Polerouter

The Polerouter debuted in 1954, designed by a then 23-year-old Gérald Genta, to celebrate the inauguration of the first polar air route of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) between Los Angeles and Copenhagen. Initially presented as the "Polarouter" and renamed "Polerouter" the following year, the model remained in production until the end of the 1960s, going through numerous dial, case and movement variants.

The domed dial, often featuring the "crosshair" motif (the grid dividing the surface into four sectors) and twisted lugs, became the line's most recognisable stylistic feature and one of the most imitated designs in post-war Swiss watchmaking. Over time the Polerouter was also the testing ground for the micro-rotor automatic calibres that made Universal Genève a pioneer in this field.

After the brand's long dormant phase, the Polerouter is the line chosen to lead Universal Genève's relaunch under the ownership of Partners Group (Breitling group): in 2026 the collection returned with eleven references in two diameters (37 and 39 mm), a new in-house micro-rotor calibre (UG-110) and a design that faithfully reproduces the crosshair and twisted lugs of the original model.