News 
In the 1960s, Nina Rindt became an unexpected style icon of the Formula One paddock. Married to champion driver Jochen Rindt, the Finnish model was a constant presence at his races, timing his laps with a Universal Genève Compax on her wrist. But it wasn’t just any chronograph. Nina adapted it in ways that would transform the watch into one of the most collectible vintage timepieces of the 20th century, today known among collectors simply as the “Nina.”
The Universal Genève Compax had been a gift to Nina from her husband. To help her keep time more precisely during races, legend says that he even had the chronograph seconds hand changed from black to red for greater visibility. But the watch’s bracelet felt too masculine – Nina wanted something that matched her own sense of style.
On a trip to Paris, she spotted a wide leather cuff in a shop window. Known as a bund strap, the style was once used by pilots to guard against cockpit heat. Its form echoed the martial cuffs of ancient Greece and Rome – an ironically masculine choice. Yet Nina saw something else. She slipped her Compax into the leather cuff, and suddenly the watch was hers: bold, unconventional, and strikingly modern.
For the first time, Universal Genève is reviving the “Nina” model in 18K white and red gold with an ultra-exclusive edition of two sets of three Tribute to Compax watches. This new collection features bund straps handmade by renowned Japanese leather artisan Satoru Hosoi, marking his first collaboration with a watch brand. The six dials presented and created by master enamellers range from classic opaque white and black to translucent blue and brown. The chronograph seconds hand, red like the “Compax Nina”, offers a striking contrast with the enamel.
November 18, 2025