A Justifiable Czapek & Cie. Strategy

Eagle-eyed collectors had already snapped up all 40 of the limited edition Passage de Drake pieces before Czapek & Cie. even had the chance to introduce the new watch.

The old brand which was revived in 2015 has managed to gain such a firm foothold in the contemporary market within just five years that the manufacturer's watches are selling like hot cakes. François Czapek is no longer a name that no one has heard of; the former associate of Antoine Norbert de Patek, whose surname has certainly made the list of greats in the watchmaking industry.

This isn’t only proven by the amount of consumer interest in the brand. It has also gained recognition with prestigious awards: the elegant 33 bis Quai des Bergues model by Czapek & Cie. was awarded the Public Prize at the 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).

The new watch was a fresh take on the limited edition 99-piece Antarctique Terre Adélie model — the first watch created for the Antarctique collection which debuted on May 26 this year and sold out in just 18 days.  The first family of watches released was named after Adélie Land (Terre Adélie), a claimed territory on the continent of Antarctica, and this tradition has continued with the Passage de Drake, named in honor of the body of water which connects the southern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Another thing that makes this collection special is its dial designs. Before we move on to discuss the watch specifications, it's worth highlighting that the names of those who worked on the collection at Czapek & Cie. aren't kept hidden behind the brand's big name.

For example, there's a list of over 30 people who worked on the new model. The brand's partner company Metalem worked on the dials for the Antarctique Terre Adélie, whose masters decorated the surface by hand using the lamé technique invented 30 years ago in partnership with Czapek & Cie., which had all but been forgotten.

This same technique was used for Antarctique’s Passage de Drake, which has a dial decorated with the "Stairway to Eternity" pattern. CEO of Czapek Xavier de Roquemaurel admits that the design didn't turn out as they had originally planned. Work on the dial took longer than expected, which is why one of the designers made the mistake of accidentally enlarging the size of the trapezoids by 50%. In the end, the creators liked this trapezoid variation so much that it was approved. 

The 40.5 mm diameter stainless steel case encloses the SXH5.01 automatic caliber, which has been designed from scratch for Czapek & Cie. by Emmanuel Bouchet and Daniel Martinez. The architecture of the caliber's seven bridges looks incredibly modern, although the company insists that they're inspired by 19th century pocket watches.

Since the watch premiered in May, Czapek & Cie. have already found time to work on the movement itself. The rotor made from recycled gold has been swapped for a larger one made of platinum, which is also made from 100% recycled metal. There has also been a complete change of ball bearings under the micro-rotor,  which has allowed the watchmaker to extend the power reserve from 56 to 60 hours.