Having been acquired last year by Breitling’s private equity owners, Universal Genève is now officially back in business with both a new chief as well as website – though the new watches will only arrive in autumn 2026.

Breitling chief executive Georges Kern takes the same role at Universal, but the managing director will be Gregory Bruttin, a two-decade veteran of Roger Dubuis who was its longtime head of product. An engineer and constructor by training, Mr Bruttin will oversee the development of Universal’s new collection of watches.

A once-storied brand founded in 1894, Universal has been dormant for a decade or more. While its historical timepieces like the Tri-Compax and A. Cairelli split-seconds are desirable, the brand has not launched a hit product in a long time.

The Tri-Compax

Mr Bruttin has no doubt been tasked to fix that. His technical credentials are impeccable – he led the creation of an impressive stable of in-house movements at Roger Dubuis, though his past work was far from the heritage-focused brand that Universal will be.

While challenging, Mr Bruttin’s job will be made easier by the fact that Breitling has its own manufacture and corresponding in-house chronograph calibres.

The 1950s split-seconds chronograph made for the Italian air force

While the launch of the rebooted brand’s first collection is still two years away, Universal is embarking on an immediate plan of brand building. In November the brand will mark the 70th anniversary of the Polerouter with a flight from Switzerland to Norway in a vintage plane, a nod to the history of the model that was first created for Scandinavian airline SAS.

The Universal website will also tell the story of the brand. The site will be the home of UG Magazine, an online periodical dedicated to its history.

For more, visit Universalgeneve.com.