As the SIHH 2019 excitement settles down, we take a look at four watches unveiled by independent watchmakers in January 2019, as an aside to the Geneva-based watch fair. Creativity, boldness of the shapes and colours, beauty of the mechanics… The independent watchmaking scene remains full of surprises.
Creative, daring, highly technical or crafted to a level that you simply cannot achieve in mass production – there are many reasons why independent watchmaking has been on the rise over the past twenty years. “Indies” are passionate about watchmaking and are often just a little bit crazy. Without massive marketing budgets or product committees, their creations are simply born from dreams, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit. Their ingenuity, vision, diversity or simply their smaller size give watchmaking fans a wealth of unique creations. Today, we take a look at some of the best 2018 creations of the independent watchmaking scene.
Genuinely different… When re-launched in 2015, the name Czapek made quite an impression, not only because of the watches presented back then but also because of the way the project had been financed. While crowdfunding often refers to affordable pieces, it is here attached to the words “Haute Horlogerie”. Very surprising indeed… This is why, today, we talk to Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek, to understand how the name has been revived, how the project came to life and what the future holds for this independent brand.
While the recently revived brand Czapek continues its development with the introduction of a highly interesting chronograph, the Faubourg de Cracovie, one watch in the collection – actually, the flagship model – shouldn’t be forgotten: the Czapek Place Vendome Tourbillon Suspendu “Ici et Ailleurs” GMT (quite a complex name indeed). Already an exclusive watch in its inaugural shape, it now becomes even more exclusive with the possibility to have engraved cases, making each watch unique.
After we had a closer look at the best Dive watches, the best GMT watches and the best Tourbillon watches of Baselworld 2018, it is time to focus on one of the most important categories. You name it: the chronographs. This edition of the Basel Watch Fair proved once again that the chronograph can be any kind of watch: elegant, sporty, modern, vintage, affordable, exclusive. So here is our very eclectic selection of 10 cool chronographs introduced at Baselworld 2018.
After the successful inaugural Quai Des Bergues watch, later followed by a complex tourbillon piece, the Place Vendôme, it is time for Czapek to unveil its third complication, this time with a sportier inspiration. As you probably noticed already, the new Czapek “Faubourg de Cracovie” (named after the location of Czapek third boutique) features a chronograph movement – and not the worst of them, as this watch is the first equipped with Vaucher’s brand-new calibre.
If you are a regular reader of MONOCHROME, you will be familiar with the independent watchmaker Czapek. A name with a lot of history (François Czapek was a Geneva-based Polish watchmaker whose 6-year partnership with Antoni Patek gave birth to remarkable watches before the latter founded Patek Philippe with Adrien Philippe), the brand was revived in 2015 with the launch of the Quai des Bergues. The first modern Czapek creation was awarded the Public Prize at the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2016. At Baselworld 2017, the brand introduced the Place Vendôme tourbillon featuring a GMT indication.
Czapek sets the tone for 2018, with new versions of the Quai des Bergues, full of colors. The independent brand, a revival of the name of Patek’s ex-partner, started its life with an online subscription campaign (yes, quite special for a brand with such high-end watches) and is now becoming more established than ever. New collections, new watches, new styles… For 2018, Czapek unveils its Quai des Bergues watch with colored guilloché dials.
The name Czapek, once famed as a partner of what would become Patek Philippe, came back to the forefront of the scene late 2015 with the elegant and well-thought out Quai des Bergues. The watch was awarded the public prize at GPHG 2016, one of the most (if not the most) meaningful industry award ceremony, which is no small achievement. The collection reflects the Czapek ethics to propose finely crafted classics whose understated style offers a distinctive twist and a distinctive character.
Changes of positions have a negative influence on the way watches keep time. In 1801, Breguet patented a mechanism to negate the effects of earth attraction. A mobile carriage rotating at slow speed which houses the regulating organ of the watch, with the aim to average out positional errors. If the tourbillon has become more and more common in recent years, it remains an achievement for most watchmakers and the opportunity to demonstrate their skill and creativity.