Quai des Bergues – N°25 TER

Availability: see it at 430 Park Avenue

• Limited Edition: 100 pieces
• Case: stainless steel
• Size: 38.5mm
• Movement: hand-wound caliber SXH1
• Function: power reserve, days of the week
• Power Reserve: approximately seven days
• Water Resistance: 50 m
• Dial: Handcrafted “Grand-Feu” white enamel dial
• Caseback: sapphire crystal
• Hands: Skeletonized, rhodium plated steel hands
• Strap/Bracelet: Alligator strap with XO seel pin buckle
• Factory Warranty: three years

The first collection of timekeepers to herald the renaissance of Czapek & Cie is called Quai des Bergues. It is a tribute to the location where François Czapek founded the company in Geneva in 1845.

The Czapek ‘Grand Feu’ enamel dial is one of the most difficult technique of the art of watches decorating which offers as well the highest durability. The master artisan of our Manufacturing Partner Donze Cadrans in Le Locle, does not paint the motif directly on the watch but applies more oxides on the dial in gold.

Then, the enameler moves the dial into fire (800-900° C) several times to allow motif and colors appear gradually. The “Grand Feu” enamel sets unalterable and refined decoration… including a secret signature in the case of Czapek.

The SXH1 caliber is a proprietary movement designed by Czapek.  It was conceived in cooperation with Jean-François Mojon, a designer watchmaker who heads the Le Locle based company Chronode.  This haute horlogerie mechanical caliber boasts 31 jewels. It is finely decorated and remains aesthetically and functionally true to the 1850 original. The architecture remains symmetrical, and the sandblasted finish is a modern interpretation of the ‘satiné frost’ technique used in the 19th Century – a process of gold plating using mercury evaporation.

This hand-wound movement has two barrel springs and runs at a rate of 21,600 vibrations per hour, which translates to 3 Hertz. It features a power reserve of seven days. The manual beveling finish and the sandblasted bridges create a beautiful and modern look, inspired from the past. The most striking elements remain the open ratchets, with teeth polished in ‘bevel’ and unique to Czapek SXH1.