Czapek & Cie unveils the Quai des Bergues Aurora Borealis and Blue Aurora, perfect illustrations of the brand’s ‘Horizontal Manufacture’ and of the ‘We Collect Rare People’ concept. The unique guilloché pattern on their dials was created by the talented team of artisans of one of Czapek’s partners Metalem.
Unveiled for the first time in Baselworld 2017, Czapek exclusive Ricochet® guilloché is inspired by an original design created by Francois Czapek in the 1850s. Its uniqueness is in the presence of two focal points corresponding to the signature Czapek subdials – indication of small seconds and power reserve. The intersecting lines create a mesmerizing ‘wave interference’ effect on the dial.
The guilloché Ricochet® pattern, registered by Czapek & Cie, has been developed by the Geneva-based Maison in collaboration with its partner Metalem, one of the best Swiss ateliers for handmade engine-turned dials.
The dials of the Quai des Bergues Aurora Borealis and Blue Aurora are an evolution of the guilloché Ricochet®.
“The birth of this new guilloché pattern is unusual – explains Xavier de Roquemaurel – because this time its creation has been initiated by Metalem’s team of artisans. Yann Tripet and his team were used to work on our Ricochet pattern, at some point they started experimenting with it, and among the trials, there was this exceptional design, looking like white waters. We were stunned by its beauty and decided to add it to our collection”.
The Quai des Bergues Aurora Borealis comes with a 42,5 mm steel case and the bombé guilloche dial is handcrafted on Czapek’s ‘secret alloy’, made of gold, silver, palladium and platinum. The dial is available in two different colours, both refined and sophisticated: silver, for the Aurora Borealis, and, naturally, dark blue, for the Blue Aurora.
Both are equipped by Czapek SXH1 proprietary caliber, with two barrel springs delivering a 7-days power reserve, developed in collaboration with Chronode.
The two new models are limited to 10 pieces each. The 1/10 of the Blue Aurora has already been acquired by a watch collector on the occasion of a special event.
The Quai des Bergues Aurora Borealis and Blue Aurora are the perfect example to illustrate not only the ‘horizontal manufacture’, Czapek’s strong collaboration with the best Swiss craftsmen as at the origins of fine watchmaking; but also, the Maison’s new communication concept ‘We collect rare people’. The Aurora Borealis is the subject of the first mini-film of the We Collect Rare People campaign.
“At Czapek we collect rare people in the sense that our project aims to offer a platform for creation both to the best talents in watchmaking and métiers d’art and to watch lovers and collectors looking for something rare and unique”, says Xavier.
Czapek & Cie Quai des Bergues Aurora Technical Specifications and Price
Quai des Bergues Aurora Borealis
Exclusive XO stainless steel “Revolution” case. Silver Handmade bombé Guilloché “Java” dial, Limited Edition of 10 pieces.
FUNCTIONS
- Hours, Minutes & Seconds
- Small second at 7h30
- Power reserve indication with weekdays at 4h30
MOVEMENT
- Calibre 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 1⁄4
- Height: 4.75 mm
FINISH
- Double open ratchets, sandblasted bridges, blue screws, bevelling, final anglage ‘main’
CASE
- Exclusive XO stainless steel “Revolution” case
- 42.5 mm diameter
- Curved Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on the inside surface
- Sapphire crystal case back with anti-reflective treatment on the inside surface
- Water-resistance: 50 meters (5 atm)
BRACELET
- Alligator strap with XO Steel pin buckle
DIAL
- Silver Handmade bombé Guilloché dial
- Czapek exclusive design
- Czapek typical elongated indexes
HANDS
- Skeletonized, blued steel hands
PRODUCTION
- Limited edition of 10 pieces
INTERNATIONAL RETAIL PRICE
- 16’000 CHF without taxes
Quai des Bergues Blue Aurora
Exclusive XO stainless steel “Revolution” case. Blue Handmade bombé Guilloché dial. Limited Edition of 10 pieces
FUNCTIONS
- Hours, Minutes & Seconds
- Small second at 7h30
- Power reserve indication with weekdays at 4h30
MOVEMENT
- Calibre 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 1⁄4
- Height: 4.75 mm
FINISH
- Double open ratchets, sandblasted bridges, blue screws, bevelling, final anglage ‘main’
CASE
- Exclusive XO stainless steel “Revolution” case
- 42.5 mm diameter
- Curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on the inside surface
- Sapphire crystal case back with anti-reflective treatment on the inside surface
- Water-resistance: 50 meters (5 atm)
BRACELET
- Alligator strap with XO Steel pin buckle
DIAL
- Blue Handmade bombé Guilloché dial
- Czapek exclusive design
- Czapek typical elongated indexes
HANDS
- Skeletonized, rhodium-plated steel hands
PRODUCTION
- Limited edition of 10 pieces
INTERNATIONAL RETAIL PRICE
- 16’000 CHF without taxes
A Swiss fine watchmaking company turns its unexpected revival into “collecting rare people”
Czapek & Cie launches a new communication campaign with the tagline “We Collect Rare People” to highlight the brand’s unusual ability to mix exclusivity with sharing, and rarity with the community.
