At its height, François Czapek earned the title of "Horloger de la Cour Impériale de Napoléon III". Althought he opened a store in Paris, he also kept his workshop going on in the Quai des Bergues in Geneva. At the time, this promenade along the river was the epicentre of luxury in Geneva.
The 2016 "Quai des Bergues" collection is made up of three references that appear in two different versions each. The first model is cased in white or rose gold, with a grand-feu enamel dial, new-line hand,or rose gold fleur-de-lys hands. The second reference is available in titanium and carbon or a 'mysterious' steel never as yet used in watchmaking, with a choice of white or black dial.
The new guardians of the Czapek name rediscovered a form of steel that has never before been used in watchmaking and which was made almost a century ago. It's tougher to machine, but it does have some key traits making it perfect for watch cases. It is extremely resistant to corrosion, particularly in acidic environments and the most challenging seawater.
Many of François Czapek's watches feature very finely carved hands. A craft that has been lost to watchmaking, but rediscovered by the Czapek team. Together with Aurélien Bouchet, they succeeded in making fleur-de-lys hands that are 0.35 millimetres thick thanks to a tool with a precision tolerance of 0.15 millimetres.
These timepieces are powered by a mecanical movement developed for Czapek by Chronode. The watches beat at a frequency of 21'600 vph, while enjoying a 168-hours power reserve. The two subdials, unusually positioned at 4.30 and 7.30, indicate respectively the power reserve/weekday and the small second.
