ANDERSEN Geneve – JUMPING HOURS Rising Sun Edition

ANDERSEN Genève – Art & Culture JUMPING HOURS Rising Sun Platinum 38mm Pink Guilloché Dial Edition 2023

 

A beautiful complication that ANDERSEN Genève 
has been mastering for decades

Pink gold and platinum combine to glorious effect in the new edition of ANDERSENGenève ’s exceptional Jumping Hours watch, unveiled at the Tokyo residence of Switzerland’s Ambassador to Japan, on 13th June 2023. Limited to 50 pieces, the Jumping Hours – Rising Sun Edition is a work of true horological artistry, which hails the enduring bond between Japan’s pioneering watch community and ANDERSEN Genève.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

In the 1980s, as Svend Andersen achieved growing renown as a leading independent watchmaker,Japan’s discerning collectors and connoisseurs were quick to recognise the skill, artistry and inventiveness of his work. A close relationship was formed between ANDERSEN Genève and the watch community in Japan, a country where craftsmanship, detail and beauty carry such value, and where traditional watchmaking skills are held in such high regard. Many important ANDERSEN Genève watches have since been made for Japanese collectors. These include several stunning unique pieces, and the famous Voyage world-timer, a 50-piece limited edition made in 2005 in collaboration with Mr Yoshi Isogai of the celebrated retailer Shellman. Few are ever resold. 

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

 ANDERSEN Genève "Shellman Voyage" world-timer
Limited Edition of 50 pieces made in 2005

Mr. Yoshi Isogai was the owner of “Shellman” Boutique in Ginza. He introduced and distributed independent watchmakers like Philippe Dufour, Svend Andersen, Beat Haldimann just to name the one’s belonging to AHCI (Académie des Créateurs Indépendants). Thanks to his passion for details and watchmaking, some of the most beautiful ANDERSEN Genève timepieces are on the wrist of collectors in Japan.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

Photo credit @les_artisans_1977

In 2023, ANDERSEN Genève has once more created a 50-piece limited edition designed to delight its Japanese clientele. The Jumping Hours – Rising Sun Edition was launched on June 13 in Tokyo at the Swiss ambassador’s residence, to an audience of many of the country’s most esteemed watch collectors and afficionados.

‍Jumping Hours: an ANDERSEN Genève signature

The new watch is ANDERSEN Genève ’s latest interpretation of the Jumping Hours complication, in which the hour is displayed through a window in the dial – ‘jumping’ from one hour to the next on the hour – while minutes are indicated by a hand. A complication loved both for its minimalist elegance and for the emphasis it brings to the dial itself, the Jumping Hours holds particular significance for ANDERSEN Genève.

In 1995 Svend Andersen was first commissioned to create a watch with such a display, combining it with a minute repeater. It subsequently became requested in a number of “pièce unique”commissions, and famously gave rise to one of the most recognisable ANDERSEN Genève inventions, the “Jour & Nuit”. This ingenious design, which used the Jumping Hours module to carry a double-ended ‘jumping’ 24-hour hand, led to a series of watches made for Cartier in 1998, as well as well-known editions for ANDERSEN Genève.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

ANDERSEN Genève Jumping Hours 40th Anniversary Red gold and Platinium
Limited Edition of 40 pieces made in 2020

In recent years, ANDERSEN Genève has taken the Jumping Hours complication to new levels of artistry and beauty, as a platform for watches that emphasise traditional craft above all else. Its Jumping Hours watches were nominated for Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) awards, in the Artistic Crafts category, in both 2020 and 2021.

