Having been revived in 2015 with the exceptionally beautiful Quai de Bergues collection, the Swiss based company, Czapek has gone from strength, celebrate the life and work of its founder and inventing new ways to tell the time through a story of heritage and prestige. Czapek watches will appeal to anyone with a love for unique designs. Over 150 years of evolution are celebrated in the timeless creations belonging to Czapek’s diverse portfolio of meticulous watch designs, each one underlined by unmatched style and unwavering precision.
The story of Czapek watches dates back to the year 1832 when Polish watchmaker, Franciszek fled to Switzerland following the Polish uprising and set up his own watchmaking facilities before changing his name to François Czapek. Seven years later, he met with Antoine Norbert de Patek, another Polish immigrant who had survived the insurrection. He persuaded Antoine Norbert de Patek to partner up with him and explore the art of watchmaking. The decision would lead them to establish the company, Czapek & Cie. The partnership lasted 6 years before Czapek went on to collaborate with another partner, Juliusz Gruzewski, and soon became recognized as one of the world’s most successful watchmakers of the 19th century. As if vanishing into thin air, however, the company which had boutiques in Warsaw, Paris and Geneva, disappeared, only to be reborn in 2012.
Rediscovered by three entrepreneurs, the Czapek name came back onto the radar in 2012 and took on a very unusual path to revive its success. In celebration of the life and work of the founder of Czapek, a library was created, depicting Czapek’s personality and work through new designs that were created as if the watchmaker himself was, present in the room. In many ways, this approach brought the pioneer back to life as well as the brand itself. Journalists and friends awaited Czapek’s first new releases in Geneva in 2015. A crowd funding campaign was set up, backed by enthusiasts and Swiss watch lovers, to kickstart the success of the brand once more.
Amongst Czapek’s huge range of wristwatches, some collections in particular stand out for their individuality. The Faubourg de Cracovie watch collection by Czapek is named after the company’s third boutique located in Warsaw, Poland, which opened in 1850 and subsequently marks its third collection. In addition to this, the watches from this collection are also powered by Czapek’s third calibre. The watches from the Faubourg de Cracovie collection are characterized by a sporty chronograph, with dials finished in various copper, deep blue and silver colours.
The Quai des Bergues watch collection by Czapek is home to guilloche dials that carry off a range of colours effortlessly. Considering luxury dress watches venture very little from standard silver and black dials, this elegant collection with dials executed in red, green and slate grey colours enable each timepiece to stand out on the wrist with confidence. These finely crafted classics are powered by engines with 7 day power reserves and pay tribute to the location in which François Czapek founded the company in Geneva in 1845. Two distinct case shapes define this line of timepieces, a polished and sandblasted version called the Revolution case crafted in Czapek’s XO stainless steel or titanium, and the classic rounded case inspired by the traditional pocket watch, crafted in a choice of rose gold, white gold or platinum.
Czapek continues to return to historic models of its past, exploring their details and reforming them to create timepieces for the modern 21st century lady and gent. The original design codes that made these former models such favoured collectables are considered in the making of every new Czapek watch. While at first sight Czapek watches may appeal traditional on the outside, each timepiece is unexpectedly modern in terms of its materials and expertly built engine, enabling collectors of both classic and contemporary wristwatches to enjoy its ever growing selection of finely crafted timekeeping instruments.
