Introducing: Universal Genève’s Renaissance Continues With Its First New Ladies Models

What We Know

Universal Genève has just introduced its first ladies’ collections since the brand’s revival, which first began taking shape with Breitling’s acquisition of the Maison in 2023. The brand draws on several aspects of its heritage, specifically its designs from the 1950s and 60s, as well as broader influences from those eras across the worlds of watches and fashion. Unpeeling the layers, let’s first establish some context in the fashion industry. The designs that began evolving in the 1950s largely stemmed from the styling revolution established by Christian Dior’s 1947 collection, dubbed the “New Look.” The shift reflected post-war prosperity and the resurgence of wealth and party culture with clothing and accessories that replaced austere wartime attire with more opulence.

From this same mid-century period, we get two important models from Universal Genève: a sleek line of dress watches aptly named the Dioramic and one of the brand’s most iconic designs, the Disco Volante. The Dioramic was the yin to the Polerouter’s yang, favoring form over function. The line was distinguished by its sculptural case shapes and unique bezel and dial designs. Alternatively, the beloved Disco Volante offers a different take on elegance, with its name (“flying saucer” in Italian) inspired by its wide, flat bezel and minimal lugs that mimic a saucer’s silhouette. The aesthetic is also reminiscent of jewelry from the same era, namely constellation cocktail rings with a central stone encircled by a “constellation” of smaller gems, creating a similar “saucer” effect. Speaking of gem setting, Universal Genève was also notable for the way it employed precious stones in its watches during this “golden era.” In 1965, the Maison earned recognition at the Diamonds-International Awards for innovative diamond design, which led to the motto, “Diamond fashions in time begin with Universal.”

The last piece of the puzzle takes us a few steps back to the 1950s: Universal Genève’s introduction of interchangeable watch straps, giving women “a whole wardrobe of watches” and making the timepiece an adaptable part of daily style. Each of these details informs the new collections we see today (stick with me—there are quite a few of them): the Disco Mini, the Disco Maxi, the Dioramic, the Mini Cabriolet, and a new interpretation of the Disco Volante.

With the Disco Mini, we get the most robust assortment. First, there are two standard or “prêt-a-porter” aka “ready-to-wear” editions: one in 18-karat rose gold and one in 18-karat white gold with a pavé diamond set bezel totaling 1.13 carats. Then, there’s the Disco Mini Lace in 18-karat white gold, offering a more ornate diamond bezel totaling 4.4 carats. Both the prêt-a-porter and lace variations feature mother-of-pearl dials, and all of the Disco Mini models are 28mm wide and powered by quartz movements.  

Lastly, we get the Disco Mini Couture Edition, with the most opulent makeup of the lot, thanks to an Australian blue crystal fire opal dial framed by sapphires, emeralds, and aquamarines. Still, the piece de resistance of the Disco Mini comes down to the interchangeable straps, giving you the choice of a bangle, alligator leather, or an option from the spring/summer collection, offering alternate leather colors or fabric ones in tweed, handcrafted by French ribbon maker Julien Faure, who is renowned for his work with leading fashion houses (shown above). Pricing for the Disco Minis ranges from CHF 16,000 to 30,000, depending on the model. The Disco Mini Lace uses a quartz movement, is 32mm wide, and starts at CHF 39,000. 

A close sister, if you will, is the Disco Maxi, taking the concept of the Disco Mini Couture Edition a step further with a dial and bezel rendered in a series of concentric circles composed of a ruby-heart stone with a degrade of 40 pink baguette-cut sapphires, framed by yet another degrade of 40 pink baguette-cut sapphires and finally degrade of 38 pink brilliant-cut sapphires. The model is topped off with an alligator leather strap. The Disco Maxi is 44.8mm wide in 18k rose gold and carries a price tag of CHF 150,000.

Moving on, we have the return of the Dioramic, which further builds on the concept of opulence in two versions. Here, you have one Couture Edition at 37mm in rose gold, with an imperial jade dial surrounded by an ornate bezel decorated with champlevé lacquer and set with 190 emeralds totaling 1.88 carats, at a pricetag of CHF 100,000.  

Next up is the Mini Cabriolet, whose inspiration digs back a bit deeper in the brand’s archives to the 1930s. In this model, the classic Art Deco theme is prominent with a cuff design that gives the illusion of a bracelet, concealing the time display and creating a quintessential secret watch. Each section of the bangle, including the discrete dial, showcases a unique herringbone motif rendered in three tonal variations of baguette-cut diamonds and sapphires on the bangle and three tonal variations of mother-of-pearl on the dial. Sizing comes in at 19.8 x 31.35mm, and the Mini Cabriolet will retail for CHF 320,000. 

What We Think

While the aesthetic codes established by each of these new lines are clearly the emphasis, I also can’t help but appreciate the fact that each of the Disco Maxi editions is equipped with one of Universal Genève’s own manufacture calibers, namely the new twin-barrel UG-110 micro-rotor movement, which lays the foundation for the legacy the Maison is building in its next chapter. Typically, we don’t see the same technical attention in ladies’ models, particularly those with the level of intricate design offered in these new families. Here, we not only get beauty but also high efficiency, better chronometric performance, and a robust power reserve.

Coming full circle, the styling we see goes beyond the influence of 1960s fashion houses. We can also note the influence of a broader trend in women’s watches of this era, specifically in the Mini Disco collection. Beginning in the 1960s, Nivada and later Timex created a cult following with their Colorama models, famous for their modular design, which allowed the watch’s “wardrobe” to change with alternate straps and bezels, so the timepiece could quite literally match any outfit. Today, these sets remain wildly popular in the secondary market, and I’ve been surprised that more brands haven’t riffed on this idea in modern collections.

Universal Genève gives us an elevated take on the modular concept with its new Disco Mini. What I love even more than the “wardrobe” of interchangeable straps is the additional notion borrowed from haute couture, with a dedicated spring/summer line and presumably a fall/winter line to follow later this year. Whenever my friends ask me to describe our industry trade shows like Watches and Wonders, Geneva Watch Days, IAMWATCH, or Dubai Watch Week, my best answer is always, “it’s like fashion week for watches,” but in the industry, we know that’s not quite an accurate parallel. There’s no intentional seasonality to watch releases, and perhaps Universal Genève is setting a new standard (one I’d be excited to see other brands explore).

For more information, visit Universal Genève online.