‍Horological art: Jumping Hours – Rising Sun Edition

ANDERSEN Genève once again presents an exceptionally refined interpretation of the classic Jumping Hours complication, in a version that pairs a hand-crafted platinum case with a dial of 18ct pink gold: a subtle and exceptionally beautiful combination.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

The hour is indicated through a window at 12 o’clock, while the minutes tick by discretely on a sub-dial at 6 o’clock, indicated by a white gold hand. This points to a railway-style chapter ring printed in dark blue, as is the ANDERSEN Genève logo above the hour window.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

The rest of the dial forms a canvas for a virtuoso display of traditional guilloché engraving, etched directly into the pink gold surface. The dial is dominated by a mesmerising “magic losange” pattern, while a hobnail pattern occupies the minutes sub-dial. Performed by one of Switzerland’s finest artisans, several days are required to engrave a single dial, with three different engine turning machines used to build up the intricately detailed pattern.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

Viewed up close, this guilloché engraving brings incredible iridescence to the dial surface as the light catches it from different angles, and emphasises the rich tonal contrast between the pink gold and the platinum 950 case. The case itself requires different techniques of machining and craftsmanship to build, and to achieve the most flawless finishes – the flanks are satin brushed, while the bezel is mirror polished. The curving lugs, an ANDERSEN Genève signature, are made separately in traditional style, and painstakingly welded to the case.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

The reverse of the watch is equally enchanting: a sapphire glass case-back reveals the flawless hand-finishing of the movement, including meticulous anglage around the individual parts, Côtes de Genève decoration and mirror-polishing of the screw-heads, all performed in-house by ANDERSEN Genève artisans. The automatic movement is wound up by a majestically decorated rotor in 18ct pink gold hand guilloche “grains d’orge”. Topped of with a small plate on the bridge where one can see the “A” ANDERSEN Logo.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

The automatic movement is wound up by a majestically decorated rotor in 18ct pink gold hand guilloche “grains d’orge”. Topped of with a small plate on the bridge where one can see the “A” ANDERSEN Logo. The plate is screwed thanks to a tiny -blued steel screw!

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

The movement is encircled by a ring of 21ct BlueGold, created via a unique heat treating process. To achieve BlueGold, the precious 21ct gold is mixed with iron elements and heat-treated to turn it a radiant shade of blue – a technique that, in watches, ANDERSEN Genève alone has mastered, and which results in a unique tonality for each ring. 

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

A spectrum of colors can be obtained from light blue, dark blue, brown (champagne color), purple and grey. Finally each ring is hand engraved with its corresponding number “X/50” in the limited edition of 50 pieces.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO   The watch is powered by the Frédéric Piguet 11.50 movement, an exceptional, artisanally-made Swiss calibre. Its ultra-slim dimensions make it a perfect base to carry the jumping hours mechanism developed and assembled in-house by ANDERSEN Genève , while its two-barrel architecture ensures a long power reserve of up to 72 hours.

------------------------------
TECHNICAL DATA

Collection: Art & Culture / Limited Edition

Model:  JUMPING HOURS Rising Sun Edition

Movement:
High quality automatic movement  Frédéric Piguet 11.50
Mechanism developed and assembled in the Ateliers in Geneva & La Chaux-de-Fonds
Rotor: 18ct yellow gold “hand guilloché grain d’orge” and “A” logo hand engraved
Frequency:  3Hz (21’600A/h)
28 jewels, with 60 hours power reserve
Case
Material: Platinum (Pt 950) case with polished/brushed zones and welded lugs
Diameter:  38.0 mm
Height: 9.22mm
Width between lugs: 19 mm
Water Resistant :  30m
Dial
18ct hand guilloché “magical losanges” motive.
Hours displayed in the window at 12 o’clock, minutes displayed by a brushed white gold hand in a counter at 6 o’clock
Strap
Light grey hand-stitched suede strap with platinum (Pt 950) buckle

🔰 Limited Edition: 50 timepieces

🔴 Price: CHF 48,800💰

----------------------------

Press Contact
Zeina Dakak, Founder & Director at ZDLUX&Co.
E: zeina@zdluxco.com | M: +44 7788 161 438
--------------------------------
ANDERSEN Genève SA
36 Quai du Seujet CH-1201 Genève
bureau@andersen-geneve.ch
------------------------------------------
www.Andersen-Geneve.ch

BVLGARI – OCTO Finissimo Tourbillon Marble Only Watch 2023

 

BVLGARI – OCTO Finissimo Tourbillon Marble Only Watch 2023

 Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO   

 In 2014, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon began the epic run of 8 ‘thinness’ world records set by Bulgari over a period of 8 years. To celebrate the Only Watch 2023 charity auction in the most beautiful way, this iconic watch is now the subject of a unique edition made of... marble! A material dear to Bulgari, often associated with the world of art and architecture, it transforms, for this unique occasion, a watchmaking feat into an artistic masterpiece.

 Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

•     Bulgari, renowned for its mastery of miniaturisation again demonstrates its know-how by creating a watch in marble.
•     The case of the Octo Finissimo, consisting of 110 facets, has been carefully clad with a thin layer of marble, with every care given to preserving the delicate components and achieving visual harmony. The dial, too, features a thin marble wafer (just 0.6-mm thin). The bracelet, the most delicate part, required untold hours of painstaking work: the front and sides of each link had to be set with a sliver of marble, leaving only the interior surface in black DLC titanium.
•     The green marble used for this spectacular watch, named Verde Alpi, comes from the Aosta Valley, the natural passage linking Switzerland and Italy, though the Alps. Its dominant colour in nature, evoking abundance, growth and energy, is offset with white veins, recalling the serpentines of alpine forests and snowy peaks.

Artistic expression in marble

What better material than marble to express the distinctness of Bulgari and dare the Roman brand to transform a watchmaking feat into an artistic masterpiece? The answer is obvious and refers to the history of Bulgari and its relentless drive to keep pushing boundaries and ‘set in stone’, for all eternity, artistic and technical feats. But exemplary human endeavours, too, such as the biennial Only Watch charity auction, which since 2005 has been raising funds for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

This year again, the great cause has spurred Bulgari's designers, engineers and watchmakers on to surpass themselves and create a unique and extraordinary timepiece for the 2023 edition of the Only Watch charity auction. Truth be told, it has taken almost five years of research, of encountering obstacles, exploring different avenues and fine-tuning to finally complete this unparalleled project: a watch in marble! And yet, this feat is deeply rooted in Bulgari's history, which is inseparable from this material, sublimated by brilliant artists and craftsmen throughout the ages.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

The Venus de Milo, the Carrara Cathedral, the Taj Mahal… – from ancient Greece to Italy to Mughal architecture in India, marble has held a special place in the history of art, across continents and cultures. Italy has contributed decisively to this fixation, as the Italic Peninsula’s artists and architects who shaped this material left their eternal imprint on European culture and history can attest – just think of the cathedrals of Pisa, Siena and Florence, or Michelangelo’s David. Marble was first imported during the Roman conquests – from Numidia (today’s Tunisia), Greece and Egypt – and then extracted closer to the capital of the Empire. Only the splendid white marble from the quarries in the Apuan Alps (Carrara) would do for the main monuments of Rome 

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

Throughout its history, Bulgari has been steeped in this great Roman tradition. For the Italian brand, the use of marble is a natural nod to its roots. And so it has been for almost a century. Marble was adopted by the Maison as early as 1934 when the famous architect Florestano Di Fausto expanded and renovated the Bulgari flagship boutique in the Via dei Condotti in Rome. Marble was again the main material used by star architect Peter Marino during the boutique’s refurbishment in 2014 for Bulgari’s 130th Anniversary.  

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

Bulgari took a bold step in 2012, using marble as a material for a piece of jewellery, which was both unexpected and, at the same time, an artistic tribute – transporting an ancient stone long associated with enduring luxury and sculptural beauty into modernity and the industrial lines of the B.zero1 collection.

An unparalleled creative feat

In keeping with this unique history, Bulgari has taken on a far more daunting challenge: to produce a piece of fine watchmaking clad in a thin layer of marble. To meet it, the Maison chose the Octo collection: in just a decade it had become a true icon of contemporary horology, recognised by both watchmaking experts and enthusiasts of minimalist design with uncompromising engineering. The 60 or so international prizes awarded to the collection since its inception in 2012, including the Aiguille d'Or at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, bear witness to this. Neither round nor square, the Octo harmoniously unites two primordial shapes in one octagon – the geometry of perfection. Its eight-sided architecture is directly inspired by the geometric motifs of the Pantheon in Rome. It proclaims the collection's unwavering link to the heart of Bulgari's heritage, rooted in this Roman spirit. 

