THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: UNIVERSAL GENEVE
MODEL: 20217-4
YEAR: 1955
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 35mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC
Here at Fathom, we’ve been fortunate to handle quite a few Polerouters over the past few weeks—though, sadly, almost none of them made it to the website. This week, we made it our mission to showcase a pair of these beauties to the world.
In the early 1950s, commercial aviation was rewriting the map. Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) pioneered a bold new route—charting a course over the magnetic North Pole to connect Los Angeles and Copenhagen faster than ever before.
To mark the occasion, SAS turned to Universal Genève. The brief? Create a watch worthy of this milestone in modern exploration. The result was a design by a young Gérald Genta—who would later go on to create some of the most iconic watches in horological history. At just 24 years old, he conceived the Polarouter (as it was initially named), issued to SAS pilots and crew, and built to navigate extremes with both precision and style. It wasn’t long before its reputation left the cockpit and entered the wider world. The watch was soon renamed Polerouter, and the rest is history.
This example—like its sibling we've just listed—also hails from the very early ref. 20217, featuring the legendary cal. 138SS "Bumper" movement (and if you’ve never owned one, you’re in for a treat…). Now 70 years old, this watch has aged better than most of us ever could. The black dial with silver rehaut is striking, and all of the original radium markers are intact, having matured into a rich pumpkin patina. The case is especially full on this one, and the caseback appears untouched, with both the reference and serial numbers still clearly visible.
We’ve just had the movement regulated and checked over—it’s running beautifully at +3 s/d, 263 amplitude, with a beat error of 0.3 ms.
There are still a few "icons" in the vintage watch world that can be had at relatively reasonable prices. But make no mistake—it’s only a matter of time before the Polerouter joins the big leagues. Deservedly so.