ANDERSEN Genève – HAUTES COMPLICATIONS Perpetual Secular Calendar 20th Anniversary Platinum Edition
Since 1980 Svend Andersen has been manufacturing complicated timepieces and "pièces uniques" for watch collectors. He holds world records like the smallest lady annual calender, the smallest perpetuel calender, the thinnest world time watch ever produced etc. He created many annual and perpetuel calenders and even the secular perpetuel calender.
Perpetual Secular Calendar 20th Anniversary
Blue Gold Hand Guilloché Dial
INTRODUCTION
Since 1980 Svend Andersen has been manufacturing complicated timepieces and "pièces uniques" for watch collectors. He holds world records like the smallest lady annual calender, the smallest perpetuel calender, the thinnest world time watch ever produced etc. He created many annual and perpetuel calenders and even the secular perpetuel calender.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Today’s watch collection is composed of the following models
- Montre "à Tact" (without hands) where one can read time in a small window between the lugs thus letting personalization of the dial with miniature-painting or hand "guillochage"
- "Cabinet de Curiosités" that offers very complicated Erotical Automatons on the back of the watch with bespoke dials possibilities
- Watches with multiple time zones – World Time watches (Tempus Terrae)
- "Hautes Complications" – Perpetuel Secular Calender 20th Anniversary
- "pièces uniques" manufactured in collaboration with watch collectors
HISTORY
Our calender, which is in use worldwide, is called the Gregorian Calender. It was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII in replacement of the Julian Calender.
The new system adopted the year of 365 days with a leap year of 366 days every 4 years that had already been fixed by Julius Caesar but it revealed to be inexact. Therefore Pope Gregory XIII ordered a calender reform with a correction of 10 days, whereby the 4th October 1582 of the Julian Calender was immediately followed by the 15th October 1582 of the Gregorian Calender.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
He also introduced a special secular leap year cycle, i.e. only those secular years which are divisible by 400 are considered to be leap years. Therefore the secular years 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300 are not leap years and have only 28 days in February.
Watches with perpetuel calender usually have the normal leap year cycle. Exceptions are big astronomic clocks as well as two pocket watches made by Patek Philippe, one being the famous "Calibre 89" and the other is a watch that was made in the seventies for an American collector.
After having manufactured the first ever wristwatch with Jewish Calender – The Hebraïka,
ANDERSEN Genève created in 1996 the “Perpetuel Secular Calender”. It was the first 100% perpetuel calender Horological Wristwatch Calender programmed for 400 years – or even 800 years. This watch has been adorned by watch collectors worldwide.
In 2016, to celebrate its 20th Anniversary, ANDERSEN Genève adds one more complication, Art works, and presents the “Perpetuel Secular Calender” 20th Anniversary with Week Days Indication.
PERPETUEL SECULAR CALENDER 20TH ANNIVERSARY
Back to 1996 the ANDERSEN Genève’s “Perpetuel Secular Calender” Wristwatch was the first, hundred percent, perpetuel calender wristwatch.
The “Perpetuel Secular Calender” 20th Anniversary timepiece is provided with a four years' program for the leap year cycle, thus every 4 years, the 29th February appears. Thus, the secular wheel turns once in 400 years and is programmed for the secular years: 2100 (28 Feb.), 2200 (28 Feb.), 2300 (28 Feb.) and 2400 (29Feb.).
To celebrate the 20th anniversary (1996-2016) of this iconic watch, ANDERSEN Genève adds one more complication to the “Perpetuel Secular Calender”: The seven days of the week will be displayed on the dial with hand engraved white gold buttons. The buttons represent the sun, the moon and five planets. The complication is made readable with seven small apertures to indicate the current day (one of the aperture being marked with a dot to indicate the current day of the week).
History
Between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, the Roman Empire gradually replaced the eight-day Roman nundinal cycle with the seven-day week. The names of the days are derived from the sun, the moon and the names of classical planets in Hellenistic astrology.
They are named after contemporary deities, a system introduced in the Roman Empire during Late Antiquity. It starts with the Sun, and then the Moon, Mars (Ares), Mercury (Hermes), Jupiter (Zeus), Venus (Aphrodite) and Saturn (Cronos).
The Latin names of planets were simple translations of the Greek names, which in turn were translations of the Babylonian names, which go back to the Sumerians.
The 1st day in Latin is named after the Sun (Solis dies), but Christians also consider the Lord's day (Dominicus dies), as in Greek.
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Sunday - SUN
The name comes from the Latin dies solis, meaning "sun's day": the name of a pagan Roman holiday. It is also called Dominica (Latin), the Day of God. The sun is “the chief” of all the astral bodies.
Monday - MOON
The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon monandaeg, or the Latin Lunae dies "the moon's day". This second day was sacred to the goddess of the moon.
Tuesday - MARS
This day was named after the Norse god Tyr. The Romans named this day after their war-god Mars: dies Martis.
