Watches and Wonders
Watches and Wonders: Czapek & Cie’s Swirling Antarctique Tourbillon
The fan-revived brand celebrates 10 years in its new form, and it’s kicking things off with a new in-house calibre flying tourbillon with flourishes of color, craftsmanship, and architecture that will draw you in… like a vortex.
By Mike Espindle
Executive Editor
“Our starting point was, as always, to play with the clash between legitimacy and avant-gardism, and this new in-house tourbillon calibre is the outcome,” Czapek & Cie CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel says of the new Antarctique Tourbillon in a press announcement. This is a relatively simple statement, but it’s deceptively loaded. Let’s try to find some clues to parse out the complex intent of this new masterful timepiece.
Code Name: “Singularité”
…or “singularity” in English: those places in the universe (particularly black holes) that defy the conventional laws of physics and warp space and time to infinite possibilities.
Working with frequent material collaborator Metalem, the designers sought to craft a new kind of guilloche technique that leans into a “trope l’oeil” effect of an infinite vortex. This so-called Singularité effect is the most obvious visual keynote of the Antarctique Tourbillon’s design DNA and constitutes a dramatic jumping off point for the litany of additional special details you’ll find.
Home-Cooked Movement
The astounding Calibre 9 engine of this new timepiece is the first Czapek movement to not only be designed, conceived, and constructed in-house but also mostly machined in-house. The brand continues to strongly defend retaining the freedom to create components in-house and to use the best of outside collaborators to have maximum development agility.
Visible through the exhibition caseback, the gold convex rotor of the Calibre 9 also picks up the guilloche-vortex message (this time engraved by Czapek’s own master engraver Michèle Rothen).
In-Line Architecture
Creating some static tension as a counterpoint to the swirling vortex it overlays, the dial’s stack of 60-second flying tourbillon, gear train, and barrel components seems to hover dangerously above the “singularity,” threatening to get sucked in… but some gorgeous open bridgework holds the course. Expansive, slender 3-to-9 o’clock bridging stabilizes the central gear train, while smaller, beefier bridges angle down to anchor the barrel at 12 o’clock.
Still, the sense of tension remains palpable, and fun: Hour markers have been pulled off the dial and onto the outer flange to create even more airiness, and the dramatic 60-second flying bridge at 6 o’clock, while attached to the gear train assembly, appears to spin and float, fighting the pull of the visual vortex underneath.
(Picture a green computer grid from your favorite sci-fi movie depicting the distorting effects of a black hole, and you’ll be right on the money in terms of the vibe).
Plus: Unexpected Sporty Color
Most watchmakers would take the knee-jerk path of packing all this visually distorting guilloche and elaborate bridging goodness into an overly fussy red gold and fine leather package. Personally, I applaud Czapek’s unexpected choice to craft the 40.5mm Antarctique Tourbillon in tough stainless steel, with crown protection, on a flowing integrated steel bracelet (a rubber strap option is also provided). Here is a sporty format that would leave a mark on the other guy in a bar fight.
Best for last, icing on the cake… call it what you will, but I could wax poetic about the three stunning color executions offered (however, I will condense my observations for brevity).
The “Glacier Blue” execution is cool, icy, and perhaps provides inspiration for the “Antarctique” portion of the model’s moniker. Alternatively, the 5N gold-toned “Photon Sphere” version creates a handsome metallic punch. Finally, the mysterious grey “Secret Alloy” execution may be the one that adds more oomph to the swirling vortex metaphor, as the color matches up well with the case and bracelet tones.
One last appealing note: despite the visually infinite depth of this timepiece, the total case height is remarkably thin, measuring only 11.5mm.
Pricing & Availability
Expect to pay CHF 63,000 for your voyage down the vortex. The Czapek & Cie Antarctique Tourbillon will be available for pre-order at authorized global dealers and at the watchmaker’s Geneva boutique as you read this. Visit the Czapek website for more information.