000 (~$167,000), which is … expensive … though the proceeds will be used to fund apprenticeships at the Geneva Watchmaking School.

Up next for UG, might I suggest the return of “The Clapton” Tri-Compax?

Universal Genève

Universal Genève Tribute To “The Nina” Compax

Specs

Case Size	36mm
Movement	Universal Genève Cal. 281 manual-wind chronograph
Water Resistance	50m

• $167,000 at Universal Genève

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