Wednesday - MERCURY
The Romans called it dies Mercurii, after their god Mercury.
The day was named in honor to Wodan (Odin).
Thursday - JUPITER
The Romans named this day dies Jovis ("Jove's Day"), after Jove or Jupiter, their most important god. The day named after the Norse god Thor. In the Norse languages this day is called Torsdag.
Friday - VENUS
To the Romans this day was sacred to the goddess Venus, and was known as dies veneris. The day is in honor of the Norse goddess Frigg. In Old High German this day was called frigedag.
Saturday - SATURN
Saturn is the Roman and Italic god of agriculture and later the god of time (cronos). This day was called dies Saturni, "Saturn's Day", by the ancient Romans in honor of Saturn. In Anglo-Saxon: sater daeg.
On the front dial, the date is displayed at three o’clock. The aperture shows the current date in the middle and also lets appear the previous and the following dates as a symbol of continuity. The day of the week is indicated by a dot behind the sun, the moon, or one of the five planets. They are in white gold hand-engraved by a master engraver; the “ANDERSEN Genève” logo too.
The “Perpetuel Secular Calender” 20th Anniversary carries ANDERSEN Genève’s DNA adorned by watch collectors: a very sober and classy watch case in platinum with aesthetic simplicity. The front dial is made of exclusive "BlueGold" that ANDERSEN Genève has been mastering for decades. It is a 21ct gold with iron elements in it. Once heated the gold gets an exclusive blue colour that reflects light in a very special way. No two dials get out of the oven with the same colour making every dial unique. The hand guilloché “Diamond” motive empowers light reflexion too, it is an extremely difficult texture to handcraft. Under certain angle, it lets appear an “8” or “∞” motive on the dial that empowers the philosophy of this timepiece that is manufactured to tell days, date, month and time correctly for centuries.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
On the back of the watch, under a sapphire glass, the “Perpetuel Secular Calender” indication will be displayed with three counters and blued hands indicating Months, Years and Leap Years. The module developed and assembled by ANDERSEN has been continually optimised since ANDERSEN Genève’s first Perpetuel Secular Calender wristwatch 20 years ago, in 1996. The specific dial displayed is programmed for 400 years; afterwards a new dial must be provided with the future years indication from 2400 to 2800…and so on.
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Under the sapphire glass, a "BlueGold" ring around the dial will let the watch collector have his desired text hand engraved. Bespoke options have been offered by ANDERSEN Genève since the beginning in the early 80’s. The watch collector can make his timepiece unique.
No compromise is made on quality. Therefore, every component of this watch is yes manufactured in Switzerland, whether in the atelier, in Geneva or Neuchâtel, with the help of passionate high-end craftsmanship.
The “Perpetuel Secular Calender” 20th Anniversary is manufactured in a limited edition of 20 timepieces in platinum only. It celebrates 20 years (1996-2016) of perpetuel secular calender wristwatches developed, manufactured and assembled by ANDERSEN Genève.
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TECHNICAL DATA
Collection: Hautes Complications / Limited Edition to 20 exemplaires
Model: Perpetual Secular Calendar 20th Anniversary Platinum Edition
Click, to see the large size. ▶ BIG FOTO
Movement:
High quality automatic movement upgraded by ANDERSEN Genève with “Perpetuel Secular Calender”complication module developed and produced in the atelier Indication of Days,
Date, Months and Leap Years over 400 years without settings
Technical Data: 4Hz (28’800A/h), 28 jewels, with 40 hours power reserve
Case:
Platinum
Two sapphire glasses
Platinum 5mm crown
Diameter: 42.8 mm
Height: 11mm
Width between lugs: 21 mm
Water Resistant: 30m
Dial:
Front Dial: In “BlueGold” hand guilloché “Diamonds” motive
Indication of the hours, minutes, seconds with blued hands
Indication of the date at three o’clock
Sun, moon, and 5 planets hand engraved in white gold with 7 apertures behind;
one of the aperture being marked with a dot to indicate the current day of the week
“ANDERSEN Genève” logo in white gold hand engraved
Back Dial:
Multi-part, with the “Perpetuel Secular Calender” indication displayed with three counters and blued hands indicating Months, Years and Leap Years
On the left side: the 4 years’ leap year cycle with 48 months
On the right side: the 400 years’ secular cycle linked to the central hand that turns two times per century indicating thus the exact year
Thus, the secular wheel turns once in 400 years and is programmed for the secular years:
2100 (28 Feb.), 2200 (28 Feb.), 2300 (28 Feb.) and 2400 (29Feb.)
Personalisation available on the “BlueGold” ring that will be placed around this dial
Hands: Blued Hands on the front and the back dials
Strap:
Hand-stitched alligator leather with platinum buckle or fold-over clasp
Price: 148'000 CHF
Limited Edition to 20 exemplaires
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ANDERSEN Genève SA
36 Quai du Seujet CH-1201 Genève
bureau@andersen-geneve.ch
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www.Andersen-Geneve.ch
