Established since 1970s, Andersen Geneve is the one of independent and most inventive traditional watch brands from Switzerland. Svend Andersen, the founder of the brand holds the world records for the smallest Calendar Watch, Thinnest World time Watch, and the most Animated Automaton Watch. He also created a “Perpetuel-Secular-Calender” Watch which has been programmed for 400 years.
Biography
Svend Andersen was born in Denmark in 1942. Apprenticeship in Denmark as watchmaker. Came to Switzerland in 1963. Started work at GUBERLIN’s in After-sale and Shop. 9 years at PATEK PHILIPPE in “Atelier de Complications”. Independent in 1980. Started to recreate important gold cases for complicated pocket watches which had lost their original cases during wars and crises.
Andersen Genève Workshop
Andersen Genève has been creating high end watches for watch collectors for more than 4 decades. Svend Andersen launched his own workshop in the late 70’s after having spent 9 years at Patek Philippe in their Atelier des Complications. He started his career as independent watch maker by first manufacturing cases for Italian collectors. Satisfied with the high quality of the work, the watch collectors started to ask for their own bespoke time pieces (called “pièce unique”).
Since then Andersen Genève has been developing complicated watches like the annual calendar, perpetual calendar, and jumping hour calendar. One of Andersen Genève’s most complicated watches developed is the Secular Perpetual Calendar. It is a watch that accommodates a quirk of the Gregorian calendar; three secular years, not divisible by 400: 2100, 2200 and 2300, are not leap years. In these years regular perpetual calendars require manual correction, i.e. it doesn’t need an extra day in February. The complication developed by Andersen Genève will show the date without adjustment every year up to and beyond 2400.
Andersen Genève gained recognition not only from watch collectors but also from his peers. Svend Andersen co-founded the AHCI – Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants – in 1985. He was awarded world records from the Guinness Book. In 1989 he developed the smallest calendar watch (6.5 x 17.4mm) ever produced; roughly the size of a match head. In 1994 one of his world time watches was awarded the thinnest world time watch ever made.
While working at Patek Philippe in the early 70’s Svend Andersen had the chance to work on the world time complication developed by the Geneva based watch maker Louis Cottier. Mr. Cottier created the first pocket watch in the 30’s and then the first wristwatch with an indication of different time zones. In commemoration to Louis Cottier’s first world time wristwatch, Andersen Genève designed its first World Time watch in 1989. It was a great success and the watches were delivered to watch collectors in 1990. Since then, Andersen Genève has been developing different series of World Time watches and pièces uniques. World Time watches are indeed part of Andersen Genève’s DNA.
Other Andersen Genève’s iconic timepieces are the collection of Eros watches and Montres A Tact.
Eros watches carry the most complicated erotic automaton available on the market. It also offers its owner endless personalisation possibilities on the dial of the watch or on the erotical scene.
Montre A Tact watches have 2 reading time windows on the case of the watch so that its owner doesn’t need to turn his wrist to read time. The complication developed in house is added on a vintage high quality automatic movement upgraded by Andersen Genève. This watch doesn’t have hands on the dial and offers a wide range of personalization from hand painted scenes to any type of hand guilloché, or precious stones. Portraits, coat of arms, logos engraved scenes have been realized with the help of master craftsmen of their respective fields.
Andersen Genève welcomes collectors from all around the world to create and deliver them the “Pièce Unique” they have always been dreaming of. More than 100 “Pièce Unique” have been manufactured and delivered.
Timeline:
- 1985: First appearance of “ANDERSEN GENEVE” on a wristwatch with fly-back perpetual calendar.founded with Vincent Calabrese the AHCI, Horological Academy of Independent Creators.
- 1988: First world time watch, 14 different models have been made since.
- 1989: The world smallest calendar watch certified by the Guinness Book of Records.
- 1994: “Hebraïka”, perpetual Jewish calendar realised together with Alain Silberstein.
- 1995: “Perpetuel 2000”, first perpetual calendar with “half big date” and month indication on the back.
- 1996: “Perpetuel Secular Calender”, first real perpetual calendar wristwatch programmed for 400 years.
- 1997: “EROS”, the most animated horological automaton ever made – and never equalised since.
- 1999: “La Montre à Tact”, the tactful watch which allows you to read time without turning your wrist. This watch is also a fantastic support for artwork as well as for engravings, miniature paintings and applications of f. ex. Blue Gold or Mokume.
- 2004: “1884”, the world time watch that tells the story of our 24 hours time zone system and of its inventor Sanford Fleming.
Contact details
Andersen Genève SA
36 Quai du Seujet
CH – 1201 Genève
Switzerland
www.andersen-geneve.ch