Czapek & Cie

Last year, newly relaunched watch brand Czapek & Cie won the GPHG Public Prize for their Quai des Bergues N°33bis timepiece which features a Grand Feu enamel dial. This year, at Baselworld 2017, the company followed up with three new Quai des Bergues Guilloché versions utilizing the same movement, case, and layout but with “Ricochet” guilloché patterned dials inspired by a pocket watch designed created by Francois Czapek in the 1850s. A unique trait of this particular guilloché pattern is that there are two focal points on the dial whereas most watch dials finished with guilloché-work have a single point of focus. Instead of a central point, the repeating patterns meet at the two subdials, creating what the company calls “wave interferences.” The bombé (or curved) dial is crafted from a mixture of gold, silver, palladium, and platinum, by Swiss

In case there are some out there that are not familiar with the name Czapek & Cie, you might want to sit down and take a quick read at least of the first couple of parts of this. Most collectors and experts agree that Patek Philippe is the gold standard when it comes to the highest end of watchmaking. Not only do Patek Philippe timepieces continuously sell for incredible record-breaking prices in the auction markets, but collectors keep clamoring over their watches with good reason. However, contrary to what some may think about Patek Philippe’s origins, the company was started in Switzerland, but by Polish immigrants, Antoine Norbert de Patek, and his partner Franciszek Czapek (of Czech origin). Although it’s not exactly clear whether Mr. Patek was actually a watchmaker himself, he certainly did have a good eye for quality