Celestial Voyager "Americas"

To commission a Celestial Voyager, contact us at concierge@bchh.ch 

To view a video of this exceptional piece, see here

To watch a tour of the Svend Andersen atelier and see some of the virtuosic work that goes into creating the Celestial Voyager, see here

Pricing and Options

1. Celestial Voyager (Platinum) 58,800 CHF
2. Celestial Voyager (Rose Gold) 55,800 CHF

Options

1. Hand-engraving on Rotor 4800 CHF
2. Bespoke City Ring 4800 CHF
3. Bespoke Dial 8800 CHF

The BCHH Celestial Voyager

• The BCHH Celestial Voyager was conceived and manufactured in collaboration with AHCI co-founder and master watchmaker Svend Andersen in his Atelier ANDERSEN Genève, combining the high craftsmanship arts of cloisonné enamelling and engine-turned guillochage, with the classical Louis Cottier-inspired world time complication as well as numerous artisanal characteristics of Haute Horlogerie in movement and case finishing.

• The watch is produced in a limited edition Concept Series of 7 pieces, each with a unique dial. The dials portrayed here include the "Eurasia Night", "Eurasia Evening", "Eurasia Morning" and "Americas Morning'.

• The watch is remarkable for remaining a svelte 10.1mm thin while encompassing a three layered dial comprising a cloisonné enamel dial centre, aventurine city ring and 24 hour ring, as well as a mother of pearl caseback ring, not to mention the world time complication itself.

• Since 1980, ANDERSEN Genève has produced five editions of watches, along with some unique pieces, with the world time complication. In all, less than 1500 watches have been delivered by ANDERSEN Genève worldwide over the past 41 years.

• Svend Andersen previously spent 9 years at the “Atelier des Grandes Complications” of Patek Philippe in the 1970s, working on watches with Louis Cottier’s world time complication.

• Cottier had earlier developed this complication in 1930, and first introduced it on a wristwatch in 1950.

• The five editions of world time watches are -

1. Communication
2. Christopher Columbus
3. Mundus
4. 1884
5. Tempus Terrae

• Flowing from this illustrious bloodline, the BCHH Celestial Voyager is made with details and inspiration from all five editions. Firstly, the world time module was designed in the 1980s for the Communication and constantly upgraded. The engine-turned guilloché main rotor in ANDERSEN’s characteristic 21K BlueGold is drawn from the Tempus Terrae. The 1884 inspires the perfect colour for the Celestial Voyager’s 24 hour ring. And from the Mundus, the thinnest world time watch in history, flows the elegance of having two symmetrical crowns at 3 and 9 o’ clock and the overall emphasis on svelteness. Both the Mundus and the Celestial Voyager have been cased exclusively in platinum, reflecting their shared lineage as horological royalty.

• Building upon its blue blooded ancestry, the Celestial Voyager features a stunning aventurine city ring with shining gold particles, the first ever use of aventurine on a world time watch in history, combined with a magnificent cloisonné enamel dial.

• The dial, a masterpiece in itself, is handcrafted in La Chaux-de-Fonds with great patience and skill by forming thin gold wire by hand into the shapes that create the desired image, on a solid gold base just 18mm in diameter. The colours are then individually filled in by minuscule brushes, and then the dial is fired in an oven over twenty times, with each firing potentially destroying the dial and requiring the master enameller to start again from scratch.

• The awe-inspiring artistic dial and superlative movement are encased in a majestic case with separately-soldered flowing “ailes d'aigle” lugs (eagle’s wings lugs). The overall case leverages the characteristic of the harmoniously graceful BCHH design language, with alternating polished and brushed finishing executed by hand.

• Extensive finishing work has been done on the movement with special polishing of the wheels, screws and even teeth of the ratchet wheel. Delicate anglage and Geneva stripes add the final outstanding coup de grace to the Celestial Voyager’s beating heart.

• The ratchet and crown wheels are all hand-chamfered, mirror-polished and all visible surfaces of the wheels are adorned with snailing and circular-graining.

• The wheels of the self-winding mechanism are rhodium-plated with snailing. 

• The screws are also polished and refined, as well as the plate of the self-winding mechanism and pawl. 

• The BlueGold rotor reflects the lineage of ANDERSEN Genève, which has been their signature flourish mastered over decades. To produce it, gold is heated in an oven and gradually turns blue, with no two rotors being identical. The traditional engine-turned guilloché main “scale motive” applied to it further adds to the artisanal craftsmanship aspect of the Celestial Voyager.

• The watch’s two symmetrical crowns echo the ancestry of the third ANDERSEN Genève world time, the Mundus. They are extremely thin in the pursuit of elegance, yet still tactile given their width. The left crown, bearing the BCHH Seal, adjusts the city ring, while the right crown, engraved with the ANDERSEN logo, adjusts the time.

• Given the highly bespoke nature of the BCHH brand and its rarefied production numbers, practically every aspect of the Celestial Voyager may be customised. From the city names on the ring, to the enamel dial image and the guilloché pattern on the rotor, each Celestial Voyager will stand unique in the entire world.

• Absolutely no compromise is made on the quality of craftsmanship of the Celestial Voyager, given the unyieldingly high standards of both BCHH and ANDERSEN Genève. One hundred percent of the watch, and every component, is produced in Switzerland, whether in the ANDERSEN atelier in Geneva or Neuchatel, with the cloisonné enamel dial handcrafted in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Pedigree -

• 100% Made in Switzerland - in the ANDERSEN Genève atelier in Geneva or Neuchatel, with the cloisonné enamel dial handcrafted in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

• The Celestial Voyager Permanent Collection comprises continental map dials (Eurasia, Americas, and Atlantic) and well as select country map dials (Singapore, Italy, China etc).

• These are not limited editions per se but still highly limited in annual production.

Movement -

• Historical AS automatic movement upgraded in finishing and function by ANDERSEN Genève with proprietary world time complication module

• 21K BlueGold rotor with traditional engine-turned guilloché main “scale motive”

• Mother-of-pearl ring bearing the names of Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie and ANDERSEN Genève

• Anglage and Geneva stripes all done by hand

• Ratchet and crown wheels are all hand-chamfered, mirror-polished and all visible surfaces of the wheels are adorned with snailing and circular-graining.

• The screws are also polished and refined, as well as the plate of the self-winding mechanism and pawl. 

• 21,600 vph

• Approx 40 hours power reserve

• Flat balance

• 21 jewels

Dial and Hands -

• Multi-part, with a rotating ring displaying 24 hours

• Centre disc of 18mm in cloisonné enamel

• City ring in Aventurine

• BCHH signature formed by hand in gold

• Skeleton feuille hands in white gold with cream finish

Case -

• Platinum 950 case with soldered flowing “ailes d'aigle” lugs (eagle’s wings lugs)

• Extensive hand-finishing on case, with fine satin brushing on sides and polished scalloped lugs

• Sapphire front and rear crystals with double AR coating

• Twin symmetrical crowns at 3 and 9 o’clock with ANDERSEN and BCHH Seals

• Left crown adjusts the city ring

• Right crown sets the time

• 37.7mm diameter

• 10.1mm thin including crystal

• 19mm width between lugs

• 30m water resistance

Strap -

• Hand-stitched alligator leather with platinum buckle