One the biggest issues in high end watchmaking, at least in my opinion, is a lack of experimentation. The worst offender is Audemars Piguet who have been dining out on the Royal Oak since the 1980s and only remember they have other collections once every three years or so. One brand who does not suffer from this issue is Czapek & Cie. who produce a diverse range of timepieces that feel like they’re made by completely different brands. You could make a great three watch collection without looking beyond the Czapek stable, which is exactly what we’ve done here.
Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector
The Antarctique is arguably the most important collection in Czapek’s wheelhouse. It helped establish the brand as a major player in the independent scene and really took them to new heights back in the integrated bracelet sports watch boom of 2020-2022, the collection having debuted in 2020. There are a lot of individual references that deserve to be called out for that success such as the Passage De Drake and Erebus, but our focus today is on one of the more unusual references in the family, the Titanium Dark Sector.
It has a 40.5mm diameter and a 10.6mm thickness, which means it’s perfectly proportioned for wrists of all sizes, sitting truly in the goldilocks zone of wearability. The titanium is also incredibly lightweight, making it comfortable to wear all day. The way the cushion-esque shape of the case leads organically into the integrated lugs and C-link bracelet is textbook. Held on the wrist by a butterfly clasp.
Aside from being made from titanium, the overall design of the case and bracelet is broadly the same as the rest of the Antarctique collection. What makes the Dark Sector stand out is the dial. It’s a lot more sombre and industrial in comparison to the bright colours and intricate textures seen elsewhere. A dark grey, slightly grainy dial serves as a backdrop for the raised sector markings that display the hours via the gaps between them rather than featuring traditional hour markers. The use of robust shapes and empty space to convey drama and design is classic brutalism.
On top of that, it houses the SXH5 automatic calibre, which has great significance in Czapek’s history being the first that they developed from start to finish entirely in-house. It uses a platinum micro-rotor to supply the 60-hour power reserve which powers the free-sprung balance wheel with variable inertia. It’s also stunningly beautiful.
It’s priced at £34,900 and is available in the UK via James Porter & Son.
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Quai de Bergues No.17 Double Soleil Tuxedo Black
Czapek as we know it wouldn’t exist without the Quai de Bergues collection, which was the first series of watches to be introduced following the brand’s revival in 2012, going on to win a GPHG award in 2016. It’s named after an area in Geneva where Francois Czapek founded the original company way back in the 1800s.
Originally it was a very classical design with Roman Numerals and Fleur de Lys hands but the No17 Double Soleil Tuxedo Black from 2023 modernised the design. It now features baton indexes with a 12 o’clock Arabic numeral and openworked arrow hands. It’s much more in line with the modern aesthetic stylings we expect from Czapek in their post-Antarctique era. Though the dressy vibe is still maintained by the flawless Double Soleil guilloché, like two sunrays intersecting to create a dynamic crosshatched pattern.
The focal point of the guilloché are the twin subdials in the lower half of the display. Between 7 o’clock and 8 is the small seconds counter and opposite is the combined power reserve indicator and days of the week display. That latter subdial is important because the SXH1 movement, produced in collaboration with Chronode, has a 168-hour power reserve, equivalent to 7 days.
It really manages to balance the classical elements and contemporary design that now defines modern Czapek. It’s priced at £17,100 at James Porter & Son.
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Promenade Guilloché Soleil Ivoire
Third is the Promenade collection, with the Guilloché Soleil Ivoire. For want of a better description, the Promenade series is where Czapek explore a variety of Metiers d’Art ranging from guilloché as is the case here to dramatic three-dimensional illusion enamel with the Goutte D’eau. It’s technically an evolution of the Quai de Bergues line, diverging towards more of a refined, delicate aesthetic.
That refinement can be clearly seen in the redesigned lines of the case, which now foregoes the bulky crown protectors. It measures a svelte 38mm in diameter, making one of the brand’s smallest collections and most suited to slim wrists, though it remains boldly unisex. It features a smooth, polished steel bezel and matching curved lugs that lead into a leather strap.
The dial is a slightly more stylised version of the Soleil guilloché seen on the Quai de Bergues above, though obviously it’s only the single sunray instead of the double. It looks incredible, radiating outward from the small seconds subdial. The ivory tone is also just the right level of monotone delicacy to make the pattern truly sing.
Below the dial is the SXH5 that we saw earlier with the Antarctique. In the context of a dress watch, the refined architecture of the movement really comes to light with its micro-rotor and seven skeletonised bridges supporting the gear train, designed to look like lace ribbons. Plus the bevelled plates with hand-chamfered edges.
The Promenade Guilloché Soleil Ivoire is priced at £19,100 at James Porter & Son.
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More details at James Porter & Son.
