Eros Classic "Office Delight"

Details 

A very rare, unusual and attractive white gold wristwatch with hidden erotic automaton by the famous independent Swiss watchmaker Svend Andersen, who founded his brand in 1978. Made circa 2012. Case in 18k white gold, diameter 42 mm, 14 mm thick, sapphire caseback with hand-painted erotic automaton scene. White dial with Breguet Arabic numerals. Restored and heavily modified vintage hand-wound Langendorf caliber. Functions – display of time in hours and minutes, erotic automaton triggered by a button at 8 o’clock. Black leather strap, Andersen Genève pin buckle in 18 carat white gold with blue enamel Andersen Genève logo. Unique piece. 

Lot essay 

Svend Andersen is a remarkable and important watchmaker who was one of the founding fathers of the Academy of Independent Watchmakers (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendant, AHCI) in 1985. Previously, from 1969, he had worked for nine years in the Atelier des Complications of Patek Philippe. Therefore, this lot is particularly interesting, because in the restoration, modification and adjustment of the antique movement, he showed all his skills and experience gained in many years of working with complicated mechanical watches. 

The present lot features a unique libertine love scene with moving personalities, as all the components of the scene are carefully hand-painted in the technique of multi-color miniature.

According to legend, the introduction of a watch series with a hidden moving erotic scene dates back to a 1996 request from an Italian collector. He asked to make a wristwatch with an erotic automaton, similar to what was done for historical pocket watches of the erotic genre. To implement this idea, Svend Andersen had to solve two problems: He had to develop a miniature automaton mechanism suitable for the compact internal volume of a wristwatch, and he had to provide the measured, steady pace necessary for an erotic scene. In this work, Svend Andersen was assisted by Felix Baumgartner, a budding watchmaker who later became a co-founder of Urwerk. He adapted the repeater regulator for the erotic module so that the figures could move naturally and at the right pace. Svend Andersen used the old Langendorf caliber with alarm function (1241/1243/1244) as base movement. This caliber has two barrels, the first for timekeeping and the second for the alarm function, which made it possible to use the latter as the power source for the automaton. The energy flow was optimized so that the second barrel, which originally provided a 12-second alarm tone, allows an animation period of about two minutes when fully wound. 

The Eros collection was launched in 1997, and the watchmaker owes most of its fame to it. The Eros 1/1, the first watch in the series, appeared at the Antiquorum auction back in 1997. Andersen’s Eros watches usually have a calm, classic dial that doesn’t suggest a spicy character of the watch. The Eros was offered in three versions: with a modest 38-mm case as the Eros Classic, with a prominent 42-mm case as the Eros XL (the present lot), and with a reversible 42-mm case as the Eros 69. Most of the watches have a round case, but sometimes the master created watches with a cushion- or barrel-shaped case. 

Almost every animation module comes with a unique libertine love scene with moving personalities. Svend Andersen claims that his module is the most sophisticated animation mechanism ever developed for a wristwatch. At least 11 moving parts bring the scene to life at the push of a button. All the figures move in different rhythms. The scene is carefully painted by hand. Almost all versions of the model, including this example, are made as unique pieces, so even the scenes aren't repeated, with a few exceptions. The brand claims that only 171 pieces of the Eros collection were made, which undoubtedly befits the status of the watch as a rare collector's item. 

Reasons to bid 

The unique character of Andersen Genève watches is created with an obvious amount of handwork, which is usually not desired by big brands that want to limit production costs. The present lot features a unique libertine love scene with moving personalities, as all the components of the scene are carefully hand-painted in the technique of multi-color miniature. Therefore, the Andersen Geneve Eros XL No. 135 'Office Delight' would definitely be an excellent buy for the collector who covets a rare collectible, a spicy and complicated wristwatch from a legendary independent watchmaker and definitely a piece of history of modern haute horlogerie.