BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
It has been quite a while since we covered the inner workings of a watchmaker up close, so returning to a manufacture in 2025 felt refreshing and long overdue. Czapek’s manufacture is a world away from any of the places we have visited before, not geographically, but in the way it presents itself.
Firstly, there’s no signage for Czapek’s manufacture. At all. In a country where the most recognisable names in the industry grace buildings on the hillsides or Geneva’s Rue du Rhône, you’d be forgiven for driving straight past Czapek’s La-Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture without even realising it. I can’t even point to it on Google Maps – and I’ve actually been there. The purpose of all this is not so much secrecy but, instead, discretion – like a consummate performer who loves what they do and nails every show but then likes to retreat to a quiet place to have some downtime. It’s understandable, really.
Upon entering the manufacture (once you’ve found it), you’re greeted with the awards the brand has so far collected, including the trophy for winning the “Public Prize” of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2016. The atmosphere downstairs feels calm, but that’s because it’s mostly administrative offices, meeting rooms, and the like.
The real magic happens upstairs. It’s still fairly quiet unless there’s a team meeting going on, and the hush feels natural rather than forced. Of course, some places are noisier than others. The first port of call for us was the machining room, where Czapek deploys sophisticated equipment to produce components in-house. They operate a KERN Microtechnik three-axis milling machine for movement components like plates and bridges.
They also have a seven-axis “production centre”. Czapek chose the “production centre”, a Starrag Bumotec 191neo, for its precision when making complex parts, as it can function as either a milling machine or a lathe. It gives them the flexibility to produce the complex shapes found on their cases and other components, and can be left to run by itself. If you’ve handled the Antarctique, or if you read our review, you’ll know how tricky some of those lines would be with traditional machining alone.
That’s not all, as Czapek has been investing in its machining capabilities. In a room adjacent to the milling machines sits a Citizen-Cincom L12 Swiss lathe (yes, that Citizen). This piece of kit is a highly accurate machine capable of making the tiniest components, such as the screws used in the movements, and contributes to Czapek’s list of in-house-made componentry.
Finally, they showed their newest toy, an AgieCharmilles CUT 2000 electrical discharge machining (EDM) station. EDM, also known as wire erosion or electro-erosion, uses electric arcs (sparks) and a brass filament in a tank of fluid to precisely cut components in tight spaces – the machine’s manufacturer states the thinnest filament it can use is 0.05mm (0.002″) across, and because it doesn’t press on the component like a traditional milling machine, it can be used for very thin pieces.
It wasn’t running during our visit, but demonstrations do exist. Don’t worry, Czapek also has the traditional tools of the watchmaker’s trade on hand, including sensitive drills, planes, and it also has a polishing room to make the components sparkle.
As we made our way to the next area, which didn’t take long, one of the key points stressed to us was that Czapek will continue to build its skills in-house while also partnering with third parties – thus ensuring the design and manufacturing specialists also have support. It’s the way Swiss watchmaking works, much like any other major manufacturing ecosystem. For example, near me in the UK is the city of Bristol, which is renowned for its aircraft manufacturing, with Airbus and Rolls-Royce having centres there. Lots of small specialist contractors, which do specific jobs for them, are dotted around the big names. Those specialist firms employ people, and those people pass on knowledge.
Czapek themselves employ a specialist with the milling machines and another with the Swiss lathe and EDM station, and they are currently developing their skills so they can work on each other’s equipment and pass the knowledge on when the time comes. Whether it’s happening within Czapek’s walls or outside, it’s important that there are people who have the skills needed to build watches now and eventually start their own firms.
Once the components are made (or supplied), they are quality-controlled in-house by Czapek’s team. Once they’ve passed the QC stage, the pieces are then sorted into kits for the watchmakers. Unlike larger firms, which mass-produce watches, sometimes even using assembly lines, in Czapek, one watchmaker will assemble one watch from start to finish.
Each watchmaker has their own desk with an outward-facing view, Czapek says this is especially important for the team’s wellbeing, and I agree, though I’d likely spend too long staring out the window. It’s probably a good thing that I never did take that horology course at Birmingham City University…
Once movement testing has taken place, each watch is then assembled, and quality control takes place once more. Once complete, the watch is boxed up and stored, ready to be reunited with its paperwork and presentation box before delivery to the customer.
If you’ve been reading this and thought, “hey, it sounds like Czapek could have room to make customised watches for clients”, then you’re absolutely right.
Although they may not boast about it all over their website, Czapek does have quite a lot of flexibility in their production processes, meaning they’re able to make a fair number of adjustments to their pieces beyond the choosing of dial colours and hand styles.
They have plans to expand and indeed space to do it, though it remains to be seen whether that will go toward R&D, new designs or expanded manufacturing capabilities or creating something that collectors have been asking for for a while.
From what we gathered when we spoke to the team, the company runs itself like an extended family, which is exactly how a smaller firm like Czapek should operate. In my interview with CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel last year, we spoke a bit about how important it is to him to know all the staff personally, which he wouldn’t be able to do at a larger firm. That level of personality is why Czapek has such a loyal following.
