Automaton JOKER in white gold

1980 – 2020

40 years of independent Timepiece creation

2020 ANDERSEN Genève & Konstantin CHAYKIN

Automaton JOKER in white gold

Limited Edition of 20 timepieces only

In 2020 A new collaboration is made between ANDERSEN Genève & Konstantin CHAYKIN Manufacture.

In 2017 those two high end watchmaking companies joined forces and developed the “Automaton JOKER. A Limited Edition of 20 timepieces with 5N red gold case was released in 2018.

It was the first collaboration between the co-founder of the AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants) Svend ANDERSEN and the back then President of the AHCI, Konstantin CHAYKIN. It was presented at Baselworld 2018 and instantly gained recognition from Watch Collectors & Press all around the world. It was selected for the Finals of the prestigious 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). 

Following its success and demands from Collectors for a white gold version, a new Limited Edition of 20 timepieces with a white gold case is introduced in 2020.

How it all Started for the ANDERSEN-CHAYKIN “Automaton JOKER”!

At Baselworld 2017, Konstantin Chaykin presented the Joker timepiece with its exclusive way of telling time, thanks to the eyes of the Joker! On top of that the moon phase is indicated on the dial at six o’clock, in the mouth of the Joker. This exclusive timepiece gained recognition within watch collectors immediately. It is sold out. Andersen Genève “Montre à Tact” Poker is inspired by “A Bold Bluff”, a painting by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge. Its miniature painting scene on the dial shows a scene of “Dogs playing Poker”.

Between 1903 and 1910, this American artist of the Belle Epoque created 16 oil-paintings of dogs in human poses. Nine of them were depicting dogs playing Poker. One of the Dogs from the Montre à Tact "Poker" from Andersen Genève ended up on a new Table. It is now playing Poker with Konstantin Chaykin’s Joker & special guests!

Andersen Genève, being very famous for Eros Automaton’s, created the first timepiece with a   poker game scene on the back dial: the Automaton Joker. With the help of Konstantin Chaykin’s knowhow, a unique way of telling time appears on the front dial. The dial of the Automaton Joker tells time like no other timepiece, thanks to the Joker’s eyes and, moon phase displayed in the mouth! To underline this Collaboration Konstantin Chaykin’s logo has been placed on top of the eyes while ANDERSEN Genève’s logo can be seen on the nose of the Joker. Both logos and the text “Andersen Chaykin” have been hand engraved by a master engraver in Geneva.

On the back of the timepiece, every element of the scene has been cut, polished and painted by hand. This has been made possible thanks to the hundreds of hours spent by craftsmen. By the push of a button on the case at 8 o’clock, the Joker’s eyes, the dog, the man and the lady are in motion. The elements are moving and the scene lasts for around 2 minutes!

Special attention to the smoothness of the movements has to be underlined; one of the most complex task to master with automaton’s. Thanks to more than 20 years of making and assembling Automaton’s, the Automaton Joker in motion displays very harmonious movements.

Another very delicate achievement is to have different speeds of the moving parts. One can note that the eyes of the Joker are moving much slower than the hand holding the card or than the dog! The lady’s hand is moving much faster than the other moving elements while she is stealing chips. The case of this timepiece has been made to measure in order to be able to incorporate such a complex dial and an Automaton on the back! Very delicate moving hinges guarantee an utmost comfort on the wrist and a very elegant aesthetical outlook.

About Konstantin CHAYKIN Manufacture

15 years ago, Konstantin Chaykin, armed only with books and drawings, built the first ever Russian clock with a flying tourbillon; thus modern fine watchmaking was re-born in Russia. Konstantin Chaykin himself knows and loves the history of Russia in general and the history of fine watchmaking in Russia. The ‘Konstantin Chaykin’ Manufacture is the only Russian company producing unique, high end mechanical watches with own calibers. It is the absolute leader in the luxury watch segment of the modern watch and watchmaking industry in Russia.

The Manufacture focuses on three main areas: designing and making clocks and watches, making timepieces to order and inventing own movements with complications. Each creation is based on detailed handwork resulting in perfection.

Konstantin runs his own manufacture and has registered over 70 patents for his innovative movements and inventions in general mechanics: a unique achievement for a young watchmaker in a world of century-old manufacturing.

About ANDERSEN Genève

ANDERSEN Genève has been creating high-end timepieces for Collectors for more than four decades. Svend Andersen launched his own workshop in Geneva in 1980 after having spent nine years at Patek Philippe in their Atelier des Grandes Complications. Svend was already well known by Collectors worldwide, thanks to his outstanding achievement: “The Bottle Clock” in 1969. In 1980 a Swiss Collector asked him to re construct and make a new gold case for a very complicated pocket watch movement from Louis Audemars. He did it and more and more Collectors arrived with such demand. So, he started his career as independent watchmaker by first manufacturing pocket watch cases, with harmonious styles, for Collectors. Satisfied with the high quality of the work, watch Collectors started to ask for their personalized and bespoke time piece (called “Pièce Unique”). Ever since, ANDERSEN Genève has been developing complicated watches such as the annual calendar, perpetual calendar, and jumping hour calendars. One of ANDERSEN Genève’s most complicated watch developed is the Secular Perpetual Calender. It is a watch that accommodates a quirk of the Gregorian Calendar; three secular years, not divisible by 400: 2100, 2200 and 2300 and are not leap years. In these years’ regular perpetual calendars require manual correction, for e.g. it doesn’t need an extra day in February (there is no “29”). The complication developed by ANDERSEN Genève will show the date without adjustment every year up to and beyond 2400.

Svend gained recognition not only from watch Collectors but also from his peers. He co-founded the AHCI – Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants in 1985. In 1989 he developed the smallest calendar watch (6.5 x 17.4mm) ever produced; roughly the size of a match head. He was awarded world records from the Guinness Book. In 1994 one of his world time watches, the “MUNDUS”, was awarded the thinnest world time watch ever made.

While working at Patek Philippe in the early 70’s, Svend had the chance to work on the world time complication developed by the Geneva based watch maker Louis Cottier. Mr. Cottier created the first pocket watch in the 1930’s and then the first wristwatch with an indication of different time zones. In commemoration to Louis Cottier’s first world time wristwatch, ANDERSEN Genève designed its first World time watch in 1989, the “Communication”. It was a great success and the watches were delivered to watch Collectors in 1990. Followed the “Christophorus Colombus”, the “Mundus”, the “1884” and the “Tempus Terrae” series of world time watches and “Pièce Unique”. World time watches are indeed part of Andersen Genève’s DNA.

Other ANDERSEN Genève’s iconic timepieces are the collections of Automaton’s (Eros & Automaton JOKER) watches and Montres A Tact.

Eros watches carry the most complicated horological automaton ever made. It also offers its owner endless personalization possibilities on the automaton and the dial of the watch or for the erotic scene.

Montre A Tact watches have 2 reading time windows on the case of the watch so that its owner doesn't need to turn his wrist to read time. The complication developed in house is added on a vintage high-quality automatic movement upgraded by ANDERSEN Genève. This watch doesn’t have hands on the dial and offers a wide range of personalization from hand painted scenes to any type of hand guilloché, hand engraving or precious stones. Portraits, coat of arms, miniature painted or hand engraved scenes have been realized with the help of master craftsmen of their respective fields.