For the past three years, collector and brand owner Benjamin Chee has been working with Sven Andersen of Andersen Genève on a highly exclusive collection of worldtime watches. Building on the existing worldtime models from Andersen Genève, brand Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogrie has brought Chee’s eye for high-end design and artistry to multiple Celestial Voyager models. Each of these feature unique imagery, rendered in cloisonné enamel. One of the original models was the “Sunset over Cappadocia,” and this year, the two brands have come together for a second version that once again captures the famous hot air balloons that dot the sky over the scenic Turkish region.
The Andersen Genève X BCHH Celestial Voyager is delivered in a compact case befitting its artistic dial. The polished bezel and caseback are made from pink gold, while the rest of the case is made from platinum. Measuring 37.8mm across and 46.4mm lug-to-lug, the watch is no commanding presence. As they should, AG and BCHH allow the dial to wow, not the size of the case or its presence on the wrist. The 10mm height makes it an easy wear, and it is paired with a blue suede strap with contrast white stitching and a simple ardillon buckle. Personally, I found this strap to be a mismatch to the luxurious watch, and I think a glossy crocodile or alligator strap with either a deployant clasp or a customized ardillon would have been more appropriate for the style (and price point).
The execution of the case itself is exquisite, even if it isn’t the main attraction. The handmade lugs, which sit 19mm apart, are individually soldered to the case and feature an unimpeachably elegant form inspired by eagle’s wings. The curving shape is fully polished on all sides, including the flowing indentation on the outer side. The case band’s brushing is satin-smooth and adds a touch of contrast, while the barely-there overhands of the bezel and caseback give it subtle dimension in profile. The crowns, both engraved, are undeniably shallow, no doubt to maintain an uninterrupted silhouette. I found them just large enough to operate, but I was at the mercy of my fingertips every time I tried.
If it weren’t painfully obvious, this watch is really all about the dial. Cloisonné enamel involves using gold wire to outline a design on a base material. The outline is then filled with enamel powder which is fired to achieve the final colors and overall image. On “Sunset over Cappadocia” hot air balloons at sunset, with the Kizilirmak River beneath. Each element is traced by the gold wire (over one meter is used for each dial), which catches the light with each turn of the wrist.
The vista is beautiful on the wrist, and kept me looking over and over, often without bothering to check the actual time. It is, in effect, like having a small painting on the wrist. The hands, while almost secondary, are pink gold with an uncommon matte finish. This allows greater contrast and legibility against the glossier enamel, but being skeletonized, they can get lost for a split second. I understand that they’re cut out to minimize the disruption to the scenery, but I think they are small enough that solid hands would have been acceptable and offered better legibility.
For those who may not be familiar with worldtime watches, the functionality is simple. On demand, you can see what time it is anywhere in the world by rotating the city ring so that your current city lines up with the local time on the 24-hour ring. Then, all you have to do is find the other time zone and you’re done. Unlike a GMT watch — which actively tracks a second time zone, or a third if it has a 24-hour rotating bezel — world time watches offer a static readout of the time in every time zone. On the Celestial Voyager, the 24-hour ring rotates as the time is set and features a glistening gold sun and moon.
The city ring not so subtly reaffirms that this watch is highly exclusive and aimed at those with the means to afford it. Not only is it made from starry aventurine, with its namesake Cappadocia in pink gold, but you’ll see that the city’s chosen to represent each time zone skew towards what we may call wealthier locales. Aspen instead of Denver, Malé instead of Karachi, Beverly Hills instead of LA, (Andersen) Genève instead of Paris, and others. The watch even manages to unobtrusively include India’s awkward half-hour time zone. There’s a sense that this watch is truly meant for a traveler that is globetrotting for their own sake, not for business or because a loved one lives somewhere. These cities aren’t just places, they’re destinations.
I think the movement is the only place where some people may be disappointed. Let me start by saying that the movement is entirely hand-finished, including chamfering, stripes, snailing, and polishing of both the gear teeth and screws. Further, the movement features a guilloché rotor in Andersen’s 21k BlueGold and is surrounded by a sky blue mother-of-pearl movement ring. Even further, the world time module has been developed and produced in-house by Sven Andersen. But here’s the rub that I still have a small amount of trouble with, even though I know I shouldn’t: the base movement is a completely overhauled A. Schild AS 1876 (A. Schild was one of the largest and best respected movement manufactories prior to the quartz crisis, after which it was merged into ETA). The movement runs at 21,600 vph with a 40-hour power reserve, both of which are perfectly acceptable in a watch like this. However, there is part of me that expected a modern movement.
Benjamin Chee has done an outstanding job of promoting Chinese watchmaking through his brands Millechron and Celadon. While this watch is produced entirely in Switzerland, it serves as a backdoor to an appreciation for Chinese watchmaking by virtue of his involvement. Thanks to Chee and brands like Atelier Wen and Behrens, “Made in China” is quickly losing its stigma, and rightly so.
One more thing you should know is that the Celestial Voyager watches offer extensive customization options. While only 20 of these will be produced, each can be tailored to the owner’s specifications such as different cities, alternative enamel designs, and the pattern on the rotor. This makes each piece truly unique, though for me would undoubtedly result in decision overload and ultimately choice paralysis. The watch as presented here is just fine for me. Now I’m off to sell everything I own so I can get one. The Andersen Genève X BCHH Celestial Voyager “Sunset Over Cappadocia” is limited to 20 pieces and priced starting at CHF 59,800, not including any further customization. For more information, please visit the BCHH website or the Andersen Genève website.
