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In less than a decade, independent watchmaker Czapek has emerged as a brand that subverts expectations and is unafraid to push boundaries. With a rich legacy and a unique entrepreneurial model, the maison is foraying into each sphere of watchmaking with aplomb. Helmed by CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel, Czapek watches bring both high complications as well as more practical functions. However, a sense of refinement and unparalleled mechanical ingenuity remains the name of the game.
This brand, which officially entered the independent watchmaking landscape in 2015, has its origins rooted in a legacy of almost two centuries. Franciszek Czapek, born in 1811, is the real founder of the brand. But before launching Czapek & Cie in 1845, which went on to become present-day Czapek, he had a few watchmaking partnerships that didn’t work out; the most notable among them was his six-year-long collaboration with Antoine Norbert de Patek. Both Patek and Czapek were Polish immigrants who had resettled in Switzerland after the collapse of the Polish uprising. Together they formed Patek, Czapek & Cie in 1839 and created some outstanding timepieces.
The timepieces, created under the name Czapek & Cie, quickly consolidated the reputation of the founder – François Czapek and the success of the brand. These watches also captivated Prince Napoleon, who honoured him with the title Horloger de la Cour Impériale (Watchmaker to the Imperial Court). The brand continued to expand, opening boutiques in Geneva, Warsaw and Paris, Place Vendôme. However, the company mysteriously disappeared post-1869.
After a long period of hibernation, Czapek was relaunched in 2015 as an independent watchmaker by Xavier de Roquemaurel, Harry Guhl, and Sébastien Follonier through a unique business model. Watch collectors were invited to invest in the company through a crowdfunding programme, and around 93 investors from 11 countries came forward, raising over CHF 1.1 million (approximately Rs 8.95 crore today) by 2016.
Czapek dived head first into the world of modern watchmaking with a vintage-inspired timepiece — Quai des Bergues No.33bis — a manual-winding watch that drew form and function from François Czapek’s reference 3430 (circa 1850) and hence, was named after the street where François Czapek opened his boutique in Geneva in 1845. With an incredible design and mechanical perfection, Quai des Bergues No.33bis won the brand the ‘public prize’ at the 2016 GPHGs (Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève). Winning this prestigious prize in its very first year solidified Czapek’s standing in the world of haute horlogerie.
Quai des Bergues dwells as one of the sought-after lines within the brand’s catalogue. Other collections include Place Vendôme, released in 2017. It is named after the Parisian square, where François Czapek opened an atelier in 1850. Faubourg de Cracovie is a collection of chronograph watches released in 2018, named after Czapek’s third boutique in Warsaw, Poland. Antarctique is the brand’s version of an integrated luxury sports watch and is also one of its most popular timepieces. In fact, the house has to close bookings for certain Antarctique models in 2022 due to a long backlog of waiting customers.