The Birth of Calibre 10.1
Calibre 10.1 – as the name suggests the tenth calibre – is the first in-house movement from Czapek. With this, the young brand who pioneered both crowdfunding and online sales in haute horlogerie takes a new direction. This goes both for its conceptual mechanics and design inspiration for the Time Jumper watch, which comes from classical watchmaking as well as science fiction. The most eye-catching part is of course the guilloche front which opens like a half hunter case. The side view is also eye-catching: The 40.5-millimeter case with a sunken loupe in the middle, has the appearance of a flying saucer.
“We want to express mechanics in a very uncommon and modern way. The calibre 10 is an extraordinary movement, you can do so much with it,” said Czapek CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel. “Imagine that you are playing with your biggest Lego box ever, and that you can integrate any complication. Because it is not a modular system. We can use parts of the movement as a base, but we will keep reinventing the calibre and integrate new complications,” he continued of the conceptual idea for which he invited Danish designer Thomas Funder to design the exterior. Mr. Funder won a competition among three invited designers. (Such an approach is common in architecture, but seldom in watches.)
The day before the launch of the Time Jumper, Mr. de Roquemaurel proudly declared – after having developed its first proprietary nine calibres together with Jean-François Mojon of Chronode, Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier, and Bernard Lederer – that it is now making its own movements. This includes the production of most components.
“The 10.1 is our vision of future watchmaking,” Mr. de Roquemaurel said. “You take the best from the past and make something super contemporary. With the 10.1, we have a patent pending jumping hour with double discs that show 24 hours through instantaneous jumps,” he said of the open-worked complication under the half hunter case which comes in stainless steel with white gold inlay or yellow gold. The movement is made with visible components like snails and hammers. Such elements are normally used in other classical complications like the rattrapante, but here they are reinvented and put to novel use.
“The idea for our movement comes from our movement constructor Ambroise Pedemina. But we need our four watchmakers, the prototype maker, our head of manufacture, they are all needed to make it possible, it is really a teamwork,” explained Mr. de Roquemaurel.
Ten Years of Czapek: From Crowdfunding to Independence
Looking back at ten years of Czapek, named after a watchmaker who once upon a time had a collaboration with a certain Mr. Patek, Mr. de Roquemaurel would like to highlight two more models that have been instrumental for the brand’s success: The Quai de Bergues and Antarctique. “Quai de Bergues was the beginning of it all and nobody had done crowdfunding for such high-end timepieces before. Antarctique came at the end of Covid when people were buying watches like crazy,” he said. Giving in to the demand, which created too much of a backlog is the only thing he regrets. “It was insane, people ordered and ordered and ordered. it was too much for us – we learnt that you must respect your own vision. Now we are down to reasonable waiting times again, and we are making 1,000 pieces per year, and around half of that is Antarctique. One thousand watches is profitable, it is the perfect size. It is easy to run, easy to manage. Let’s stay here. Now, with our own movement, Czapek is finally flying on its own.”