Czapek & Cie crystallises the brand’s uniqueness with a communication campaign whose tagline “We Collect Rare People”, combines various important elements of the Geneva-based maison. Notably, the ideas of ‘sharing passion’ and ‘community’ with ‘rarity’ and ‘identity’.
“We Collect Rare People”, is a play on words, a sort of oxymoron, making people ask themselves about who is collecting, what, why and whether they would like to join the Czapek ‘club’.
Czapek collects rare people in many ways. First-of-all, Czapek collects rare supplying partners that provide the brand with rare savoir-faire, proud to be a piece of this exciting project. Czapek also collects clients with a rare obsession for quality, on the quest for a unique product. In another sense, they too become partners. Czapek collects as well few yet outstanding retail partners across the globe. And last but not least, Czapek collects shareholders, fine watch lovers that have always dreamt of not only being customers, but owners of an haute horology venture, and their dream became true thanks to the crowdfunding equity campaign that made the revival of Czapek possible.
“Since the rebirth of the brand”, explains Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek & Cie, “Czapek has been proud of its ‘family’. We never planned to create a community, it just emerged from our way of working. By opening the books during our fundraise, we became naturally transparent, by being transparent we became collaborative, by being open and collaborative we attracted hundreds of watch- lovers and made them become Ambassadors and created a Community. By collecting rare people, Czapek becomes stronger and more enticing”.
The campaign was conceived by Taylor/Yandell, a Bordeaux-based creative agency, that in turn became another ‘partner’ and part of the Czapek family.
“Our research has confirmed that there is no model ‘Czapek person’. Unlike other brands, it’s not Czapek that defines what sort of person you should be and what watch you should buy. Instead, the ‘bespoke’ or customisable potential of Czapek, combined with its inherent rarity and savoir-faire value is the number one pull-factor. In fact, the only thing you can safely determine about the identity of a Czapek owner is their great taste in watches!”, says Edward Taylor, partner at Taylor/Yandell.
A series of short videos and visuals accompanying the campaign phrase will each highlight a different rare element of Czapek savoir-faire.
The visual content aims to communicate the transmission between the ends of the Czapek ‘rare people’ spectrum – the artisan and the client.
The story is of a client who enters a Czapek boutique to acquire a watch, but the focus is on his ability to have access to rare savoir-faire unique to Czapek. From the moment he enters to the moment he leaves the boutique, we are transported from ‘real life’ directly into a Czapek partner’s atelier, where the craftsman is making a component for the client that will become part of his final watch. The client exits the Czapek boutique with the finished watch on his wrist, having acquired his rare object and become part of a family of rare people.
“We highlight rare savoir-faire, detail and precision, as well as the human ‘transmission’ between craftsman and client – the personal touch – where the finished watch is passed over by hand to the client”, explains Alex Yandell. “When you choose a Czapek, you are not just buying a watch. You gain access to rare experiences, customisable components and unique skills, and you become part of a family of rare people in your own way”. “Everyone has their own journey of how they got there, you’re never defining who the person is, just that they are confidently different to everyone else”, concludes Xavier de Roquemaurel.
