For Watches & Wonders 2023, Swiss watchmaker Czapek adds a new lightweight titanium model to their Antarctique collection, one that matches the dark metal of the case with a modernised anthracite, arch-detailed dial. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Czapek Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector watch…
As with everything, the luxury watch world has its own set of trends that come and go. Some designs, thank goodness, are long forgotten while others reappear as modern reinterpretations. One trend that has made a recent comeback is that of the integrated bracelet sports watch. First appearing in the 1970’s, the integrated sports watch is defined by the case, lugs and bracelet, which mesh together as if engineered from one singular piece of metal. Some of the best-known designs from the 1970’s are the IWC Ingenieur, the Patek Phillipe Nautilus and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, three popular watches that remain part of these brands’ portfolios.
Over the last ten years, the craze for integrated bracelet sports watches has increased tenfold and with it, luxury watch names everywhere have created their own variation of the design. You’ve got popular models like the Tissot PRX and the Maurice Lacroix Aikon as well as today’s focus, the Czapek Antarctique. Despite being a youthful brand in a world of century-old names, Czapek & Cie have already put their stamp on the industry and the Czapek Antarctique watch is a big reason why. Launched in 2020, the luxury integrated sports watch debuted its own integrated architecture with a barrel-shaped flat surface framing a round, sloped polished bezel, brushed finishing and taunt angular lugs which flow into a unique C-shaped link bracelet. For their latest release, Czapek relaunch this design in titanium as the Czapek Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector watch.
Maintaining the same profile as previous models, the new Czapek Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector watch boasts a barrel-shaped case with integrated lugs and an integrated bracelet engineered entirely from grade 5 titanium. The metal is significantly lighter than standard stainless steel and has a slightly darker, more contemporary appearance. According to Czapek, the design weighs in at only 96 grams on the wrist with dimensions of 40.5.mm wide and 10.6mm high. There’s the familiar polished bezel, box-shaped sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective treatment and a water resistant rating of 120 metres.
Also new for the Czapek Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector watch is the dial which is presented in a dark grey hue to pair with the darkened finish of the case. The dial has a velouté finish and is set with 12 pairs of unique, silvered arched motifs that separate to mark the hours. It’s a really unusual feature but it really suits the urban-inspired look of the watch. The silvered accents are joined by silver sword-shaped hands for the hours and minutes set with Superluminova, a red tipped seconds hand with a extra long counterweight and a printed minutes track in white. A single dot at 12 o’clock is also subtly included, matching the seconds hand in red.
“The hands crossing from segment to segment over the dusky backdrop of the dial looks almost like a shoreline seen from far above. The dial was designed in such a way that the marker becomes the void between each sector (an almost philosophical way of defining matter). This spontaneously inspired the model’s name ‘Dark Sector’, which comes from the Dark Sector Laboratory and telescopes at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The skies over Antarctica are the clearest and darkest in the world…”, says Czapek CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel.
Powering the Czapek Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector watch is the automatic winding Calibre SHX5 movement. It’s the very same in-house movement that has been used before in previous Czapek Antarctique watches and offers a 60 hour power reserve, a frequency of 28,800vph and hours, minutes and seconds function. The calibre reveals elaborate decoration which can be admired through the watch’s case back, including sandblasted black bridges with hand-chamfered angles and straight-grained flanks and a black-polished steel central bridge. The Czapek Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector watch is finished by an integrated titanium bracelet with the iconic C-shaped middle links and a “easy-release” interchangeability system for swapping the bracelet around. The folding buckle also has a micro-adjustment system for ensuring the perfect fit.
If you’d like to learn more about the Czapek Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector watch and shop the design for yourself, head over to the Jura Watches website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
Specifications:
- Case Size: 40.55
- Case Material: Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel: Fixed
- Glass: Box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Screw in
- Case Back: Exhibition
- Water Resistance: 120 metres
- Movement: Calibre SXH5, automatic winding, in-house
- Functions: Hours, minutes and seconds
- Power Reserve: 60 hours
- Jewels: 28
- Frequency: 28,800vph
- Dial: Anthracite grey with velouté finish, Superluminova hour and minute hands
- Strap: Grade 5 titanium bracelet with interchangeability system, folding buckle with micro-adjustment system
- Limited: No but production expected to be 100 a year
- RRP: £34,900
