Geneva, November 2018 – Geneva-based watch brand Czapek & Cie is supporting The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. Jiri Zrust and Jan Sykora, two company shareholders from the Czech Republic, will be donating five special watches to help the organisation raise money, to enable more young people to access the benefits of non-formal education. One of the watches is a unique piece that will be auctioned off at a gala dinner, hosted by the charity on November 29.
I have an affinity for Czapek Genève. The independent brand has beautiful watches. More than that, the Maison doesn’t stop in amaze me with special editions: Tribute to Czechia and Tribute to Poland. Today I will share with you their latest special edition. A splendid 5 series limited watches for a lovely cause. Text and images credits to Czapek.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) was founded in 1956 by HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh KG KT, with the express mission to “empower young people to boost their skills, develop leadership and exceed their own expectations.” The organisation, now known as The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, supports 14-24-year-olds to challenge themselves and find their purpose, passion and place in the world, via voluntary service, skill development, physical recreation and leadership and teamwork development through “Adventurous Journey.”
The Award operates in more than 130 countries and territories. In 1988, Award Operators internationally formed a new association, known as The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Association, uniting all countries delivering the Award to become a truly global charity. Today, almost 180,000 adult volunteers support more than 1.3million young people worldwide in their Award experience.
This is where Jiri Zrust and Jan Sykora come in. Jiri is a Chairman of the Executive Board and Jan is a Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DofE in the Czech Republic. Together, they are also Czapek shareholders. It was their idea of creating a special series of Czapek watches in recognition of the work of the Award and donating it in support of the 30th Anniversary of the Association.
“The watch symbolises the commitment we and all the other volunteers make to the Award,” says Jiri Zrust, “As a result Jan and I would like this special watch to serve as a reminder that ‘time’ is the most important investment we can all make to improve young people’s lives.”
Five Czapek Quai des Bergues 25ter models were made as part of the so-called HRH Series. They are made of special corrosion-resistant XO steel and feature Czapek’s trademark grand-feu dial with two subdials showing small seconds and a double hand indicating the power reserve and the days of the week. 100% of the profits from the sale of four of the watches will go to the Special Projects – Three Funds grant-giving program launched by HRH, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex KG GCVO in support of the activities of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation in improving the access, reach and impact of the Award worldwide.
The first of the five watches (Series 001) will be presented as a unique auction piece at a gala dinner on November 29, 2018. This grand-feu enamel dial of this timepiece features The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award logo, composed of two distinct elements. Firstly, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award cypher, donated by the Award’s founder, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Secondly, it contains the global bird motif, which, in various forms, has been a symbol of the Award for many years. The two elements combine to reflect the old and the new – they serve to represent a proud history and an ambitious future. Both have been hand-painted on the dial at 12 o’clock by André Martinez, a famous craftsman from Le Locle, Switzerland, who uses a brush with a single hair for his micropainting work.
For Xavier de Roquemaurel, Czapek CEO, the idea of contributing to a charity is an integral aspect of the Czapek experience. “It’s an honour to participate in this project and another illustration of our ‘Doing good, doing well’ philosophy,” he points out. “We were founded with the idea that sharing could be a way to create value.” Indeed, Czapek & Cie, founded through crowdfunding, works closely with its fans and customers to design each new collection.
Czapek HRH Series technical specifications
FUNCTIONS
- Hours, Minutes & Seconds
- Small second at 7h30
- Power reserve indication with weekdays at 4h30
MOVEMENT
- Caliber SXH1: Haute Horlogerie proprietary mechanical hand-wound movement
- Power-reserve > 168 hours (7 days) on 2 barrel-springs
- Frequency: 3 Hz – 21,600 VpH
- Diameter: 32 mm – 14 lines ¼
- Height: 4.75 mm
- Finish: double open ratchets, sandblasted bridges, blue screws, bevelling, handmade anglage
HANDS
- Fleur-de-lys hands in blue gold
CASE & BRACELET
- Exclusive XO stainless steel “Revolution” case
- Exclusive case concept with the crown-protections integrated into the stretcher
- 42.5 mm diameter
- Curved Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on the inside surface
- Water-resistance: 50 meters (5 atm)
- Alligator strap with XO steel pin buckle;
DIAL
- Grand-feu enamel dial with a secret signature “Czapek”
- The Royal Cypher and the bird of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation logo hand painted with the micro painting technique at 12h
- Elongated Roman numerals, a symbol of the Czapek elegance
LIMITED EDITION OF 5 PIECES
About Czapek & Cie
Francois Czapek was a Czech-born Polish watchmaker who fled to Geneva in 1832 after fighting in the Polish uprising. He immediately started his own atelier and in 1839 entered into a partnership with Antoine Norbert de Patek, introducing him to the world of watchmaking. In 1845, at the end of their partnership, he created Czapek & Cie and achieved considerable success. He became the official watchmaker of Napoleon III and opened, what was most likely the first watchmaking boutique on the Place Vendome in Paris. He wrote a book about watchmaking, one of the first ever written in Polish. Unfortunately, he died before publishing a second one.
Czapek & Cie has been revived in 2015 with an exceptional collection, whose leading model won the Public Prize in the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie in Geneva in November 2016. This collection takes its inspiration from an 1850’s Czapek timepiece. It features a beautiful enamel dial and a 7-day proprietary movement perfectly combining craftsmanship with design and exclusivity with rarity. The Company second collection, a suspended Tourbillon with a second time-zone, was launched one year later in 2017. The company is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
About The Duke of Edinburgh`s International Award
Founded in 1956 by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, the Award enables young people to learn, develop and thrive through nonformal education, equipping them for life. It challenges participants, pushing them to their personal limits and helping them to discover they are capable of more than they ever thought possible.
The Award, with its instantly recognisable levels of Bronze, Silver and Gold, is voluntary, non-competitive and available to anyone aged 14–24. It is about the individual challenge. The Award is delivered around the world by schools, colleges, universities, employers, social clubs, uniformed and non-uniformed youth organisations, young offenders’ institutions, religious organisations, sports clubs, and a whole host of other civic organisations.
Young people design their own Award programme, set their own goals and record their own progress. They choose a Service, Physical Recreation, Skills activity, go on an Adventurous Journey and, to achieve a Gold Award, take part in a Residential Project. The only person they compete against is themselves, by challenging their own beliefs about what they can achieve. The Award is known by a variety of titles, including the President’s Award, the National Youth Achievement Award and the Head of State Award; the umbrella term for all of these programmes is The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. Whilst the names of individual operators often differ from nation to nation, the Award and its unique reputation with employers, policymakers and influential leaders remain unchanged and consistent.
Since its launch more than 60 years ago, millions of young people have participated and received Awards, with millions more benefiting from its impact in communities around the world.
The Duke of Edinburgh`s International Award Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales (1072453). The Foundation’s headquarters are in London and it has regional offices in the Americas, Africa, Asia Pacific and EMAS (Europe, Mediterranean and Arab States). Further background information is available within the Foundation’s media pack available via www.intaward.org.