Czapek Promenade Goutte D'Eau

Refined, sleek, powerful; a new Czapek collection

Born as the natural evolution of the Quai des Bergues and the Antarctique lines, the Promenade collection represents Czapek's vision for the future of high-end watchmaking: refined, sleek, playful and powerful.

Remaining true to the spirit of elegance, the Promenade case pays homage to Czapek’s icon – the original Quai des Bergues model. The result is a modern evolution, rather than a revolution, recognisable as part of the family thanks to the recessed and sand-blasted case sides, the signature curved crown protection, and a slim, rounded bezel that fully opens the dial to view. A key criterion was that the 38mm case should be as slim as the calibre would allow – below the threshold of 10 millimeters.

Czapek’s deep respect for the rules of traditional watchmaking allows it to bend its own design rules – and so the signature of the Promenade dial is asymmetry: the designs all radiate from the small seconds dial placed at 4:30, producing a sense of dynamic tension and flowing movement. Driven, as always, by Czapek’s twin imperatives of colour and detail – with the emphasis on creating an intriguing play of light and shade as the wearer’s wrist moves – a classical dial decoration techniques – Grand Feu enamel – is used in a new way.

‘Goutte d’Eau’ (drops of water) harnesses the beauty of grand feu enamel to mesmerising effect: as the watch moves, an optical illusion is created – as when a raindrop falls on the still surface of a pond, ripples appear to radiate out from the seconds sub-dial. Czapek’s partner in creating the Goutte d’Eau dial is Donzé Cadrans.

However, new for 2022, Czapek has dramatically overhauled the handwound SXH1 movement, creating a stunning new aesthetic without disturbing the spirit or capability of the 7-day calibre. The end result is the visibility of deep chamfering and extensive openwork, which clearly delineates a full-fledged three-quarter plate and exposes the geartrain. The bridge plate and balance bridge have also been hollowed out and seem to face each other like two shooting stars about to cross paths, giving the movement a more dynamic look. The mainplate now has a small triangular hole cut in the middle, a cursory punctuation on the matte grey rhodium-plated surface.

Since its introduction in May 2020, the automatic Calibre SXH5 has continually evolved. For Promenade, Czapek and its engineers played with its architecture purely for the sake of the dial aesthetics – another example of the Maison’s “Beauty above all” approach, positioning the small seconds mechanism now directly beneath, and on the same axis as the dial display.

Immediately recognizable by the seven skeletonized bridges that hold the gear train in place – inspired by the 19th-century pocket watches of François Czapek – the movement plates and bridges feature fine haute horlogerie finishes, including bevelling, straight-grained sides and hand-chamfered inward angles. Beating at 4Hz (28,800 vph) and wound by a micro rotor with a mass of 100% recycled platinum, SXH5 offers 60 hours of power reserve.

Limited Edition: 100 pieces

Specifications

Functions

• Hours, Minutes & Seconds
• Small second at 4:30

Movement

• Calibre SXH5.1: Haute Horlogerie proprietary automatic movement with a micro-rotor
• Finish: Open ratchets, sandblasted black bridges, bevelling, straight-grained sides

Case & Bracelet

• 38 mm diameter
• Thickness: 10.8mm (42mm L2L)
• Curved Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on the inside surface
• Sapphire crystal case back with anti-reflective treatment on the inside surface
• Water-resistance: 50 meters (5 atm)

Dial

• Grand feu enamel dial creating an optical illusion of water ripples radiating out from the sub-dial
• Registered 'Goutte d'eau' design
• Created in collaboration with Donzé Cadrans
• Sapphire Blue enamel proprietary to Czapek

Hands

• Rhodium-plated stainless steel hands