Universal Genève Tri-Compax 'Eric Clapton'

Overall Condition: Excellent condition overall. Case is strong, showing intact swooping lugs and thick midcase. Signs of only light, previous polishing noted. Bezel shows signs of wear. Dial and handset are in great condition showing intact luminous elements with even patina throughout.

Eric Clapton's guitar playing is legendary, and his taste in watches is no less distinguished.

The bluesman was once the owner of a platinum Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph that sold at Christie's for $12 million, but long before that, photographs taken during his years with Cream captured him wearing another remarkable chronograph — one that would become closely associated with his name.

Collectors now refer to the watch — a Universal Genève Tri-Compax — as the "Clapton." The association has helped make the watch one of Universal Genève's most recognizable chronographs, but the Tri-Compax is only one chapter in a history that stretches back to the earliest days of the wristwatch.

Founded in Le Locle in 1894, Universal Genève established a reputation for producing high-quality watches and developing its own movements. The acquisition of movement designer and complications specialist Lo