1940s Universal Genève Tri-Compax Reference 22536

Why This Watch Matters This Universal Genève Tri-Compax reference 22536 combines a great patina on the dial with an early case design. The Full Story The Universal Genève Tri-Compax has remained one of the most recognized vintage chronograph designs from the classic post-World War II wristwatch era. The first Tri-Compax was introduced at Baselworld in 1944, and remained in production until the 1980s. The name Tri-Compax refers to the three complications – the moon-phase, chronograph, and complete calendar – but is often misunderstood as referring to the three chronograph sub-dials. Based on the case number, this examples dates to around 1943, which is slightly before the official release of the model. One could hypothesize that this is why this example has some traits seen in earlier models, such as the cross-hatched date buttons on the side of the case and the unusual designation of “Tri-Compax” without the hyphen. At 36.5mm, this was considered oversized for the period; however, toda