Svend Andersen needs no introduction to many enthusiasts and collectors. He is a figure responsible for over forty years of highly creative watchmaking in Geneva. What Svend Andersen does is a unique and eclectic mix of original and inventive watches, often blended with playful themes and unconventional designs, all made to order for clients. Last year, celebrating his 40th anniversary, we took a closer look at the Jumping Hour watch, his latest creation, which almost clinched first place in the 'Artistic Crafts' category at last year's Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.
Svend Andersen operates under the name Andersen Geneve, but considering that the man is essentially the brand, we prefer to refer to Svend Andersen. Throughout his watchmaking career, Svend has accumulated quite a substantial skill set, and he started early on.
Early Days; From Denmark to Switzerland
Fresh out of school with a watchmaking diploma, he moved to Switzerland and began working on some of the most complex watches imaginable. After starting his career in after-sales service at Gübelin in Lucerne and Geneva and creating the first-ever Bottle Clock (yes, a clock in a bottle), he caught the attention of Patek Philippe.
Joining the brand's 'Atelier des Grandes Complications' in 1969, he spent 9 years at the famed house before venturing out on his own. What began as a workshop producing cases for collectors quickly evolved into designing and creating bespoke pieces. Since then, Svend Andersen has been crafting some of the most unique and complex watches in the industry and can be considered one of the great masters of all time.
Calendar Watches and World Timers
One of Svend Andersen's major achievements is the creation of the secular calendar, which bypasses the oddities of the Gregorian calendar. This complication accounts for the irregular phenomenon that in the Gregorian calendar, most commonly used worldwide, every hundredth year is not a leap year, despite being divisible by four. This means that unlike a perpetual calendar, the secular calendar complication does not require adjustments in 2100, 2200, 2300, and so on.
The second type of watch that Svend Andersen is very fond of is the World Timer. During his time at Patek Philippe, he had the opportunity to work on the complication created by Louis Cottier. In the late 1930s, Louis Cottier managed to create an unprecedented complication capable of displaying the exact time in major cities around the world - the world timer. It first appeared on what is possibly a unique Patek Philippe model, Reference 515. Several world timer models followed, using a single crown for time adjustment and world timer indication, with a hand pointing to corresponding cities on the dial. By 1953, the same Louis Cottier developed a system using a second crown for independent world time zone adjustment, resulting in the famous Patek Philippe 2523 model.
The world timer developed by Svend Andersen and introduced in 1989 became a cornerstone model for the independent watchmaker. Since its debut, the model has undergone several changes, including a version with his famous 'BlueGold' at the center of the dial. But his achievements do not stop there. The last thing I want to mention is the creation of the smallest calendar watches ever made, with record dimensions of 6.5 mm by 17.4 mm, which remain unsurpassed.
Sharing Knowledge
Svend Andersen has always adhered to the philosophy of sharing his skills and experience with other watchmakers, which is why throughout his career, he has opened his atelier to masters such as Franck Muller, Felix Baumgartner (Urwerk), and others. This also served as the driving force for the creation of the Academy of Independent Watchmakers, also known as AHCI. This foundation always strives to strengthen the ties and foundations of independent watchmakers worldwide. Among the members of the foundation are, of course, Svend Andersen himself, as well as MB&F, Konstantin Chaykin, Philippe Dufour, Andreas Strehler, François-Paul Journe, Kari Voutilainen, and others. But there is also room for new talents, such as Cyril Brivet-Naudot and Hajime Asaoka.
The AHCI foundation has played a significant role in raising the profile of some of the most creative independent watchmakers in the world. It provides a platform for people who would otherwise remain in the spotlight of the industry and preserves the craft for future generations. Since its first exhibition in 1985, AHCI has had over 30 members and continues to seek out new talents. Over the years, it has been part of the Baselworld exhibition, showcasing the incredible range of talents of each member.
In recognition of the work not only of the AHCI but also of the watchmakers within the foundation, its members have won a total of 26 trophies at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève. These include watches like the Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire in the Men's category in 2016 and Konstantin Chaykin's whimsical Clown watch in the Audacity category in 2018. At last year's ceremony, which is the 'Oscars of the watch world,' Svend Andersen was nominated in the Artistic Crafts category for his stunning Jumping Hour watch.
40th Anniversary Plus 1 Year
And so, in 2021, he celebrates his 40th plus 1 year anniversary in watchmaking. And no, this is not a mistake on our part, it is indeed reported as such. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful opportunity to honor a living legend and present a quartet of celebratory watches dedicated to this significant occasion.
Jumping Hour
The first celebratory watch commemorating four decades of Svend Andersen's watchmaking is the Jumping Hour watch, introduced last year. The 'jumping hour' complication is another staple in Andersen's repertoire, often requested by collectors. The most striking element of the watch is undoubtedly the dial, which has minimal time indication but is fully decorated. At the top is a large aperture for the jumping hour indication, and at the bottom is an auxiliary minute dial. On either side of the minute dial is a plaque with the inscriptions '1980' and '2020,' clearly signifying 40 years of craftsmanship.
