Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante Ice Blue

Czapek & Cie has announced the release of a new edition of its Antarctique Rattrapante. The sportive, open-worked split-second chronograph now appears with a touch of blue that enhances the hands and rings on its dial.

If you have a beautiful engine, you might as well show it off. This is where the art of open-working a watch comes into play. By doing away with the traditional dial, the mechanism is revealed and becomes an integral part of the watch’s aesthetics. Hence this technique requires great care with the decorating, the beveling, the polishing, and the various types of finishing. Furthermore, placing the engine on the dial side and minimizing structural parts also requires ingenious solutions to maintain stability. It’s more challenging if that engine is driving a split-second mechanism activated by clutches, which requires solid anchoring. The results, however, are worth the effort for the magnificent view of a very complex grande complication.

The challenge and the prize when meeting that challenge was the motivation behind Czapek & Cie’s decision to create the Rattrapante line of watches a year ago. The sapphire crystal in the front and on the exhibition case back reveal the intricate choreography of the dial-side mechanism.