ANDERSEN Genèva and BCHH introduce a beautiful new Celestial Voyager
Named “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2, this timepiece continues both brands partnership of the Celestial Voyager world time series. It features a cloisonné enamel dial and is a limited edition of 20 customizable timepieces.
“This new timepiece, limited to just 20 world timer wristwatches in two-tone cases of platinum and pink gold, continues to celebrate the enchanting landscapes of Turkey’s iconic Cappadocia region, through exceptional cloisonné enamel artistry. It is a homage to the wonder and freedom of travel, and to the perfection of the artisan’s craft.”
ANDERSEN Genève and Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie (BCHH) have recently introduced the Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2. It is a world time watch featuring a decorative cloisonné enamel dial, which elicits “the magical vistas of Cappadocia – famous for its dramatic rock formations, its underground cities, its ancient culture, and the hot air balloons that rise up spellbindingly each day.” It is an evolution of their original Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” unveiled in 2022, a limited-edition series, now sold out.
Left: Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” unveiled in 2022. Middle: Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2. Right: Both side by side.
ANDERSEN Genève
ANDERSEN Genève was founded in 1980 by Svend Andersen, a master watchmaker and co-founder of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI). He spent nine years at Patek Philippe before he founded his namesake brand. ANDERSEN Genève is known for timepieces of “significant complexity, innovation and beauty.” They are among the original “independent” timepiece brands. Svend Andersen, now 82 years old, continues to share his passion and expertise of horology with a team of five watchmakers, aged 22-44, at the ANDERSEN Genève ateliers in Geneva city centre and La Chaux-de-Fonds. At La Chaux-de-Fonds, they have Marco Poluzzi, aged 82 years old, who is a master case maker. Pierre-Alexandre Aeschlimann is the President & CEO since 2015.
Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie
Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie (BCHH) was founded in 2019 by Benjamin Chee, a Singaporean national, who is “a watch collector, connoisseur and entrepreneur, who established BCHH as a flagship endeavour representing his ultimate passion for contemporary high-end watches.” It is his flagship brand, and “has united the greatest artisans around the world in one august cause – to create the finest watches in existence.” He is the founder of two other timepiece brands – Celadon and Milléchron.
Celestial Voyager Series
ANDERSEN Genève and BCHH unveiled the first Celestial Voyager timepiece in 2021, giving birth to a Swiss-Singaporean partnership in horology, “celebrating the ultimate expression of world timer watches with decorative cloisonné enamel dials – a traditional and highly coveted format in haute horlogerie.”
Left Image: From top: Celestial Voyager Supersonic; Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” and Celestial Voyager. Bottom: Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2. Right Image: Celestial Voyager; Celestial Voyager Supersonic and Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia”
Key Features
Functions
The Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2’s functions include:
– Central Hours and Minutes.
– World Time function, based on the “classic tradition of Louis Cottier, the complication’s inventor.” Cottier’s world time function displays the 24 time zones simultaneously. It does not account for cities and countries that adhere to quarter time zones (for example, Nepal) and half time zones (for example, India and Adelaide, Australia). However, ANDERSEN Genève’s world time function includes India, with “Bombay” displayed between “Male” and “Bangkok” in this timepiece.
– The crown at 9 o’clock rotates the city disc, until the preferred city or home time is set at 12 o’clock. The crown at 3 o’clock is used to set the time in the preferred city. The rotating time-zone disc is synchronized with the hour and minute hands.
– For example, let us assume home time is selected as London, and the time set at 14.00. The wearer will have to rotate the 3 o’clock crown until the time-zone disc is set at “14” below London on the city disc. Once this procedure is completed, the time-zone disc rotates anti-clockwise (coordinated with the hour and minute hands), allowing the wearer to glance at the time in 24 time zones across the world.
– This world time function “is a competency that grew out of founder Svend Andersen’s work with Cottier-derived world timers in Patek Philippe’s Grand Complications workshop in the 1970s. Through multiple series and innovations, this beloved and elegant complication has become a cornerstone of ANDERSEN Genève’s watchmaking.”
Dial
The third and fourth image are of the original Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia’s” dial being made.
The Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2’s three-part dial features include:
– It features a centre cloisonné enamel dial evoking a “decorative scene” of hot air balloons flying over Cappadocia in Turkey.
– The enamel is secured by “microscopically thin strips of gold wire,” over one meter in length, and an assortment of enamel colours.
“These are bent and soldered to the dial to form compartments (cloisons) that are filled with powered enamel, which is then fired in a kiln to fuse it into a smooth and vibrant surface.”
– A rotating time-zone disc, colour coated and in 24-hour format, surrounds the cloisonné enamel dial.
– A city ring, made from sparkling aventurine, surrounds the rotating time-zone disc. “Cappadocia” is displayed in pink gold.
