Universal Genève Compax, 1941 – 46mm, silver satin big radium dial by Stern

A rare Universal Genève Compax from 1941 in a 46mm case, with the rare silver satin big radium dial by Cadran Stern.

The back of this original, untouched dial bears the punch mark and code of Stern Frères, the master dial makers of the period, famous for the quality and magic of their dials, which came from small but important details of manufacture. The blank plate is silver galvanised with a vertical satin finish, and the recessed sub-dials are decorated with a fine snailing. The plate is covered with a matt transparent lacquer called “sapon” – on the front only, not on the back – which protects against oxidation. All inscriptions are applied by pad printing, using different clichés.

For the luminescent radium, Stern sent the dial to an external supplier; only two companies in Switzerland did this work. The Lanzett blued steel radium hands were most likely made by Fiedler Geneva, the renowned maker of hands and the sole supplier to Stern Frères in this period. The minimal oxidation, particularly where the dial meets the bezel and on the back, is a natural sign of ageing that underlines the untouched original condition.