The story of a watch often begins in a quiet Swiss workshop, but sometimes it starts in the high-octane environment of the Formula One paddock. In the 1960s, the races were a spectacle of speed, danger, and emerging style. While drivers like Jochen Rindt commanded the track, his wife, Finnish model Nina Rindt, became a new kind of icon in the pit lane, armed with a stopwatch that would eventually become a legend.
That stopwatch was, in fact, a Universal Genève Compax chronograph, a gift from her husband. In an era before digital timing, its purpose was purely practical: Nina would stand trackside, timing Jochen's laps, her concentration fixed on the dial. This was a tool, first and foremost, designed for precision in a sport where fractions of a second meant everything.
Courtesy of Universal Geneve
The legend surrounding the watch includes a detail of functional customization. Jochen Rindt, a champion driver, allegedly had the standard black chronograph seconds hand on Nina's Compax swapped for a bright red one. The reason was simple visibility. Amid the chaos and speed of a race, she needed to be able to capture the time at a glance. This small, practical change would become one of the watch's most defining visual signatures.
While the red hand improved function, Nina Rindt had her own ideas about form. The watch's original bracelet, she felt, was too masculine and didn't align with her personal style. She was not just a timer; she was a model, and her intuition for fashion saw a potential beyond the watch's off-the-shelf configuration.
A trip to Paris provided the solution. In a shop window, she spotted a wide leather cuff. This accessory, known as a "bund" strap, had its own history, originally designed for pilots to protect their skin from the heat or cold of a cockpit's metal instruments. It had military and aviation roots, yet Nina saw in it a different potential.
She slipped her Universal Genève Compax into the leather cuff, and in that moment, an icon was created. The combination was immediately striking. The wide, earthy leather base made the technical dial of the chronograph pop. It was a bold, unconventional, and thoroughly modern pairing that transformed the watch from a simple instrument into a deliberate statement piece.
Courtesy of Universal Geneve
Photographs from the era captured this new look. Nina Rindt, chic and focused, with this unique watch configuration on her wrist, became a widely circulated image. The bund strap gave the 36mm watch a substantial and undeniable presence. What had been a purely functional racing tool was now, thanks to her, a definitive piece of fashion.
Decades later, the watch collecting community would solidify this legacy. As vintage Universal Genève chronographs gained immense popularity, this specific "panda" dial configuration with its red hand and, by association, the bund strap, was given a simple nickname: "the Nina." It became one of the most collectible and sought-after vintage timepieces of the 20th century.
Universal Genève is now preparing for a full-scale return in 2026, and it is looking back at its most powerful stories to set the tone. This revival begins not with a full collection, but with a statement. The brand revisited the "Nina" story, and it did so by bringing in the person who started it all: Nina Rindt, now in her eighties, who participated in revisiting her namesake watch.
The result is the new Universal Genève Tribute to Compax. This is not a mass-market release but an ultra-exclusive collection comprising two sets of three watches each. These new models re-explore the legend, elevating every component with artisanal craft and precious materials, effectively bridging the brand's history with its future as "Le Couturier de la Montre," or the watch couturier.
Courtesy of Universal Geneve
For the first time, "the Nina" is rendered in 18k gold. The two sets are offered in either 18k white gold or 18k red gold, bringing a new level of material refinement to the classic sporty design. The 36-millimeter case diameter is a direct nod to the vintage proportions, ensuring the watch remains wearable and true to its heritage. The polished, simple lugs and pump-style pushers maintain the clean, functional aesthetic of the original.
Framing the dial is a fixed aluminum bezel insert, complete with a tachymeter scale. This feature is essential to the watch's identity, grounding it firmly in its motorsport origins. The black of the bezel provides a sharp, graphic contrast to the precious metal of the case and the bright, complex dials within.
The dials themselves are perhaps the collection's most significant expression of craft. Universal Genève opted for grand feu enamel, one of the most difficult and revered decorative techniques in watchmaking. This process involves firing mineral powders enriched with metallic oxides at temperatures over 800°C. The enamel is applied in successive layers, with multiple firings, to achieve a surface with unmatched depth, luster, and permanence.
