Antarctique

Presented in May 2020, the Antarctique marks a turning point in Czapek & Cie's catalogue: after five years devoted almost exclusively to the classic style of the Quai des Bergues, the brand took on the steel integrated-bracelet sports watch genre, a territory already occupied by names such as Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Girard-Perregaux. The 40.5 mm case, 10.6 mm thick, is designed for everyday wear, with 120 meters of water resistance and a quick-release system that lets the integrated-link steel bracelet be swapped for leather or rubber straps.

The Antarctique's distinguishing feature is the design of its bracelet links, worked into a "C" shape and satin-finished, conceived to stand apart from the now heavily codified language of this watch category. The dial, decorated with a vertical-line structure, is available in several colorways inspired by Antarctic landscapes, hence the collection's name, and is fitted with applied indices that echo the elegant restraint typical of Czapek's production.

Powering the Antarctique is the SXH5 caliber, an in-house automatic movement developed with the collaboration of independent Geneva-based watchmakers Emmanuel Bouchet and Daniel Martinez, fitted with an 18-carat recycled-gold micro-rotor, openly skeletonized bridges and mainplate, and a 56-hour power reserve at a frequency of 4 Hz. Over time the collection has grown with very limited-run special editions, including variants with hand-painted dials depicting abstract landscapes.