One-off timepieces are very much the stock-in-trade of Svend Andersen, who has spent over 40 years creating bespoke or custom complicated watches at his eponymous brand, Andersen Genève. A longtime supporter of Only Watch – the brand created a Montre a Tact for the 2019 event – Andersen did something different this year for the charity auction.

A collaborative partnership with the Savile Row tailor Edward Sexton, the Andersen Genève Quotidiana is a one-off wristwatch accompanied by a made-to-measure suit for the buyer, along with a visit the workshops of both companies.

Initial thoughts

While the tie up with a tailor is odd, the watch itself is intrinsically interesting. Unlike the more esoteric “tactful” watch made for Only Watch 2019, the Quotidiana is a classical timepiece in form and function, but done with the watchmaker’s typical decorative flair.

The quintessential Andersen Genève watch consists of elaborate efforts in constructing the various elements – from the case, dial, and hands, to custom complication modules, usually built upon an off-the-shelf base movement.

These parts are made manually with hand-operated tools, a charming characteristic that makes for a genuinely personalised timepiece, even though the Quotidiana has been made for Only Watch without a client’s input (though the buyer will get to specify every detail of the suit that goes along with the watch).

Hand made

Undoubtedly, the highlight of the Quotidiana is the guilloche dial. Similar to that found on the Jumping Hours 40^th Anniversary, the white gold dial features a Losanges Magiques pattern that’s been engine-turned by hand. The triangular motif provides a striking contrast to everything else on the watch, which is made up of round elements.

For contrast against the dial, the hands are made of red gold. Like the other elements of the watch, they are also custom-made, taking the form of a hollow “A” with a brushed finish.

At its core, the Quotidiana is a day-date watch, with a continuous day display at 12 o’clock and the date opposite at six o’clock. Framed by the chapter ring, the day disc is made of 21k Blue Gold, with the Edward Sexton needle logo pointing to the current day. A minor nitpick is that the days on the disc are machine-engraved, which could’ve been improved with hand-engraving to match the rest of the watch.

A whimsical feature are the seven days expressed in seven languages – dimanche, montag, tuesday, mercoledi, jueves, joum’a, and shabbat – perhaps as a symbolic of the international nature of time and the calendar. At the same time, the calendar reflects Mr Andersen’s long-held, cross-cultural approach to watchmaking. He was the first to create a perpetual calendar showing the Hebrew calendar in 1996.

The case is in a classical, “empire” style with fluted flanks. It is two-tone in the manner of a vintage pocket watch, with the bezel and case back being red gold, and the case middle in white gold. Like the dial, the case is also constructed by traditional means – on a lathe and without CNC machines.

As with most Andersen Geneve watches, its complications are modifications to a base movement. In this case, the base is a Frederic Piguet cal. 1150, a double-barrel movement with a power reserve of 72 hours.

Typical of Andersen Geneve is the 18k gold rotor, which is engine-turned by hand with a barleycorn guilloche. As an added touch, the case back engraving is done by hand, resulting in the sharply-serifed font typical of hand engraving. The decorative nature of the engraving also serves to frame the otherwise small movement.

Key Facts and Price

Andersen Genève Quotidiana

Diameter: 40 mm
Height: 9 mm
Material: Red and white gold
Crystal: Sapphire
Water-resistance: 30m

Movement: Frederique Piguet cal. 1150 with day date module
Functions: Hours, minutes, as well as day and date
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 72 hours

Strap: Alligator leather with red gold buckle

Limited edition: Piece unique
Availability: To be sold at Only Watch on November 6, 2021
Estimate: CHF60,000-70,000

For more, visit Onlywatch.com.