207 articles found · page 1 of 7
Czapek's compact dress watch gets a literary twist, honoring Boris Vian's L'Écume des Jours with a handcrafted dial that's hard to ignore.
A bold Victory Green guilloché dial and flying tourbillon make this limited Antarctique one of Czapek's most striking pieces yet
38 pieces, a fumé sapphire dial, and a colour palette that makes the movement part of the story
Monochrome
With such a rich and varied repertoire, it is hard to believe that Czapek was founded as recently as 2015. Five years later, the brand introduced its first luxury sports collection, the Antarctique. To mark its tenth anniversary, the Antarctique was equipped with a spectacular flying tourbillon, framed by an equally striking guilloché pattern simulating […]
WristBuzz
A bold Victory Green guilloché dial and flying tourbillon make this limited Antarctique one of Czapek's most striking pieces yet
Deployant
Czapek releases a new Antarctique Tourbillon in 18k yellow gold and a Victory Green dial. This was a special request from a collector, but extended to 10..
Deployant
We caught up with Czapek CEO, Xavier de Roquemaurel at the new boutique at Quai de Bergues. And he explains the novelties released in GWD26.
Hodinkee
This week on The Business of Watches, we sit down with the business leader who has headed the reborn Czapek & Cie. brand for more than a decade now. Xavier de Roquemaurel didn't come from the watch industry when he co-founded Czapek with fellow entrepreneur Harry Guhl, with help from watchmaker Sébastien Follonier, in 2015. He's had to learn the industry on the job, and while Czapek burst on the scene by winning the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Public Prize in its debut year in 2016, the company and de Roquemaurel have faced plenty of challenges along the way. From the novel financing and shareholder model they created to fund the startup, to reckoning with a massive surge of back orders for their popular Antarctique integrated bracelet sports watch model during the boom times of the post-pandemic era, as well as serious health and medical ordeals. Reconsidering all the tests he and the company have faced, de Roquemaurel says he now believes that "adversity gets the best out of you." Today, Czapek has just opened a new boutique on the historic Quai des Bergues in Geneva on the same banks of the Rhône River where François Czapek himself had his first atelier in the 1800s. In a wide-ranging interview, the Czapek CEO traces both the path of the reborn brand and how it has found inspiration in the legacy of the watchmaker who opened what is believed to be the first watch boutique on Place de Vendôme in Paris while producing timepieces for Napoleon III and t...
Time+Tide
This past week has been one for the ages. Rolex announces an annual calendar carrying an official nickname for the first time, Blancpain releases one of the smallest mechanical movements to date, and Grand Seiko brings back Arabic numerals after 25 years. There’s plenty more too, spanning other all sort of styles and budgets with … Continued
WristBuzz
Czapek's compact dress watch gets a literary twist, honoring Boris Vian's L'Écume des Jours with a handcrafted dial that's hard to ignore.
Monochrome
Czapek launched the Promenade collection in 2024, an elegant line of compact, time-only dress watches that, in the words of CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel, serve as a “canvas for creative expression.” The latest addition to the family is the Promenade L’Écume des Jours, a tribute to the 1947 novel by French author Boris Vian, translated into […]
Deployant
Czapek releases a new extension to their Promenade collection with the new L'Écume des Jours and a magnificent metiers d'art dial.
Time+Tide
Czapek celebrated its new flagship at Quai des Bergues 27 by releasing two limited editions during Geneva Watch Days 2026. The Quai des Bergues Midnight in Geneva pairs a 40.5mm steel case with a dark blue aventurine dial and Czapek’s seven-day, manually wound Calibre SXH1. The Place Vendôme Complicité Glacier Blue places its open-worked double-escapement … Continued
Monochrome
Coinciding with Geneva Watch Days, Czapek & Cie opens a new flagship boutique at Quai des Bergues 27, a symbolic address for the brand where, in 1839, François Czapek and Polish émigré Antoni Patek laid the foundations of Patek, Czapek & Cie. To mark the occasion, Czapek releases two special editions: a Quai des Bergues […]
Hodinkee
What We Know Only seven years ago, Czapek, a brand over 180 years old, opened its first modern boutique in Geneva, right next to the brand's original workshop from 1839. Soon after, it opened its first boutique on the Place Vendôme in Paris. Its first collection, called "Quai des Bergues," celebrated the first boutique; another collection celebrated that boutique in France. Now, the brand has reopened its Geneva boutique with a new look and is celebrating with a new watch from each collection. The newest Quai des Bergues "Midnight in Geneva" uses the brand's proprietary SXH1 hand-wound movement, cased in a mid-sized 40.5mm by 11.9mm stainless steel case with sandblasted, hollowed-out lugs. The watch is an impressive bit of watchmaking in a really elegant form. The watch has a power reserve indicator, weekday indicator, and subsidiary seconds, but the power reserve is a massive 7 days. The elegance comes in part from a beautiful dark blue aventurine dial with silver powder-coated steel Fleur-de-Lys hands, printed elongated Roman numerals, and a chemin de fer outer track. The watch, with a 50-meter water resistance, is limited to 18 pieces and retails for $28,600. The Place Vendôme Complicité Glacier Blue is a new treatment for the brand's open-worked double-escapement watch created in collaboration with Bernhard Lederer. While the previous watch was technically impressive but visually reserved, the Place Vendôme Complicité puts complexity at the forefront. The watch fe...
