Geneva-based watchmaker Czapek this fall introduced its latest Quai des Bergues model in a 40.5mm steel case, with a newly developed hand-guilloché pattern executed in a blue or black dial. The slightly smaller steel case retains all of the stylistic signatures of the Quai des Bergues case – with a slight refinement of the case-side recesses in order to incorporate the movement (the Calibre SXH1) – and a subtle change to the slope of the lugs to ensure a perfect fit on the wrist.
“The two existing sizes of the Quai des Bergues have always been well received, but, among our community of enthusiasts, we’ve had many comments and discussions about creating a perfect ‘Goldilocks’ size in between – one that is adaptable and elegant, looks both dressy and sporty and has a great presence on wrists of all sizes. The design of the case is very organic and fluid – and for that, I pay tribute to the biomechanical style of the artist H.R. Giger [designer of Alien] whose work has always fascinated me.”
-Czapek CEO, Xavier de Roquemaurel
To complement the new case size, which joins existing 42.5mm and 38.5mm options in the brand’s catalogue, Czapek alongside its dial-making partner Metalem developed an entirely new guilloché pattern. They have named it Guilloché ‘Double Soleil’, after the parhelion phenomenon, an optical illusion that appears under certain atmospheric conditions as a luminous spot on one or both sides of the sun. Also known colloquially as ‘sun dogs’, parhelia occur when the sun shines through thin cirrus clouds composed of hexagonal ice crystals, which refract the rays, rather like the effect of a prism. This spectacular and rare phenomenon most often occurs in winter, when the sun is low in the sky. The starting point for the new pattern was a discussion about the Maison’s proprietary Ricochet Guilloché. Through a process of iteration, with greater emphasis on vertical symmetry and straighter, deeper cuts, the new Double Soleil pattern achieves a bolder and more contemporary look.
In addition to the new guillochage, the movement (manually wound, with a 7-day power reserve) has been refreshed “We revised the movement last year by open-working the bridges,” says de Roquemaurel. “Like the new dial guillochage, this is very much in keeping with our desire always to display the beauty of craftsmanship – to honour the hand of man – which is the essence of haute horlogerie and reveals more than time.”
The Czapek Quai des Bergues No.17 – Double Soleil – in Deep Blue or Tuxedo Black retails for CHF 18,800 (excluding taxes).
To learn more, visit Czapek, here.