Czapek Quai Des Bergues Watches

Czapek Quai Des Bergues Review

It's hard to be involved for any length of time in the watch industry without being connected to some brands. Perhaps you can't get enough of it owing to aesthetic. It's sometimes a merit plan that blows competitors out of the water. And sometimes just because of the connections you have with the individuals behind the company, you have an understanding of every choice you make. Well, Czapek Quai Des Bergues is one such brand.

Around 150 years ago, a designer-made watch made and this is none-other than Czapek Quai Des Bergues.  This remains the standard know-how and reputation of the company. Special look and appearance mean that they design and make watches to suit the esthetic desires of the customer in such a way that the watch becomes an expanded personality. So it shows more than just time to wear a Czapek on your wrist.

Czapek Quai Des Bergues: History and Development

François Czapek, born in 1811 in Bohemia. was a professional watchmaker who made some extremely fine watches in six years ' collaboration, between 1839 and 1845, with Antoni Patek and now features in the collections of some of the biggest watch lovers of the world.  Czapek played the role of chief horologer and Patek was responsible for the distribution. Around 200 watches were made each year by their firm. Antoni Patekfounded Patek & Co. (1845-1851) following the dissolution of his partnership before Patek Philippe was finally established in 1851.

Nevertheless, the existence of Czapek was not over. He formed Czapek & Cie with Juliusz Gruzewski, the trustworthy Napoleon III, shortly after breaking with Patek. Although the lack of his name may currently imply that his business floundered and collapsed, the opposite happened. He became a horologer at Napoleon's court and his fame and popularity grew. He set up a factory in Geneva, operated in Paris one store, and in Varsovia another.

Then there was a mystery. The firm switched its hands in 1869. There is no recorded explanation for this, but there is evidence that Czapek's disease and death, whose date remains unclear, are related. Nonetheless, following Czapek's unexplained disappearance, business persisted for some time. Thanks to a pocket watch that survived in 1876 and marked A, we know this. The new product owner was Chaillet. The following years contributed to the permanent transfer of Czapek's company to Chaillet by Napoleon's arrest, deportation, and eventual death. The legacy of François Czapek was once again established in Switzerland until the name was resurrected in 2011 and transferred to Neuchatel.

Now the launch of a new/old brand is welcomed! This version of Czapek's inventions is not only new, but it is noteworthy that this modern interpretation of the ideals of his firm stacks up against its distant history and today's values of his direct competitors.

The range Czapek & Cie Quai des Bergues is named after the street on which Czapek's workshop was located. The restoration project was funded by private investors, supported by the three managers of the organization. They produced a previous small-run chronograph using the historical caliber of the 1970s to raise enough capital to do justice to their work of love. The C73 is a chronograph for manual wind, driving the Chronograph for the Czapek Design Study, sold to a small group of friends. Such funds were used as a potential platform for the project by the developers to test crowdfunding.

This extra capital allowed the company in a patented movement called SXH1 to match the Czapek and Cie Quai des Bergues watch. The SXH1, with all the benefits of modern optimization techniques, is aesthetically true to the pocket watch movements used in 1850. The manually operated caliber has 29 jewels a speed of 21,600vph and an outstanding power reserve of 168 hours (or 7 days, for those of us who are uncomfortable).

Czapek Quai Des Bergues Models

Czapek Quai Des Bergues: Ladies Collection

The collection of the Quai des Bergues for Ladies is a reflection of elegance and Czapek style. The 7-day Caliber SXH1 patented hand-wound motion and the standard Czapek fleur-de-lys are all included in the model range and are finished in Gold-Rose, "BlackGold" or "BlueGold." Between 4:30 and 7:30, the subdials show a variety of magics: the hands are replaced by two spinning mother-of-pearl discs a distinctively feminine, creative aesthetic solution. The situation is fantastic and enhances the technical elegance of the manual winding.

The SXH1 caliber is a Czapek-designed proprietary step. It was the first in a group of movements specifically designed for Czapek under the most stringent rules of the horology art. It was designed jointly to creator Jean-François Mojon who leads the Chronode company based in Le Locle.