Deployant
Czapek returns to its historical roots in Quai des Bergues with a new boutique. Releases 2 new models in the Quai des Bergues and Place Vendome collections.
SJX Watches
Having previously examined concepts related to energy flow inside watch movements, from automatic winding to barrel capacity and gear tooth profiles, we now turn and look at how energy enters the movement through the keyless works. For the majority of watches, the crown is the sole component through which the owner interacts with the movement, for both setting the indications and winding. While these operations have become a matter of routine, they wouldn’t be possible if not for the keyless works. This underrated mechanism — usually hidden — deserves a closer look. From key to crown We owe today’s user-friendly dual-purpose crown, which can be used for both winding and setting, to French watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe, whose last name is certainly resonant with all horology enthusiasts. A keen technician who had not found success in his homeland, Philippe was approached in 1845 by Antoine Norbert de Patek, a Polish watch merchant from Geneva. Patek’s then-partnership with François Czapek was going sour and the merchant was looking for a new, technically oriented associate. Shortly thereafter, Philippe was appointed as technical director at Patek’s firm. This unexpected fast track was due to Philippe’s innovation: the keyless, stem-wound movement. Although his French peers weren’t taken with the invention, Patek recognised the potential of keyless timepieces and sought to capitalise on — and further develop — the concept. Later in 1851, Patek, Philipp...
Revolution
Time+Tide
A week defined by big moves being made by small independents has brought us some unexpected hits in mid-August.
WristBuzz
38 pieces, a fumé sapphire dial, and a colour palette that makes the movement part of the story
Hodinkee
What We Know Today, Czapek has lifted the curtain on a new limited-edition addition to its Promenade line of everyday dress watches. The Czapek Promenade Transparencies "Aqua Blue" expands on a design motif first introduced with the Fratello x Czapek Promenade Transparencies "Veridian Green," this time applying the Transparency concept to a wholly in-house-devised model. Here, the "Veridian Green" sapphire-gradient dial has been swapped for a similar "Aqua Blue" variant, with the fumé effect achieved through a special metallization process in which small dots of metallic coating are applied to a sapphire disc. The dots themselves — which measure just eight microns each — are laid out in varying density to achieve the gradient effect, which radiates out from the small seconds subdial at 4:30. Unlike the Fratello limited edition, which had applied markers, the Promenade Transparencies "Aqua Blue" uses light blue 3D Super-LumiNova markers, which match the lume on the handset. Visible through the translucent dial is the SXH7, a skeletonized take on Czapek's in-house SXH5 micro-rotor automatic caliber. The SXH5 was first launched by the brand in 2020, and now finds itself at the heart of a number of watches in the Czapek lineup, including the Antarctique and, as the SXH5.1, in the solid dial Promenade. The SXH7, which is visible from both directions, is handsome, with plenty of modern, somewhat industrial touches (like sandblasted plates) and enough handcraft to keep tradi...
Monochrome
Independent watchmaking brand Czapek introduced the Promenade collection in 2024 as a more classic and elegant vision of its contemporary watchmaking. Since then, the model has been used for several creative dial executions, such as the Plissé, Diamond Drops, and Goutte de Rosée editions, as well as the Promenade Transparencies Viridian Green, made in collaboration […]
SJX Watches
In the lead up to Geneva Watch Days, Czapek has unveiled the Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue — a gradient blue variant of a sapphire-dialled dress watch the brand released in late 2024. The watch breaks little new ground but the blue-on-blue look reveals a keen eye and an awareness of colour theory. Initial thoughts I have mixed feelings about sapphire dials, but I liked Czapek’s approach to opening up the Promenade when the brand launched its “Viridian Green” collaboration with Fratello in 2024. The “Aqua Blue” edition gets many of the same things right, with a dark-enough tint that the exposed movement elements don’t overwhelm the design. In fact, at some angles, the exposed movement looks more like a graphic element, akin to the Octo Finissimo Automatic BVL 138 Sketch. On the wrist, when the movement is not back-lit, the dial appears much darker, and the movement components are even less obvious. This split personality extends to the overall format of the Promenade, which is conveniently sized at 38 mm and is about 11 mm thick. The latter dimension is a bit chunky for an automatic dress watch with a micro-rotor movement, but it gives the watch a robust, almost sporty feel. And the extra thickness likely contributes to the reassuring 50 m test depth. An optional milanese-style steel bracelet completes the transformation from dressy to sporty, should one wish to do it all with one watch. A close look reveals thousands of printed dots that are responsible...