– The leaf-shaped or feuille hour and minute hands are skeletonised and made of pink gold.
Case
The Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2’s case features include:
– It features a two-tone case that combines a platinum case body with a pink gold bezel and caseback.
– It has a case diameter of 37.8 mm and a case thickness of 10.1 mm.
– On both its dial and case back side, it features a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides.
– It features two thin symmetrical crowns at 3 and 9 o’clock. The crown at 3 o’clock, embossed with the ANDERSEN Genève seal, is for time setting. The crown at 9 o’clock, embossed with the BCHH seal, is for rotating the city disc.
– The bezel is made of polished pink gold, and “compliments the warmth and charm” of the central cloisonné enamel dial. It also matches with the pink gold hour and minute hands.
– The caseback outer ring is made of pink gold. A mother-of-pearl ring divides the pink gold outer ring and the sapphire crystal, the latter offering a view of the movement. The mother-of-pearl ring displays the name of both brands prominently in black.
– The case features ANDERSEN Genève’s ‘eagle’s wings’ lugs, a design feature of both brands. The lugs are made individually by hand, and then soldered to the case, “a traditional method that is rarely found in modern watchmaking.”
– It is water resistant up to 30 metres.
– It comes with a blue suede calf leather strap featuring white stitches, and a platinum buckle.
Movement
The third image shows the movement of both versions side by side, Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” on the left and Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2 on the right.
The Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2’s movement features include:
– It is powered by a mechanical high-quality vintage movement upgraded by ANDERSEN Genève.
– The complex world-time module was developed at ANDERSEN Genève and made in-house. It has been refined over the years.
– The calibre features an automatic winding-rotor made of 21K BlueGold, a specialty of ANDERSEN Genèva. BlueGold is extremely difficult to work with. The rotor “is engraved with intricate, interlocking wave-form guilloche, echoing the design of the 2022 edition.”
– The calibre’s exemplary hand-finishing include chamfering, Geneva stripes, snail decoration of the wheels, mirror polishing of the screws, and polishing of the teeth of its crown wheel.
– It has 17 jewels.
– It beats at a frequency of 21,600 vph or 3 Hz.
– It has a power reserve of 40 hours.
Our Thoughts
The Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2 is a creation of two brands. ANDERSEN Genève – among the original Swiss “independents” and possessing Swiss horological pedigree that is second to none. Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie (BCHH), a dynamic young brand founded by its namesake dynamic young entrepreneur, halfway across the world in Singapore.
This timepiece is a study in exquisite details, whether it is its metiers d’art cloisonné enamel dial, sparkling aventurine city disc, two-tone platinum and pink gold case, soldered lugs, and exemplary hand-finished movement. Not to forget the in-house complex world time function, 21K BlueGold automatic winding rotor and the mother-of-pearl ring on the caseback. These horological features have roots that go back decades, even centuries. Yet they brilliantly come together as a modern timepiece in the Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2.
While I have not seen this timepiece as yet, I have met the two gentlemen behind it. I met Pierre-Alexandre Aeschlimann (Alex), President & CEO of ANDERSEN Genève sometime during 2015 in Singapore. My watch collector friends had invited me to a well known hotel to meet Alex. We sat in the lobby where Alex shared with us ANDERSEN Genève timepieces, which included secular perpetual calendars, erotic timepieces, and the then newly launched Tempus Terrae.
During the same year or maybe next, I met Benjamin Chee (Ben) at a Vacheron Constantin event in Singapore. A few of us, including myself, were intrigued by the gorgeous timepiece he was wearing. Those were the early days of his yet to be born namesake brand – Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie (BCHH). Back then Ben was not the horological powerhouse he is today, though the few of us who saw his timepiece had an inkling that he had a spectacular horological future ahead of him. During this period, I doubt if Alex and Ben even knew each other. The Celestial Voyager series was conceived a few years later during Covid.
I am aching to see the Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2, or any of the other Celestial Voyager timepieces, given their rarity. I am aching even more – when funds will permit – to commission my own Celestial Voyager with a bespoke dial with the city ring displaying the name of my hometown, “Calcutta” (old name) in the half-time zone slot for India.
The Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2 is not mainstream horology. It is artisanal craft of the highest level. It is for a collector who loves horology for horology’s sake and appreciates the arts and crafts involved. It is akin to commissioning a high-end bespoke supercar. The Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2 is a passion investment and a worthy heirloom. One that will brighten and elevate any collection.
Additional Details
Name: ANDERSEN Genève X BCHH Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” – Version 2
Price: Swiss Franc (CHF): 59,800 (excluding taxes)
It is a limited edition of 20 pieces. Each piece is customizable as per customer’s request. Price may vary depending on nature of customization.
If interested, please contact ANDERSEN Genève at bureau@andersen-geneva.ch .
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