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO

As for the Octo Finissimo collection, it redefined the contours of traditional Haute Horlogerie, reinterpreting classic and sophisticated horological complications in a resolutely contemporary way. Just as deliberately, it symbolises Bulgari's own Estetica della Meccanica – the art of absolute innovation in form and substance – echoed in 8 world records for ‘thinness’, the first of which was set in 2014 with the hand-wound Octo Finissimo Tourbillon. This same model served as the foundation for Bulgari’s donation to the 2023 edition of the Only Watch charity auction: the first Bulgari watch in marble.

 Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

   

The green marble used for this watchmaking coup – Verde Alpi – comes from the Aosta Valley, the natural passage between the Alps of Switzerland and Italy. A dominant colour in nature, green exudes a sense of abundance, growth and energy. The bright green of the rock, criss-crossed by white veins, recalls the snowy serpentines in the Alpine forests on the flanks of the Valle d'Aosta. The continuity of these irregular patterns creates a striking visual effect on the timepiece.

The unprecedented combination of marble and watchmaking finesse

Even though the art of miniaturisation is one of Bulgari's hallmark skills, it took all the brand’s know-how in this particular domain to overcome this complex challenge. Indeed, the Octo Finissimo’s case (40 mm in diameter) is composed of no fewer than 110 facets! 

 

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

That many elements had to be covered with a thin veneer (0.4 - 0.5 mm) of marble, taking care not to shatter the delicate slivers and at the same time achieve a visually harmonious design. Before being affixed, the minutely thin ‘slabs’ of marble had to be machined, then smoothened and finally polished by hand. The bracelet no doubt proved the most delicate part; together with the case of the watch, the work took about 190 hours to complete.

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

Here, it should be noted that each slice of marble is delicately set on each one of the bracelet’s links with a three-dimensional element covering both the top and sides of the link, leaving only the interior surface of the bracelet in black DLC titanium. 

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO 

The dial, meanwhile, consists of a 0.6-mm wafer of marble with indices on top, and reveals the tourbillon at 6 o'clock. The caseback, fitted with a sapphire crystal sporting the Only Watch logo, offers a generous view of the BVL 268 calibre, an ultra-thin (1.95 mm) hand-wound manufacture movement with a flying tourbillon. For the occasion, Bulgari created a custom-made box which, too, is enhanced by a fine layer of marble. 

Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

With this Octo Finissimo Tourbillon, produced as a one-off and with no equivalent in the watchmaking world, Bulgari intends to etch the 2023 edition of Only Watch in stone for all time.

---------------------------------------------
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Lot 15. BVLGARI  Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Only Watch 

 Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

Reference: 103660

Unique (one-off) piece, carrying the Only Watch logo

Case
Material: Black DLC titanium polished case and bracelet covered with green marble layer of 0.4 - 0.5mm
    Dimensions: 40 mm
    Thickness: 6.00 mm
    Rose gold crown with black ceramic insert
    Transparent caseback
Dial and hands
    Marble dial
    Rose gold plated hands
Movement
    Caliber BVL 268 hand-wound manufacture ultra-thin mechanical movement with flying tourbillon
    Thickness: 1.95 mm thick
    Power reserve of 52 hours
    Frequency: 21,600 vph (3Hz) frequency
    Water-resistant to 3 ATM
Functions/Indications
    Hours, minutes
    Seconds via tourbillon
Strap and buckle
Marble with a three-dimensional element covering both the top and sides of the link; interior surface of the bracelet in black DLC titanium.

 Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO  

 🔰Edition
Limitation: Unique piece for Only Watch 2023

 🔴Prices    Lot 15      Estimated at CHF 150,000 - CHF 250,000 💰

 ------------------------
www.OnlyWatch.com

  ---------------------------------
Press Release - 2022
----------------------------------
--------------------------
www.facebook.com - Bulgari
------------------------------------------
www.Bulgari.com