“The lost city of Atlantis has been found,” Wind says of finally witnessing UG’s return. “And now it’s been rebuilt.”
The Blueprint for the New Universal Genève
What’s in between a Rolls-Royce and a Lamborghini? Kern, a car enthusiast, compared the new UG to a quirky but beloved Porsche. In the watch world, he says, there are brands that resemble Rolls-Royce (“beautiful, classic, well-made, conservative”), and brands similar to Lamborghini, making exotic and extreme timepieces. “But you have nothing in the middle, like a Porsche 911 Targa,” Kern says. “And I wanted to be in the middle, because there are many people who don’t want to buy the super-conservative, high-end complicated watch and who don’t want to be bling bling.”
Is Universal’s new Cabriolet the Porsche Targa of watches?
Kern knew no one would be impressed with just a couple of new pieces. Which is why—like LeBron James counting up the Miami Heat’s future titles—UG is resurrecting with not just one, two, three, four, but five models already in its catalog. “As soon as you come with one line, you’re in a drawer,” Kern says, “and people would expect the next line to be similar. But we wanted to show right from day one how versatile the brand is.” There are a total of 36 (!) new watches included in the release.
The new Universal Genève had to be unisex. Throughout UG’s history—as evidenced by a sporty Compax chronograph becoming synonymous with one of the world’s most famous female supermodels—the brand has served men and women. That distinction has never been as important as it is today, with women collectors rightfully taking up more space in the industry. “The problem in the watch industry is that, except for one brand, which is Rolex, you’re either a male or female brand,” Kern says. “But why should I go into the market and only cover 50% of it, especially when you have a brand like Universal, which obviously has potential to be in both segments?”