BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Czapek’s Promenade model range toes the line between being sporty and being dressy, in my view. If you want the full-on sports watch, there’s the Antarctique, and if you want a dress watch, there’s the Quai des Bergues. The Promenade sits comfortably in the middle of those watches, and Czapek has repeatedly demonstrated how easy it is to design the Promenade to lean slightly more towards the dressy or sporty side without straying too far or crossing boundaries. The latest piece, called the Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue, takes the model in a new direction, and it looks great.
The Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue features a polished stainless steel case measuring 38mm x 10.8mm with 50m of water resistance. So, with the smaller size and the blue Nubuck leather strap, the watch is a little more dressy – a stainless steel Milanese loop bracelet is also available, and that leans it back towards sportiness. Although with 50m of water resistance, I wouldn’t confidently dive into pools with it on, good to know it’ll handle a splash or two with ease.
The main focus of the new Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue is the blue sapphire crystal dial, which reveals the skeletonised calibre SXH7. The colouration comes from a blue metallic colouring vapour-deposited onto the underside of the sapphire crystal, and controlling the vapour density across the dial gives it its cooling blue fumé gradient. Czapek are very keen on their dials, and in the past they have told us about the very high standards they expect from their dial-making partners – it’s clear to see that the attention to detail pays off. The markers, for example, are blocks of Super-LumiNova applied by hand to the dial, and they glow blue at night as well to match the hands and the overall blue theme of the watch. A small detail visible through the dial is the engraving of a bee between 10 and 11, which is a feature of many of Czapek’s movements ad is a representation of François Czapek’s role as watchmaker to Prince Jérôme Napoleon and Napoleon III’s family. Napoleon I used the bee as a symbol of resurrection and immortality, and was inspired by the Ancient Egyptians.
Visible through the sapphire crystal dial and the sapphire crystal caseback is the self-winding calibre SXH7. The calibre was conceived and designed in-house by the Czapek team, and the components are then made externally for them before being sent to Czapek’s manufacture for inspection, final assembly and testing. For the SXH7, the team redesigned the layout of the existing self-winding SXH5 calibre so that the components look better when viewed through the dial, a view not seen on most watches.
Even details such as the crown works had to be redesigned and relocated to ensure the best view. The seven openworked bridges of the calibre are a direct reference to François Czapek’s 19th-century pocket watches, but details such as the 100% recycled platinum micro rotor are new. With 25 jewels, a 4Hz beat rate, a 60-hour power reserve and plenty of fine finishing on both sides of the dial, the SXH7 is a thoroughly modern calibre.
Czapek’s new Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue is a limited-edition model with just 38 examples being made. Before taxes, the price is $40,300/€31,700.
