The Andersen Genève Communication 45, the Worldtimer to Celebrate 45 Years of the Brand

Today, we’ll be talking about one of the most discreet and yet most revered watchmakers of the independent scene, Svend Andersen. Born in 1942 in Denmark, Andersen later moved to Switzerland and started working for Gübelin, where he got the chance to repair some of the original worldtime watches, with Louis Cottier’s mechanism, before moving to Patek Philippe, also restoring original Louis Cottier-made worldtimers. A founding member of the AHCI, Andersen founded his own atelier 45 years ago and made a name for himself as a specialist in worldtime watches, the first one, the Communication 24, launched in 1990. It thus feels more than natural to see the release of such a complication to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the brand, with the superb Andersen Genève Communication 45. 

Before talking about this handsome new Communication 45, let’s quickly look back at the past. A complication that has become a signature function for Andersen Genève. Svend Andersen, now 82, first encountered the worldtime system, as developed in the 1930s by Louis Cottier, and adopted by Patek Philippe among others, while restoring watches in Lucerne in the 1960s, and thereafter during his decade in the Grand Complications workshop of Patek Philippe in the 1970s. In the late 1980s, after he created his brand, he developed his own ultra-thin worldtime module – just 0.9mm thick – at the behest of Italian collectors. The first watch to integrate it was the Communication 24, launched in 1990 on a souscription basis. Twenty-four watches were to be made, with global map dials in blue and gold, and gold cases with eye-catching hinged lugs made by the late case-making genius, Jean-Pierre Hagmann.

This was followed, also in 1990, by Andersen Genève’s first serially-produced timepiece, known simply as the Communication – almost identical to the subscription model, and with a case once again made by J.P. Hagmann, but this time with tear-drop style lugs. Since this defining moment, the independent watchmaker has created several collections relying on the worldtime function, including the Christophorus Columbus (1992), the ultra-thin Mundus (1994), the 1884 (2004), the Tempus Terrae (2015), the Heures du Monde in collaboration with Asprey (2022) and the Celestial Voyager enamel series in collaboration with BCHH (from 2021-2024).

It thus feels natural for the indie watchmaker to mark 45 years since the brand’s founding in 1980 and 35 years since its first worldtimer watch with… yet another worldtimer. And not the worst-looking one, to be quite honest. Named the Andersen Genève Communication 45, as a tribute to the origin of the brand, it is the tenth exclusive worldtimer series since 1990. What we’re looking at is a watch that is a nod to early models, but also classic Cottier worldtimers. The case, made by long-time collaborator Marco Poluzzi (83 years old) in his workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds (owned by AG since 2022) without the use of CNC machinery, measures only 38mm in diameter and 8.97mm (excl. crystal) in height. It is made of 3N yellow gold, with hand-polished rounded surfaces. The most distinctive elements are the lugs, which combine the teardrop style used by Jean-Pierre Hagmann for the series-made Communication of 1990 with a more sculptural, curvaceous silhouette reminiscent of elegant cornes de vache (cow-horn) lugs. And the case features traditional Cottier-style crowns on each side.

The Communication 45 will be made in three distinct 15-piece series, each with a central dial map depicting one of three regions: Europe, Asia, or the Americas. The display is classic for a worldtimer with a 24-hour rotating ring, surrounded by a city disc representing time zones around the world. Local time is read centrally using skeletonised, sword-shaped yellow gold hands. The dials are made using 21ct BlueGold, gold that is combined with iron elements and heat-treated, developing a coloured oxidation layer on the surface.

This watch introduces a new Cognac shade, achieved through precise control of kiln temperature, time, and atmosphere. The wave-like texture of the BlueGold dial is made by a traditional tapisserie-guilloché process. Finally, the map motif is achieved via a new procedure developed specifically for this watch. First, the surface layer of the landmass is removed with great precision to a depth of 0.2mm; this void is then infilled with a liquid lacquer of unalloyed gold. Once cured and polished, the result is a smooth, even inlay of pure gold. The city ring of the Communication 45 is circular-brushed and overlaid with cream lacquer.

Inside the case of the Andersen Genève Communication 45 Worldtimer is a vintage A. Schild S.A. automatic base movement that’s been restored and re-decorated – the same base movement is used in the Celestial Voyager, the Asprey Heures du Monde or the Tempus Terrae. This movement runs at 3Hz and stores 40h of power reserve. It is here fitted with the latest version of Andersen Genève’s in-house worldtime module, based on that originally designed by Svend in the 1980s. The rotor, in matching BlueGold Cognac, carries the same tapisserie guilloché as the dial.

Worn on a crocodile leather strap, the Andersen Genève Communication 45 Worldtimer is released in three limited editions of 15 pieces (Europe, Asia, or the Americas) with deliveries expected in Q1 2026. It is priced at CHF 49,800 (excl. taxes). More details at www.andersen-geneve.ch.