Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector

The key to this Antarctique’s appeal is in the careful use of space. A traditional minute track has been discreetly placed around the edge of a smooth anthracite dial. It surrounds a double row of lightly arched parallel segments that are interrupted at each numeral. The sword hour hand points to the gaps like a ship seeking entrance into a harbour, while the minute and second hands sweep the dial each at their own pace, closing the gaps for a moment.

The Antarctique Titanium ‘Dark Sector’ emerged naturally from the collection’s elegant case and bracelet of brushed titanium with the sensually rounded crown protector. These shades of grey inspired the model’s overall monochrome scheme, which highlights the two touches of colour on the dial, namely the red dot at twelve o’clock, and the tip of the second hand.

Movement

The SXH5.01 automatic caliber is the first to be entirely conceived in-house by Czapek from a blank page. Every part of it has been made with care to detail and with the help of the top Swiss manufacturing partners and craftsmen, la crème de la crème, the magnificent orchestra directed by Czapek in the We Collect Rare People spirit. The microrotor, is placed off-center to allow a plunging view into the mechanism and its exceptional architecture. A free-sprung balance wheel with variable inertia provided by four gold adjustable weights enables the highest level of precision tuning. The gear train is held in place by a series of seven handsome skeletonized bridges. Their original shape is reminiscent of lace, inspired on one side by XIX century pocket watches, and by the very modern Czapek Faubourg de Cracovie chronograph’s rotor. The movement has superlative finishing on the bridges that merges Haute Horlogerie angling techniques with state-ot-the-art laser engravings.

Since the unveiling of its base movement in May, Czapek & Cie has been continually making improvements to its automatic caliber SXH5 to enhance its precision, performance, and aesthetic. The first upgrade has been to the micro-rotor that was previously in recycled 18-karat gold. Our watch’s designer and constructor decided to try a slightly larger rotor in platinum – 100% recycled – which brought 25% more power to the movement. The second upgrade came with a complete change of ball bearings under the micro-rotor. Both upgrades raised the train efficiency to 90% to fully wind the single barrel and deliver the impressive 60 hours of power reserve. This is a significantly longer autonomy than the average high-end sports watches