The story was too good not to be true. In 1839, François Czapek, a watchmaker born in Bohemia, fled Poland after the failure of the 1830 Warsaw Uprising. Together with a fellow countryman and a local partner from Versoix, he settled in Geneva, where he opened his first watchmaking workshop in 1839. Its address? Quai des Bergues.
For six years, this waterside workshop was the birthplace of some of the finest high-watchmaking timepieces of the era. When the partners parted ways in 1845, Czapek founded “Czapek & Cie” on May 1, before opening the first watchmaking boutique on Place Vendôme in Paris. Thus was woven the story of one man (François Czapek), his eponymous brand, and two iconic addresses in European luxury (Quai des Bergues and Place Vendôme). This was an unexpected narrative treasure that the artisans behind Czapek’s revival in 2015 seized upon to write the opening measures of the brand’s 21st-century score, whose first pieces were naturally named “Quai des Bergues” and “Place Vendôme.”
Why this historical detour to introduce the new releases of Geneva Watch Days 2026? Because this month, Czapek is opening its new boutique precisely at 27 Quai des Bergues, where François Czapek took his first steps. On this occasion, the brand is presenting the Quai des Bergues “Midnight in Geneva” in a 40.5 mm stainless steel case, alongside the Place Vendôme Complicité Glacier Blue, a 10-piece platinum edition born from the partnership between Czapek CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel and independent master watchmaker Bernhard Lederer, a contemporary master of escapements.
Quai des Bergues, the Icon
The Quai des Bergues is not just any piece within Czapek’s collections. It is the brand’s inaugural creation, the timepiece through which it introduced itself to collectors. It was a test successfully passed: the small production run of the time was immediately sold out, winning over enthusiasts with both Xavier de Roquemaurel’s passion and sincerity and the company’s collaborative model (whose capital was opened to the first purchasers of the Quai des Bergues). What’s more, upon its release, the timepiece won the highly coveted Public Prize at the GPHG (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève) in 2016.
The reinterpretation unveiled today reduces the original 42.5 mm case to 40.5 mm, alongside the third existing size (38.5 mm). A slight refinement of the case’s lateral cutouts makes room for the caliber, while the angle of the lugs has been adjusted to ensure a suitable fit for a wide variety of wrists. The dial is made of aventurine glass. The fragility of the material makes the dial makers’ work particularly complex. Among the challenges to overcome is the construction of the lower level of the counters. These sit 0.4 mm below the main dial. This relief effect was not achieved by hollowing out the material, which is too brittle, but by removing the material around the counters, which are therefore positioned flush with the plate. Finally, it is worth noting that this limited edition of 18 pieces is immediately available, something collectors will appreciate (CHF 20,400 excluding tax).
Place Vendome, the New Tribute
The new iteration of the Place Vendôme collection pays tribute to the friendship between Xavier de Roquemaurel and master watchmaker Bernhard Lederer, one of the founding watchmakers of the AHCI (Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants) and one of the undisputed masters of the escapement in its most creative and complex variations.
This mastery of the precious mechanism is immediately visible within Caliber 8, which powers the new Place Vendôme: two independent balance wheels beat in opposite directions, each governed by its own escapement, with a differential at 12 o’clock that reconciles any difference in their rates. This self-regulating architecture, fully visible on the dial side, is here mounted on a mainplate with a grained finish treated with light-blue PVD, the signature color of Czapek for Geneva Watch Days 2026 (CHF 103,000 excluding tax, 10 pieces in a 41.8 mm platinum case).
