By Dhananjay Pathak
Let me begin by admitting that Czapek & Cie is not a brand that I was aware of until I came across a few beautiful pictures of one of their watches on my Instagram feed a while back. I really liked what I saw, and immediately connected with the watch increasing my curiosity to learn more about the brand. Czapek & Cie was founded by Polish master watchmaker Francios Czapek and Julius Gruzewski back in 1845 and operated successfully till the year 1869 when the brand mysteriously disappeared, nowhere to be seen till 2015, when it was relaunched as a modern Haute Horlogerie brand.
The first watch collection to mark the resurrection of the brand was called Quai Des Bergues and for Baselworld 2018 the brand is adding a new watch to this collection called the Quai Des Bergues Guilloche Ricochet- Havana Brown. This watch presents the signature Czapek design ethos with a mesmerizing Guilloche Ricochet dial in Havana brown color. So, let have a quick look.
There is no doubt about it that Guilloche dials are good to look at, but the visual pleasure elevates to a totally different level when human hands are extensively involved in the process and that is exactly the case with the dial on this watch. The Guilloche Ricochet is a new design, which is exclusive to Czapek and is a result of engine turning painstakingly performed by hand, leading to the creation of a unique pattern that exudes impeccable depth, which simply cannot be achieved even using the best of modern technologies.
The Havana brown color of the dial is produced using a galvanic method and adds a lot of warmth to the watch complementing the applied rose gold markers and the quirky Fleur de Lys hands. The two sub dials on the dial have been finely executed and have a very unusual placement giving the watch a distinctive character. The subdial between 4 and 5 displays both the power reserve as well as the day of the week, whereas the subdial between 7 and 8 displays the running seconds. Both sub dials also sit a little below the main dial giving a nice sense of depth to the dial.
The 42.5mm wide case on this watch is made of 18kt 5N rose gold and accentuates the overall classic look of the watch. The domed sapphire crystal on the front gives a nice and expansive view of the dial whereas the sapphire crystal exhibition case back can be used to view the hand-wound Czapek SXH1 calibre. The movement comprises of 31 jewels and operates at a frequency of 21600 bph offering a whopping power reserve of 7 days through its twin barrels. The movement has also been decorated beautifully using blued screws, sandblasted bridges and hand-chamfering.
The Czapek & Cie Quai Des Bergues Guilloche Richochet – Havana Brown is an elegant looking watch and is a fine example of the brand’s exceptional skill and craftsmanship. The watch would come attached to a brown alligator strap and would be produced in a limited quantity of just 15 pieces. The price of the watch is yet to be announced and we would update this space as and when we have the required information from the brand. For more info, visit Czapek & Cie online.