These enamel dials are offered in a range of colors. The sets include the classic "panda" (an opaque white dial with black counters) and "reverse panda" (an opaque black dial with white counters). Additionally, the collection features translucent blue and brown dials, as well as a brown dial with black counters. On every single one, the chronograph seconds hand is finished in a vibrant red, a direct tribute to Nina's modified original.
Of course, the "Nina" story is incomplete without its signature strap. For this, Universal Genève collaborated with Satoru Hosoi, a celebrated Japanese leather artisan based in Paris. This marks Hosoi's first collaboration with a watch brand, and he brings a background from ateliers like Hermès and Moynat, as well as a Meilleur Ouvrier de France title.
Courtesy of Universal Geneve
Hosoi's task was to reimagine the bund strap, elevating it from its utilitarian roots to a level of haute couture. His creation is not a typical three-piece strap but a more complex design of three interlocked pieces of calfskin, sewn together in a way that makes them inseparable. This construction is more technical and refined, hot-stamped with both the Universal Genève and HOSOÏ-PARIS signatures.
This couture-level bund strap is presented in a fashion-driven yet classic color palette. The 18k white gold models are paired with straps in either rich brown or deep black. The 18k red gold models are matched with sophisticated taupe or earthy olive straps. The grained calfskin, detailed with contrast stitching, gives the strap a visual and tactile richness that perfectly complements the 36mm gold case.
Beating inside these historical tributes is another piece of history. Universal Genève sourced and restored a cache of its archival Caliber 281 movements. This manual-winding, column-wheel chronograph movement, measuring 28.5 mm in diameter and 7.10 mm thick, was a technical backbone for the brand during the Compax's original era. This release marks the only "Nina" models to ever be equipped with this specific historic caliber, which provides a power reserve of approximately 36 hours.
According to the brand's leadership, including CEO Georges Kern and Managing Director Gregory Bruttin, this project is a definitive statement of where Universal Genève is heading. The philosophy is to merge high watchmaking with other métiers d'art, or artistic crafts. This is seen in the 2024 Polerouter bracelet made by a master chain-maker, and it's seen here in the combination of Hosoi's leatherwork, the master enamellers' dial work, and the restored mechanical movement.
Courtesy of Universal Geneve
This project also serves a purpose beyond the watches themselves. The proceeds from this extremely limited release will be used to support the Geneva Watchmaking School, the oldest in Switzerland and a place with historical links to Universal Genève. The funding will help support apprenticeships and preserve the rare crafts and savoir-faire necessary to create timepieces at this level.
As for acquiring one of these pieces, availability is the definition of exclusive. Only two complete sets of three watches will be produced. They are not available in any boutique or online catalog; they are offered "exclusively on request." This positions the Tribute to Compax as a flagship for the brand's new philosophy, a signpost for the full relaunch coming in 2026 where the house's past and future are set to meet.
Case: 18K white gold or 18K red gold, 36 millimeters diameter, fixed aluminum bezel with tachymeter scale.
Movement: Restored Universal Genève Caliber 281, manual-winding, column-wheel chronograph, approx. 36h power reserve, 28.5 mm diameter, 7.10 mm thick.
Dial: Grand feu enamel. Set 1: Opaque white with black counters, opaque black with white counters, brown with black counters. Set 2: Opaque black with white counters, opaque white with black counters, translucent blue with black counters. All feature a red chronograph seconds hand.
Strap: Handcrafted bund straps by Japanese artisan Satoru Hosoi (HOSOÏ-PARIS). Constructed from three interlocked pieces of calfskin. 18K white gold models paired with brown or black straps; 18K red gold models paired with taupe or olive straps.
Price: Available exclusively on request.
Notes: An ultra-exclusive release of only two sets of three watches. Features restored archival Caliber 281 movements. Proceeds will support the Geneva Watchmaking School.