The Jumping Hour dial decoration is a striking combination of beautiful intricate guilloché patterns, applied by hand. The 'magic lozenge' pattern, as it is called, is engraved on a solid plate of 21-carat BlueGold, Svend Andersen's signature material. BlueGold is used almost exclusively by Mr. Andersen and is achieved by heating 24-carat gold with iron elements in a furnace to achieve a blue color. The pattern requires three different machines to apply, resulting in very elaborate decoration.
Svend Andersen uses the Frédéric Piguet 11.50 caliber as a base, topped with the company's designed 'jumping hour' module. This mechanism has an ultra-thin construction, keeping dimensions unchanged. Its dual-barrel architecture provides a 60-hour power reserve. All edges of the base mechanism have been beveled by Svend Andersen, and on top is placed an 18-carat yellow gold rotor with a barleycorn guilloché pattern. Surrounding the mechanism is a BlueGold ring inscribed with: '40 years of independent watch creation.' The watch case is now made of platinum, instead of last year's red gold. It is limited to 40 pieces, while the red gold version is not limited.
Quick Facts - diameter 38 mm x height 9.22 mm - case in red gold or platinum - dial in 21-carat BlueGold with Magic Losange guilloché pattern - proprietary jumping hour module on base Piguet 11.50 caliber - handcrafted rotor in 18-carat yellow gold - BlueGold ring with special engraving - limited to 40 pieces in platinum - 41,600 Swiss francs
Tempus Terrae
Of course, the celebration would be incomplete without a special edition of Andersen's Tempus Terrae watch, inspired by the 1930s Louis Cottier world timer watches. Svend Andersen's history with this complication goes back even further than 40 years of his independence. Nevertheless, Tempus Terrae has been a cornerstone of the collection since the first iteration was introduced in 1990 under the name Andersen Geneve Communication Worldtime.
The unique style of the watch is highlighted by a bezel adorned with diamonds, featuring 36 baguette-cut diamonds in an invisible setting. The central part of the dial is once again made of BlueGold and decorated with an intertwining guilloché pattern. The outer ring with 24 cities and an Andersen-A letter above Geneva serves to display all the time zones located around the world. The 'day-night' ring, adjustable via a second crown, indicates the correct time for each time zone.
The Tempus Terrae watch is housed in a 39 mm red gold case with a pocket watch-style hinged cover on the back. It uses a high-quality Swiss automatic movement, modified by Svend Andersen and equipped with its proprietary world timer module. We reviewed the 2015 prototype during a visit to Svend Andersen at Baselworld that year, and we were very impressed! This special commemorative model continues in the same vein, bringing its own twist to Louis Cottier's original world timer style.
Quick Facts - diameter 39 mm x height 9 mm - red gold case with hunter-style back - diamond-set bezel with 36 baguette-cut diamonds - central dial in BlueGold with scale guilloché pattern - city ring with Andersen-A above Geneva - high-quality Swiss movement with in-house world timer module - in-house BlueGold rotor with matching guilloché decoration - 96,500 Swiss francs
Joker Automaton
The last piece in the quartet of watches is the whimsical and super creative Joker Automaton, created in collaboration with Russian independent watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin. Chaykin's Joker series of watches has been very memorable, spawning numerous variations since its first launch. In 2017, the two independent watchmakers first joined forces to create a watch that combines Chaykin's Joker display with Andersen's automaton mechanism.
It was introduced as a limited edition of 20 pieces, crafted in a red gold case. The Automaton Joker watch features a unique dial designed by Konstantin Chaykin, where the dial represents a real clown face. The indication of hours, minutes, and moon phases, combined with several decorative elements, give the watch a unique character. They even have several facial expressions as time passes.
The back of the Automaton Joker depicts a group of Batman villains playing poker with a dog. We see the Penguin, Poison Ivy, and the Joker trying their hand at poker, moving their arms and rolling their eyes. The dog in the automaton is a reference to Svend Andersen's Montre a Tacte watch, where the time is displayed on the watch strap and through a curved aperture on the watch face, while the rest is adorned with a miniature image of four dogs playing poker. In turn, this image directly traces back to a series of 18 paintings and other artworks by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, created between 1894 and 1910, all depicting dogs at a poker table.
In 2017, the watch was presented in a red gold case and limited to 20 pieces, and the anniversary edition is released in white gold, similarly limited.
Quick Facts - diameter 42 mm x height 16.8 mm - white gold case with movable lugs - Joker-style dial with eyes indicating hours and minutes and moon phases as the mouth - automaton on the back with three Batman villains and a dog playing poker - historical mechanical movement upgraded by Svend Andersen - limited to 20 pieces - 88,000 Swiss francs
More information can be found at andersen-geneve.ch.