On – BCHH x Andersen Genève Celestial Voyager Ballon (Value)

What occurs while you take Louis Cottier’s world time complication, add a dose of refined Singaporean style and keenness for craftsmanship and entrust the venture to a venerable grasp unbiased watchmaker like Svend Andersen? The reply is that this pleasant Celestial Voyager with a cloisonné dial impressed by the flight of scorching air balloons over Cappadocia. Marking the second chapter of BCHH and Andersen Genève’s Celestial Voyager of 2021, the newest world time watch is an anthology of beautiful mechanics, refined artisanal crafts and the hovering creativeness of Benjamin Chee. Restricted to 10 items and lavishly adorned and completed by hand, every watch is a singular miniature murals.

One man, three manufacturers

You may not be aware of his identify, however Benjamin Chee, the reputed Singaporean classic watch collector turned entrepreneur is the person behind three totally different watch manufacturers. Chee’s urge for food for fantastic watches has resulted within the basis of three manufacturers with three very totally different proposals. Celadon, based in 2012, is the Chinese language consultant of Chee’s three manufacturers. Milléchron, based in 2018, has a mixture of Artwork Deco-inspired fashions and dressy sports activities watches, and Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie (BCHH), his flagship model based in 2019, is residence to fashions just like the gorgeous BCHH x Andersen Genève Celestial Voyager with a cloisonné enamel dial launched final yr. His flagship BCHH relies in Switzerland, the place Chee has teamed up with the Danish grasp watchmaker Svend Andersen to create one other version of the gorgeous BCHH Celestial Voyager, “Sundown over Cappadocia”.

Unbiased spirit

Grasp watchmaker Svend Andersen co-founded the AHCI – Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants – in 1985, an affiliation to help the artwork of unbiased watch and clock makers. Instrumental in serving to a brand new technology of indie watchmakers develop their very own manufacturers, nearly each identify we affiliate with the indie scene is a proud member of the AHCI. Andersen Genève, based by Svend in 1980 after a nine-year stint at Patek Philippe, has recruited and skilled a few of the greatest names in watchmaking right this moment and welcomes collectors to make their dream watch come true. Whereas working at Patek’s Atelier des Grandes Issues, Sven Andersen grew to become aware of the world time complication developed by Louis Cottier in 1930 and paid tribute to the grasp together with his first world time watch in 1989.

To make a few of his desires for BCHH come true, Benjamin Chee turned to Andersen Genève. The outcome, the Celestial Voyager, additionally marked a primary for Andersen Genève with its cloisonné enamel dial and first-ever world timer with a metropolis ring fabricated from aventurine.

Sundown over Cappadocia

Cappadocia, positioned in Central Anatolia, is legendary for its surreal panorama of fairy chimneys, underground cities and caves and temples carved into the rock. The unbelievable panorama is a serious vacationer attraction in Turkey, and scorching air balloon rides are a beautiful means of viewing the surroundings in Cappadocia.

Earlier than wanting on the intensive enamelling work on the dials, it’s value mentioning that the case is similar in measurement, proportion and finishings to the sooner version. Made from platinum with swish arching “ailes d’aigle” (eagle wings) lugs soldered onto the case, the case has a diameter of 37.7mm and a slim top of 10.1mm (together with the sapphire crystal). Completed by hand, the case shows satin brushing on the perimeters and a cultured bezel and lugs. Following the twin-crown structure discovered on Svend Andersen’s Mundus world time watch, the crown at 9 o’clock with the BCHH seal is to regulate town ring, the one at 3 o’clock, with the Andersen emblem, is used to set the time.

Given the handcrafted cloisonné enamelling adorning the dial and the totally different background colors of the surroundings and patterns on the balloons, every of the ten watches produced is exclusive. Cloisonné enamelling is a posh three-part course of. First, the flat gold strips, minimize from greater than a metre of gold wire, are used to stipulate the picture and need to be soldered onto the floor of the dial, creating the miniature cells. As you possibly can see from the pictures, the artist has a minimal area to work on, roughly the dimensions of a ½ franc Swiss coin (18mm diameter). As soon as the define has been created, the artist has to pick a color palette and apply any of the 20 totally different vitreous enamel colors into the tiny cells with the assistance of a skinny pure bristle brush. Handcrafted in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the dial is then fired as much as 20 occasions within the kiln and polished to realize a easy, uniform texture.

The 9 balloons floating over Cappadocia within the centre of the dial are surrounded by a rotating 24-hour ring with a gold Solar and Moon and a scintillating aventurine metropolis ring with Cappadocia picked out in rose gold. To make sure the fingers don’t hinder the gorgeous central cloisonné disc, the gold leaf-style fingers with a cream end are skeletonised.

Svend Andersen’s dexterity with the world time complication has materialised in 5 separate editions – Communication, Christopher Columbus, Mundus, 1884, and Tempus Terrae –and particulars of those fashions have been included contained in the BCHH Celestial Voyager. For instance, the BlueGold engine-turned guilloché rotor is drawn from the Tempus Terrae, and the embedded symmetrical crowns are drawn from the Mundus, the thinnest world time watch in historical past.

Classic motion

Like the primary version, the BCHH Celestial Voyager is provided with a classic motion and fitted with a proprietary world time module. Lovingly restored and hand-decorated by Andersen Genève, the bottom motion is a calibre AS 1876 sourced from an organization named A. Schild S.A., which was energetic till the Seventies. The automated motion runs at 3Hz and delivers an influence provide of 40 hours. The ornamental touches embody the 21k BlueGold rotor with a guilloché scale sample. Because the blue color is obtained by heating the gold in an oven, no two rotors will ever be similar. One other distinctive function is the mother-of-pearl caseback ring engraved with “Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie by Andersen Genève”.

Hand-finishings abound within the motion, together with anglage and Geneva stripes. The ratchet and crown wheels are additionally hand-chamfered and mirror-polished, whereas all of the seen surfaces of the wheels are adorned with snailing and round graining.

Availability & Value

There are three color choices for this version, Jubilant (the one now we have photographed), Romantic (see under) and Serene. As well as, virtually each facet of the watch might be customised, from town names to the picture on the enamel dial and the guilloché sample on the rotor. The BCHH x Andersen Genève Celestial Voyager “Sundown over Cappadocia” is a restricted version of 10 watches. Every watch comes with a hand-stitched alligator leather-based strap with a platinum buckle and retails for CHF 58,800.

Extra info at bchh.ch.