Czapek & Cie Place Vendôme Tourbillon ‘Dark Matter‘

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Geneva, August 2020 – Czapek & Cie unveils the Place Vendôme Tourbillon ‘Dark Matter’, the ‘rockest’ version of its most luxurious collection. Inspired by the Place Vendôme ‘Ombres’ in titanium, it features a black titanium case with ADLC coating and dark bridges with PVD treatment. A limited edition of 10 pieces.

In a family, there’s always a rebel, a black sheep as some say. The Place Vendôme, among the three families of Czapek & Cie watches, is the most refined and complex. Launched in 2017 with two models in limited edition in platinum and red gold, the collection boasts a proprietary caliber with a ‘suspended’ tourbillon, a GMT function and the indication of day and night in the second time zone, as well as of the power reserve. At Baselword 2019, Czapek presented two new entries in the collection: a sumptuous version in platinum with a baguette-cut diamonds setting, ‘Etincelles’, and a sporty model in titanium with a black enamel ring, ‘Ombres’. Today, at the Geneva Watch Days, the exclusive high watchmaking event of 2020, the Geneva-based brand unveils the ‘bad boy’ of the Place Vendôme collection, called ‘Dark Matter’.

The newly born timepiece is not only inspired by the Ombres tourbillon in titanium, but takes elements from other watches in the Czapek portfolio. The 43.5mm case, in 5-grade titanium, features a black ADLC coating as the Faubourg de Cracovie ‘Courage every second’ chronograph – the unique piece donated by Czapek to the Only Watch charity event and auctioned off by Christies for 110’000 CHF on November 9^th2019.

The fine-looking black bridges of the Dark Matter have been treated with PVD coating, ensuring the conservation of the colour over time, by the same company that crafts the blued gold Fleur-de-Lys hands in the Quai des Bergues collection.

“Within our Place Vendôme line, we started with the most luscious version and we are now launching the ‘rockest’ one”, says Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek & Cie. “While the rose gold tourbillons are sold out, proving the public appreciation of those models, the Only Watch auction success showed us that collectors were eager to also have sportier models with unusual materials combinations, still made with best-in-class haute horlogerie craftsmanship”.

Manufactured in a limited edition of 10 pieces, the timepiece will be only available at the brand’s official retailers and on czapek.com. The rebellious brother in the Place Vendôme collection by Czapek has just been born, and its name is ‘Dark Matter’.

About Czapek & Cie

François 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 Vendôme in Paris. He wrote a book about watchmaking, but 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, while the first Czapek chronograph Faubourg de Cracovie was unveiled at Baselworld 2018. The company is headquartered

Czapek & Cie Place Vendôme Tourbillon ‘Dark Matter‘ Technical Specifications

Titanium case with ADLC coating, tourbillon & GMT function. Black enamel dial, white gold hands. Limited edition to 10 pieces.

FUNCTIONS

Hours and minutes on the separate dial located at 12 o’clock
One-minute tourbillon located at 8 o’clock – Second-time zone on a subdial at 4 o’clock, turns counter-clockwise
Disk day/night indicator located at 6, turns counter-clockwise
Power reserve: off centred disk, located at 12, turn on 90° on 60h, winding counterclockwise

MOVEMENT

Calibre SXH2: Haute Horlogerie proprietary mechanical hand-wound movement developed by Chronode and Czapek & Cie
Power reserve: 60 hours with one barrel spring
Frequency: 3 Hz (21,600 VpH)
Diameter: 34.8 mm – 15 ½ lines
Height: 9.8 mm

CASE