Martel and Universal History

1894 creation of the firm Descombes & Perret in Le Locle

1897 Georges Perret joins forces with Louis Berthoud to found the firm Perret & Berthoud

1898 on 2 September, they register the Universal Watch brand

1911 Georges Pellaton-Steudler founded Martel Watch Co in Les Ponts-de-Martel, specialising in the manufacture of repeater movements and chronographs

1929 Universal Watch probably owned a third of Martel's shares

1930 Zenith also used Martel Watch calibres until 1971

1932 release of the 2-pusher chronograph, also used by Zenith and Universal, calibre 281, manufactured until 1969

1933 the chronograph with hour counter. For indication, Raoul Perret, the son of Georges Perret, co-founder of Universal Watch, takes the head of the company and one finds him in 1935 on the board of directors of Zenith

1936 Universal used the names Compur and Compax as well as Zenith

1940 the Aero-Compax model for airline pilots with a memory counter at 12 o'clock and an additional crown on the left side of the case

1940 Zenith also uses Excelsior Park chronograph caliber

1941 Martel Watch exists as a watch brand and no longer as a movement manufacturer

1942 release of the chronograph with calendar, Dato-Compax

1944 release of the chronograph with full calendar and moon phase, the Tri-Compax model

1950 the links with Universal are severed, Martel becomes independent and releases an automatic model with date in a waterproof case, the Victorious model, caliber Felsa 692

1954 Universal turns to the automatic movement with micro-mass, the Polerouter version is born, a patent will be registered on May 27, 1955, calibers 215 or 218 and later calibers 66 and 69

1958 Zenith buys the Martel Watch brand

1967 to 1977, the Universal brand, then owned by the Bulova firm, markets tuning fork watches

1986 the Stelux group, from Hong Kong, buys the Universal company