Fratello
Czapek & Cie introduces the Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue, a new 38-piece limited edition that takes the transparency concept from the Czapek × Fratello Promenade Transparencies Viridian Green and gives it a new color palette and dial execution. The watch combines a 38mm stainless steel case with a blue fumé metallized sapphire dial, allowing Czapek’s […] Visit Movement And Dial Hand In Hand: Czapek Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue to read the full article.
Deployant
Czapek expands the Promenade collection with the Transparencies Aqua Blue with a smoked sapphire dial to subtly showcase the movement.
Hodinkee
This week on The Business of Watches, Collective Horology co-founder and Chief Executive Asher Rapkin joins us. He brought his lawyer. While Collective is a Ventura, California-based retailer of independent watch brands, including Armin Strom, Czapek, Fears, Ming and J.N. Shapiro, Sara Albrecht is the chairman and CEO of The Liberty Justice Center. That's the non-profit litigation firm that led the legal fight successfully challenging President Trump's initial round of tariffs all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. They won in a surprise decision that ruled the President didn't have the authority to impose levies that increased the cost of importing goods into the U.S., including Swiss-made watches. The government is now in the process of refunding the approximately $166 billion businesses paid out. Asher Rapkin, co-founder and CEO of Collective Horology in Ventura, California. Of course, the Trump administration found a workaround and immediately slapped on new tariffs and, on July 24, initiated levies of 10% and 12.5% on imported goods, including Swiss-made watches. That's the day that Collective Horology and another importer (dealing in exotic spices), filed a lawsuit against the President and various bodies and individuals in the administration including U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Rapkin explains why his business decided to challenge the tariff laws and take on the President and his administration, while Albrecht lays out the legal...
Hodinkee
Independent watch retailer Collective Horology LLC filed legal action against President Donald Trump, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and a host of other government officials and departments, alleging the administration's new tariff duties are "unlawful," lack congressional approval, and harm American business. The Ventura, California company, in a lawsuit filed in the United States Court of International Trade on July 24, alleges Trump and his deputies, in imposing tariffs of 10% and 12.5% on goods imported into the U.S. under Section 301 of the Trade Act, exceeded the President's authority to unilaterally levy such measures. The lawsuit represents the most aggressive response yet by the watch industry that has been financially kneecapped by the levies that have exacerbated an economically challenging environment that includes a strong Swiss franc against the U.S. dollar and record precious metals prices, a key input in luxury watchmaking. Many of the most high-profile watch brands raised prices in response, while retailers have taken a hit on margins. Collective Horology co-founder and CEO Asher Rapkin. Photo courtesy Collective Horology. Founded in 2018, Collective sells independent watch brands including Armin Strom, Czapek, Fears, U.S.-based J.N. Shapiro and Ming, among others. The company has paid more than $160,000 in tariff duties under various schemes imposed by the Trump White House and U.S. Trade Representative Greer, says co-founder and Chief Exe...
Monochrome
Launched in 2020, the Antarctique is Czapek’s distinctive take on the integrated luxury sports watch powered by the brand’s first in-house calibre. Although the Antarctique has embraced complications, the go-to model is the more straightforward time-only reference, often featuring textured dials, like the successful Passage de Drake editions. Following the Antarctique Green Meteor, Czapek proposes […]
Time+Tide
This last week has been marked by a number of complicated pieces that speak incredibly softly from their design.
Time+Tide
Things have simmered down a little bit, at least compared to the recent Royal Pop pandemonium. However, there were some deeper-cut headlines over the last week or so, with some strong weekend viewing to dive into. Russell Crowe is smitten with his Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF @igp366 #paris #rolandgarros #parmigianifleurier #farrenprice ♬ Éblouie par … Continued
Monochrome
Revived in 2015, Czapek owes its name to the famous Czech-born Polish watchmaker who co-founded Patek, Czapek & Cie in 1839 and then went solo with his own company in 1845. In just over a decade, Czapek has developed 10 in-house movements spread across its five main families. The Promenade collection, unveiled in 2024, fills […]
Deployant
Czapek extends their Promenade Goutte d'Eau collection with the with the Goutte de Rosée in Green Enamel. Release notes with commentary.
Monochrome
For once, we are not going to talk about the launch of a new watch. Instead, we are going to talk about the premiere of a film – and a rather unique one at that. Czapek, An Unexpected Renaissance is something rarely seen in the watch industry: a 50-minute documentary filmed from the inside, retracing […]
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