Svend Andersen Born in 1942 in Denmark, Andersen is called the "Watchmaker of the Impossible". With a diploma from the Danish Watchmaker School, part of the Royal Technological Institute of Copenhagen, in 1963 he went to Switzerland to learn how the best watches were produced. After working for Gübelin for several years, in 1969 he joined Patek Philippe's "Atelier of Complications" under the direction of the famous Max Berney, who had more than 45 years of experience with the company. In 1979 Andersen finally set up his own workshop, and since then has created high quality, unusual, and complicated timepieces. In 1984, together with Vincent Calabrese, he founded the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (Horological Academy of Independant Creators), an institution uniting more than 20 of the most ingenious independent watchmakers. The AHCI displays every year at the Basel Fair and its members are often the creative force behind the exceptional creations of the famous watch and clock manufacturers.