Czapek, a detached house with a unique history

The first steps of a legendary collaboration

There are watchmaking companies with unusual histories that sometimes resurface after a long period of obscurity. The story we're interested in today begins, quite fittingly, in 1832 in Switzerland. Franciszek Czapek, a 21-year-old Polish watchmaker, established his workshop in Switzerland after fleeing his homeland due to its occupation by Russian troops. He partnered with another Polish man who had also fled the country, Antoni Patek, in 1839. From this partnership, the company "Patek, Czapek & Cie" was created, with a simple goal: to manufacture the finest watches in the world.

History has often shown that partnerships between two watchmakers with great ambition have truly left their mark on watchmaking forever, whether it be Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, or Audemars Piguet. However, in this case, the collaboration lasted only six years, and the reasons for the separation remain uncertain. Franciszek Czapek, who became François Czapek, continued his journey under the name "Czapek & Cie" with a Polish watchmaker friend, while Antoine Patek met Jean-Adrien Philippe, which led to the creation of Patek, Philippe & Cie in 1851.

A strong independence forged through military achievements.

While history today bestows all its glory upon Patek Philippe, it's important to know that at the time, "Czapek & Cie" was one of the most prestigious watchmaking houses. It was the official watchmaker to Napoleon III and also supplied the imperial court. One of its most prestigious achievements was that the manufacture was one of the first watch boutiques to establish itself on the Place des Piques, better known as Place Vendôme, at number 25.

However, one of the major differences between the two houses is that Patek Philippe was able to write its history after the death of its founders, while Czapek disappeared quietly at the same time as its original founder around 1869.

The house's revival through a unique crowdfunding campaign.

But once again, thanks to the meeting and determination of three men, the Czapek company was acquired in 2012 and reborn in 2015. To enable this revival, they opted for a unique financing mechanism, offering any interested individual the opportunity to purchase shares in the group. Once the funds were secured, the founders adopted almost all of the Geneva-based manufacturer's design principles and, starting this year, launched a timepiece inspired by a model designed by François Czapek in 1850: the "Quai de Bergues No. 33bis".

On this exceptional model, limited to 188 pieces, Czapek's artisans work with prestigious materials such as red gold and grand feu enamel, and develop a proprietary Czapek movement in collaboration with Chronode, featuring sandblasted bridges. Both visible and invisible details are treated with meticulous attention, from the customizable secret signature on the dial to the hand-chiseled gold hands with a hand-polished finish.

As you might expect, with this level of finish and this nod to history, the watch was noticed in the most beautiful way by obtaining the "Grand Prix du Public" of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in 2016.

This resounding success allowed the company to fully relaunch, and it continued to innovate by offering successful watches every year with a particular aesthetic, notably the "Place Vendôme Suspended Tourbillon" in 2017, "Faubourg de Cracovie" in 2018, which are two collections that are a nod to the names of the two places where François Czapek opened boutiques.

The Antarctic range, a symbol of refinement and timelessness.

It was in 2020 that the brand's popularity truly exploded with the introduction of a unique line: the "Antarctica" collection. This collection is the result of a near-perfect balance between sophistication and minimalism, allowing these watches to be worn every day without ever going unnoticed by their design. Whether it's the Terre Adélie model with its lamé dial, or the Passage de Drake with its "Starway to Eternity" dial, the Antarctica collection is instantly recognizable thanks to the watchmakers' meticulous work on the dial.

Regarding the "Drake Passage" dial, the choice of a trapezoidal pattern creates a true signature for the Geneva-based brand. Interestingly, this choice stemmed from an accident during the dial's adjustments by the group's designer, who mistakenly increased the size of the trapezoids by 50%. The result was undeniable and captivated all the group's owners, who then offered this dial in several colors: white, black, glacier blue, navy blue, and salmon.

This “Antarctic” range features the SHX5 movement, the first movement entirely designed by Czapek, which was presented in 2020 at the range's launch. It draws direct inspiration from 19th-century pocket watches with its seven skeletonized bridges, while also incorporating the best of modern watchmaking with a mechanical movement powered by a platinum micro-rotor.

As you will have gathered, this brand revival, almost ten years ago, represents one of the most remarkable in contemporary watchmaking history. The three founding partners of the group have successfully restored the prestige of the brand bearing the name of its original creator, who, we at Seconde Vintage hope, will continue to follow in the footsteps of his first partner and maintain his legacy.