ANDERSEN GENÈVE WATCHES
ANDERSEN GENÈVE is one of the independent and most inventive traditional luxury watch brands from Switzerland. Founded by independent master watchmaker Svend Andersen, it has ateliers in Geneva and La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Svend Andersen was born in Denmark in 1942. After completing the apprenticeship in Denmark as watchmaker, he came to Switzerland in 1963. Initially, he had worked at GUBERLIN’s in after-sale and shop. He then joined PATEK PHILIPPE in “Atelier de Complications” and worked there for nine year. After becoming an independent watchmaker in 1980, Andersen began to recreate important gold cases for complicated pocket watches which had lost their original cases during wars and crises.
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.
In 1985, Svend Andersen co-founded the AHCI – Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants. 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 unique pieces. 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 erotic 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 Watches History/Timeline
1985: First appearance of ” Andersen Genève ” on a wristwatch with fly-back perpetual calendar. Establishment of AHCI (Horological Academy of Independent Creators) with Vincent Calabrese.
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: Launch of “Hebraïka”, perpetual Jewish calendar realised together with Alain Silberstein.
1995: Introduction of “Perpetuel 2000”, first perpetual calendar with “half big date” and month indication on the back.
1996: Launch of Perpetuel Secular Calender, first real perpetual calendar wristwatch programmed for 400 years.
1997: Launch of “EROS”, the most animated horological automaton ever made – and never equalised since.
1999: Introduction of “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.
2004: Introduction of 1884, the world time watch that tells the story of 24 hours time zone system and of its inventor Sanford Fleming.
2018: Launch of the exclusive Automaton Joker timepiece in collaboration with Russian master watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin.
2020: Andersen Genève brand celebrates 40th anniversary with special edition watches.
2021-2024: Exclusive world-time watches in collaboration with Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie (BCHH).
2025: Celebrates 45th anniversary of the brand with special editions.
ANDERSEN Genève Watches Archives
ANDERSEN Genève New Watch Models