This automatic powerful watchmaking caliber contains 31 jewels. It is beautifully crafted and remains true to the 1850 design both aesthetically and technically. The design stays symmetrical, the sandblasted finish is a contemporary version of the approach of satin frost of the 19th century–a gold plating process using mercury evaporation.

The movement which is manually wound has two barrels and is at a pace of 21600 vibrations an hour. It has a seven-day power reserve. The convenient finish and the sandblasted bridges produce a sleek and romantic feel influenced by the past. Open ratchets, which have' bevel' polished teeth and exclusive to Czapek SXH1, are the most impressive elements. It is its mechanical trademark.

The gold case has been designed to fit on a wrist like a pocket watch. The generous and smooth round form and curved beauty of the case is a symbol of the brand's pureness. There are two variations of white gold. The No.7 and No.3 have several hands, both "Fleur de Lys" in "Black Gold" or "Blue Gold," both of which have magnificent diamond indexes. The 5N Rose Gold set includes the mystical VVS white diamond mother of pearl dial All the watches have the Czapek Fleur de Lys hands, which are finished in' BlackGold' or' BlueGold.' At 4:30 and 7:30 there is a certain degree of technological wizardry on their subdials: hands have given way to the creative esthetic solution to mother-of-pearl rotational discs. On the magnificent Quai des, Bergues No.11 watch case is an exclusive anti-corrosion "XO" Stainless steel case that blends the elegant design of the Czapek with excellent craftsmanship.

The Quai des Bergues Lady collection is designed and crafted by Mother of Pearl, which improves the transcendent design and the skill of the watches. Rose Gold and Steel Cases of diamonds that are set in White gold and the hands of Fleur de Lys are complimentary.

Most of the straps are handmade with unmatched skills by master leathers, using exceptional leathers, and are the product of some fifty fundamental but complex steps. Every strap comprises of two sections. The tip part is the long part with holes to adjust your strap and the element part is (the buckle part is at the end). 

Czapek Quai Des Bergues Guilloché

The exclusive guilloche "Ricochet" style from Czapek was influenced by Francois Czapek's ancient version in the 1850s. It has a double focal point, as opposed to traditional guilloche patterns with only one concentration in the middle of the knob, which is its key attribute and special function. The two focal points showing tiny seconds and power reserve that fit two famous Czapek subdials produce a curious "shock intrusion" inside the dial. 

The Guilloché "Ricochet," which was first unveiled in Baselworld in 2017, has a bombé-guilloché dial, made by Metalem, one of the most successful Swiss workshops, in a special gold, silver, palladium, and platinum alloy. It combines both traditional and modern approaches. For instance, "Czapek" was simply written on the dial rather than engraved as a cartouche to give the indexes and an Arabic number a touch of modernity, while the dial was "bombé" just like the cases on the pocket watches.

The Quai des Bergues Guilloché Sea Salt Grey is the most advanced and purest model in the series, paired with a 1N White Gold case and a light grey guilloché dial The unique piece Quai des Bergues Guilloché Emperor Blue is the beginning of "Emperor Blue," an exquisite blue contrast that fits in perfectly with the 42.5 meter 5N Rose Gold Case and the hands of Fleur-de-Lys. Each model includes an elegant blue alligator strap with a special treatment with a double-tone patina that offers a shoe patina feel.

Czapek Quai des Bergues Rosewood Watch

This gorgeous Czapek Quai des Bergues Rosewood S Watch and Rosewood Diamonds come with a guilloché rosewood dial crafted by Metalem's brand. Metalem is located in Le Locle in Switzerland and is considered to be one of Switzerland's finest guilloché producers. The option of rosewood color was selected because of its dark, natural-looking color which shifts with the light and is unisex.

The Rosewood S is made of 38.5 mm stainless steel, while the Rosewood Diamonds is housed in a white gold case. The watches are operated by the patented hand-wound scale Czapek SHX1 with a 7-day power reserve provided by two barrels. The movement was created in partnership with Chrono.