Andersen Genève is proud to present the Rattrapante Mondiale, the first wrist watch in history to fuse two of horology’s most sophisticated complications: the split-second (or ‘rattrapante’) chronograph and the worldtimer.
The 38.8mm platinum case houses a Venus 179 split-seconds chronograph movement, a celebrated 1940s calibre used most famously by Breitling, as well as a handful of other historic makers, including Ulysse Nardin, and Excelsior Park. This is paired with ANDERSEN Genève’s brand new worldtime module, an ultra-thin component designed and made in-house.
The pairing of these two complications is unprecedented. The concept was devised by ANDERSEN Genève founder Svend Andersen and Pierre-Alexandre Aeschlimann in 2017, and has been prototyped and refined over the last two years by ANDERSEN Genève’s in-house watchmaking team. Innovative design choices, technical ingenuity and immaculate hand-finishing rank this among the most accomplished creations to emerge from the brand’s Geneva and La Chaux-de-Fonds workshops.
Clarity, artistry, complexity
The case, crafted using traditional techniques and without the use of CNC machines, is made from 950 platinum, with a slim, three-part construction and softly curved lugs. Measuring 38.8mm across and11.95mm in height, it is expertly hand-polished to a mirror-finish in ANDERSEN Genève’s traditional case-making workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Unusually, the chronograph pushers and crown are positioned on the left side of the case – a configuration requested by collectors and echoing certain unique pieces made by ANDERSEN Genève in the past. While not intended specifically for left-handed wear, this arrangement allows the chronograph to be operated with the thumb, and provides a point of difference from standard layouts. A second crown, recessed into the case contours on the right flank, is used to adjust the city disc.
The central dial features hour and minute hands, and a classical chronograph display with subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock, for the 30-minute counter and running seconds respectively. Surrounding this are the elements for the worldtime function – a rotating 24-hours ring, and an adjustable city disc in sapphire to denote the 24 time zones.
For ANDERSEN Genève’s team of watchmakers it was essential to prioritise readability without compromising the discreet, classical proportions of the watch. To achieve this, the Rattrapante Mondiale introduces an innovative variation on the classical worldtimer layout.
Rather than the usual arrangement of a 24-hour ring encircled by a peripheral city ring, the two are combined, with the 24-hour ring seemingly integrated between the outer and inner tiers of the city disc. In reality, the city names are printed on the underside of a sapphire disc, just 0.5mm thick, which sits directly above the 24-hour ring. This construction allows both elements to remain clearly legible while functioning independently, without adding unwanted bulk to the watch.
A suite of subtle yet beautifully executed artisanal techniques has been applied to this distinctive layout to enhance legibility and visual richness. The central chronograph dial is made from solid white gold, vertically brushed, and adorned with classical hour markers, minute tracks, and chronograph scales – all hand-applied in blue grand feu enamel, a process requiring exceptional precision and control.
The 24-hour ring, crafted from silvered brass, is divided into day and night sections using delicate texture rather than colour: the nighttime half is black-polished with contrasting matte numerals, while the daylight half is satin-finished. These surface textures create delightful changes in appearance as light hits the dial from different angles.
The steel hands for the chronograph indications are hand-blued by ANDERSEN Genève’s watchmakers, while the Alpha-shaped hands of the time display are in mirror polished white gold.
Two complications expertly combined
At the heart of the watch is a vintage Venus 179 calibre – a hand-wound column-wheel chronograph movement of exceptional beauty and craft, that was produced between the 1940s and 1960s. A variation on Venus’s 175 calibre, the 179 incorporates the highly complex split-seconds function, which allows measurement of intermediate times via a second chronograph hand that can be stopped and re-synchronised.
Each vintage calibre, sourced in New Old Stock condition, has never been previously assembled, and is carefully inspected, refined and regulated by ANDERSEN Genève’s watchmakers, before being paired with the brand’s proprietary worldtime module. Originally developed by founder Svend Andersen in the late 1980s, this slim and sophisticated module has formed the basis for the brand’s expertise in worldtimers ever since its first Communication 24 model in 1990.
‘AAA’ watchmaking: A new ANDERSEN Genève seal
The Rattrapante Mondiale marks the debut of a new category within ANDERSEN Genève’s watchmaking: the ‘AAA’ seal, for watches combining complex complications with the most extensive hand-finishing and decorative techniques. While all ANDERSEN Genève timepieces are crafted to the most exacting standards, the ‘AAA’ designation signifies the brand’s highest level of complexity and artisanal intensity. It is engraved discreetly inside the back bezel, alongside the names of the contributing team members.
Accordingly, the Venus 179 movement in this watch has been elevated to a ravishing haute horlogerie finish. Decorative techniques include black polishing of multiple components, such as the sinewy arms of the split-seconds clamp, the column wheel and screw heads, and the ultra-refined balance-adjustment elements (the swan-neck regulator, setting index, and Geneva stud plate).
Satin finishes are applied to selected surfaces using pierre de Paris stone – a fine shellac now rarely used in watchmaking, but prized for the refined texture it imparts. Sinks are polished with ruby cutters, and even the arms of gear wheels are delicately angle-polished with great precision.
The flanks of bridges and plates are delicately drawn with fine emery buffs, before attention turns to the art of anglage: the perfectly angled chamfering and finessing of edges. The angles are shaped, buffed and smoothed by hand to absolute consistency, then polished to a uniform mirror finish – work of utmost skill and care.
This ‘AAA’ seal will be reserved for only a handful of watches, owing to the extraordinary time investment and specialised techniques each requires.
Continuing a legacy of worldtime watches
Worldtime complications have been a defining part of ANDERSEN Genève’s identity since 1990. Svend Andersen, the brand’s founder, developed one of the first independent ultra-thin worldtime modules after working on complex timepieces at Patek Philippe. His first worldtime wristwatch, the Communication 24, launched in 1990, and set a precedent for future editions, combining practical utility with deep craftsmanship.
Since then, ANDERSEN Genève has produced several limited worldtimer models, including the Mundus – the world’s thinnest worldtimer, at only 4.2mm (1994) – the 1884 (2004), the Tempus Terrae (2015), and the Celestial Voyager (2021), each expanding on the technical and aesthetic possibilities of the worldtimer format. The Rattrapante Mondiale builds on this lineage, integrating new complexity without compromising the clarity, proportions, or artisanal ethos that characterises the brand’s work.
ANDERSEN Genève has also made several special worldtime series on request, as well as bespoke commissions for unique pieces. These have on occasion seen worldtime paired with other complications including minute repeaters, chronographs, perpetual calendars, retrograde displays and alarm functions.
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