Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Splendid Andersen Genève Tempus Terrae Baguettes
When it comes to world timers, few can rival the style of Svend Andersen.
With more than 40 years of independent watchmaking experience, it’s fair to say Svend Andersen is one of the most seasoned watchmakers and a leading character in the industry. After working at Patek Philippe in the 1970s, he founded Andersen Genève in 1980 and since has been at the forefront of the indie scene. He’s a founding member of the AHCI for instance, in which he has always aimed to share knowledge and help others where possible. One of the cornerstone models in Andersen Genève’s arsenal is the Tempus Terrae, a wonderful world timer inspired by the complication as developed by Louis Cottier for Patek in the 1930s. For 2022, Andersen Genève presents a pair of captivating new Tempus Terrae with Sapphire or Aquamarine baguette set bezels.
Technically there’s nothing new regarding this pair of Tempus Terrae models, as the differences from previous renditions are purely aesthetical. Yet, the duo combines the wonderful and practical display fit for travelling the world with something else Svend Andersen is very well-known for, BlueGold. This material is not coated or lacquered in any way, as it is achieved through a metallurgical process where 24k gold is mixed with iron elements and fired in a kiln. The result is a delightfully shimmering blued gold. This artisanal process leads to minute shifts in tone so no two dials will ever be alike.
The 39mm white gold case is set with 36 baguettes cut gemstones, with a choice of bright blue Aquamarines or slightly darker Sapphires. The combination of the BlueGold dial and the colour of the gems looks utterly brilliant, even if gem-set watches are not necessarily your thing. The world timer display features a white and blue 24h ring with a city ring on the outside. This has the Andersen-A sitting above the city of Geneva, which is a nice touch. The A-shaped hour and minute hands have a brushed finish.
The movement remains the same in essence, so a high-grade Swiss Made movement as a base, upgraded and finished by Andersen Genève. The world timer module that sits on top is made in-house. This allows you to adjust the world timer display through the second crown, after setting the time through the primary crown. The movement is wound by a BlueGold rotor and protected with a hunter caseback. Andersen Genève has upgraded the movement finishing, including mirror polishing, brushing, snailing, and chamfering.
The new Andersen Genève Tempus Terrae with sapphire or aquamarine set bezels are worn on light or dark blue leather straps with a traditional pin buckle or a fold-over clasp. The price is set at CHF 67,500 for the Aquamarine-set bezel and CHF 74,000 for the Sapphire-set one. Both are available upon order only.
For more information, please visit Andersen-Geneve.ch
Editorial Note: The opening image is done by @ItalianWatchSpotter (IWS).
4 responses
I am sorry but the europastar TIME.KEEPER [What is “blue gold” and how did Andersen Genève master it?] website says: “…this gold variant is made of 21 carat gold mixed with 3 parts of iron.” You say its 24 carat gold. My understanding was that 24 carat is pure gold with no other metals. Aurum. Nothing else. Which would probably not give you any option to change its color in kiln. Could you please verify this?
Well, the article doesn’t state the BlueGold is 24ct but the base material is. This is then mixed with iron elements and fired in an oven to obtain the unique blue colour, effectively reducing the purity from 24ct to 21ct in the process. I hope that clarifies it for you?
While I absolutely love Andersen and this stunning watch, 70k (let’s round it up) seems a bit steep for a “high-grade Swiss Made movement as a base”. Could you, by the way, precise which movement that is? Who is the maker?
I actually thought (just an idea of mine) that they were making their own.
A minute repeater by the same company is a much better deal, in my opinion. The movement finishing is really well done on those, unlike this one (with the caveat that there’s just the one photo thereof). And blue gold aside, the older models of this watch are very charming.