BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Czapek & Cie is a small watchmaker which was revived around ten years ago, the name comes from a famous watchmaker from the 19th century named Franciszek Czapek. Czapek made lots of highly regarded pieces during his time, but his name will be remembered most because of its association with Antoni Patek. Patek, Czapek & Cie was created by the two in 1839, with the partnership dissolving in 1845. Antoni Patek would go on to work with Adrien Philippe, with that company being named Patek, Philippe & Cie. Meanwhile, Czapek would find a new watchmaking partner and set up a new business, Czapek & Cie, in 1845.
Today’s Czapek & Cie follows the history of the old company, but is quite separate from it. This is because the Czapek name disappeared in 1871 without a trace, in an upcoming interview I’ll ask an important person at Czapek & Cie how they’re getting on with that part of history, but for now, let’s return to watches.
The latest piece is called the Place Vendôme Complicité Stardust Cobalt. It follows other models in the Place Vendôme Complicité lineup and has an alluring sculptural look courtesy of a dial which has been mostly cut away to reveal the watch’s inner workings. A ‘pyramid of details’ exists on the dial in the form of the two balance wheels which form a triangle with the watch’s power reserve at 6 O’clock. They’re also the basis for another triangle which has its tip at the centre of the wheel placed just above the hands, at least in my view. Nevertheless, a geometrically-savvy approach to designing a watch makes for a result that’s pleasing to the eye, even if we don’t notice the effect happening. Just look at the success of the Lange 1. There’s also plenty of delightful blue splashes here thanks to the hands and markers, they contrast well with the silvery movement.
The Calibre 8 is the movement which is mostly on display on the front of this piece. A quick peek around the back of the watch will reveal an engraving which says “A Friendship Story”, this is because this movement was developed by Czapek & Cie and acclaimed watchmaker Bernhard Lederer. Lederer’s own watches often display his skills in developing refined escapement assemblies for his watches, and it seems he’s done the same here.
The two balance wheels on the dial are mechanically linked via the differential, which is exposed at 12 O’clock on the dial under the butterfly-shaped sapphire bridge. This is one of many ways mechanical watches can overcome the natural variations of a watch’s mainspring. We’re very used to computer-level precision, but mechanical watches don’t work that way due to the delicate components used. By having two escapements connected via a differential, theoretically, the natural variations of each escapement are cancelled out by the other through the differential. 293 components make up the Calibre 8, and both balance wheels beat at 3Hz for a total of 72 hours, which is impressive given the extra power draw of the second escapement.
All of this technical (and aesthetic; there’s lots of high-end finishing here) goodness is wrapped in a 41.8mm x 13.3mm 18k white gold case, which has 50m of water resistance to protect the piece from splashes and so forth; swimming is not advised. Complete with an alligator strap and 18k white gold folding buckle, this 13-piece limited edition watch will set you back $100,000 before taxes, or €89,000 or £77,300, also before taxes.
