Andersen Genève x BCHH Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” Version 2

Andersen Genève and Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie (BCHH) recently announced the launch of the Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” Version 2—a refined evolution of their highly praised 2022 edition. Limited to just 20 pieces, this new version continues to celebrate the enchanting landscapes of Turkey’s iconic Cappadocia region through exceptional cloisonné enamel artistry. It stands as a tribute to the joy and freedom of travel and the exquisite craftsmanship of artisans.

Following the successful release of the original Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” in 2022, Andersen Genève and BCHH have once again teamed up to create a world-time masterpiece. The dial of this new version evokes the magical vistas of Cappadocia, renowned for its dramatic rock formations, ancient culture, and the mesmerising hot air balloons that grace its skies daily.

Andersen Genève has a distinguished history of creating haute de gamme world time watches, a tradition rooted in the classical world time complication invented by Louis Cottier. Founder Svend Andersen honed this expertise during his work with Cottier-derived world timers in Patek Philippe’s Grand Complications workshop in the 1970s. This legacy has become a cornerstone of Andersen Genève’s watchmaking prowess. In 2021, Andersen Genève launched the first Celestial Voyager watch in collaboration with Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie (BCHH), marking the beginning of a partnership dedicated to celebrating world timer watches with decorative cloisonné enamel dials—a coveted format in haute horlogerie.

For the new iteration, the Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” Version 2, a fresh depiction of balloons drifting over the Cappadocian landscape is presented, accompanied by a bi-colour case design featuring a platinum case body with a pink gold bezel and case back— a first for this collection. The dial showcases a red-striped balloon prominently in the foreground, with the landscape of rocky canyons, grassy plateaus, valleys, and the Kizilirmak River rendered in rich azure, royal blue, and turquoise hues against the ethereal pink light of early evening.

The creation of this intricate cloisonné enamel dial involves over one meter of gold wire and a multitude of enamel colours, each applied and oven-fired individually by master craftsmen in La Chaux de Fonds. This labour-intensive process requires immense patience and precision, with each firing posing a risk of warping or cracking the dial.

The city ring made from sparkling aventurine, with “Cappadocia” highlighted in pink gold, emphasises the exclusivity of this edition. The first-time use of a two-tone case combining platinum with pink gold, along with distinctive ‘eagle’s wings’ lugs—handmade and individually soldered to the case body—adds to the watch’s uniqueness. The case-back features a rose gold outer ring, while the back ring around the movement is made of mother-of-pearl, enhancing the watch’s luxury and refinement. The winding rotor, made of 21K BlueGold, is engraved with intricate wave-form guilloché, echoing the 2022 edition’s design.

The haute horlogerie movement inside this watch exhibits a variety of hand-finishing techniques, including chamfering, Geneva stripes, snailing of wheels, mirror polishing of screws, and polishing of the crown wheel teeth. The world time module, crafted in-house by Andersen Genève, has been refined over several years, ensuring precision and reliability.

Despite the complex three-layered dial and complication module, the watch maintains a slim profile at just 10.1mm thick, preserving its elegance. Each piece of the Celestial Voyager “Sunset over Cappadocia” Version 2 is highly exclusive, with only 20 pieces to be produced, each customizable to the client’s specifications.