Andersen Genève Introduces the Jumping Hours Rising Sun Edition

A salmon dial, especially for Japan.

The Jumping Hours Rising Sun Edition adds another shade to the Andersen Genève collection that places dial-work above all else with its expensive, hand-made guilloché dial.

Having initially been released to mark the brand’s 40th anniversary back in 2020 with a blue gold dial, the new jumping hours retains same dial but instead does it in pink gold. It celebrates the independent brand’s long-standing relationship with its Japanese clients, being created to celebrate this deep bond.

Initial thoughts

It is only possible to start and finish discussing this model by talking about the dial. It has more of a dominating presence than you will find on most other watches simply because there is so much dial. Originally done in blue gold, the dial is now in a “salmon” shade might seem a little old hat to many as it has been tagged as a trendy colour for several years now. Though the dial colour feels a little passé since it has been done so often, the dial is still impressively executed in terms of quality.

The link between the dial colour and Japan is less obvious. The company’s chief executive, Pierre-Alexandre Aeschlimann, told us the brand did not consult with anyone in Japan about this design of the jumping hours.

Still, Japanese collectors have long been trendsetters with a love for independent watchmaking, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s, so it comes as no surprise that Andersen Genève continues to see them as a valuable market. During that period, Andersen Genève and its peers like Antoine Preziuso enjoyed much success in Japan, far more so than in other countries.

This watch was launched at the Swiss Ambassador’s residence in Tokyo with only 50 to be made and sold to clients around the world for CHF48,800. The price mirrors last year’s double-signed Asprey World Time, which can be seen as comparable complex in terms of the movement, so this arguably offers equal value for money. An element that weighs in its favour is the amount of time and craftsmanship put into creating the guilloché dial.

The jump hour disc that sits under the dial at 12 o’clock.

A blank canvas

Though one of the pioneering independent watchmakers, Andersen Genève has since evolved into a brand beyond its founder Svend Andersen. It has more recently built a reputation for focusing on the decorative arts in high horology, with guilloché and enamelling appearing across nearly all of its current collections, including the jumping hours. Those that follow Andersen Genève will be familiar with the model, since it has been in the catalogue for three years.

This model has been designed purely around the concept of showcasing the guilloché patterns that its workshops are able to produce. Visually it is similar to the Montre a Tact the brand made 20 years ago that features a digital wandering hours complication on the case band.

The brand describes the pattern on the dial as “magic losange” and it reportedly takes several days to produce just one dial. The proprietary guilloché pattern takes the majority of the space on the dial, while the minute sub-dial is covered in more traditional clous de Paris.

The 5N pink gold dial takes on different shades and tones depending on where the light is hitting it and which ridges are being illuminated and which are in shadow. A pleasing effect, and one that is almost heightened by the fact that the dial colour is not achieved through a coating or treatment, but from the metal itself.

The platinum case construction is high quality, with soldered lugs and a complimentary mix of brushed and polished surfaces. The case back has a sapphire window that shows the Frédéric Piguet cal. 1150 movement with its rotor and movement ring in a curious mix of pink and blue gold. On top of the base movement is a jumping hour module that was designed in-house.