Czapek & Cie. Antarctique P.04 “Lanikai” x Collective Horology

Collective Horology’s fourth collaboration in their Portfolio Series is with Czapek & Cie, historical manufacturer of fine Swiss watches originally founded in 1845 by Francois Czapek. The Czapek name was relaunched in 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland. Collective and Czapek have joined forces to create a sports watch that showcases the unique quality of water found on Hawaiʻi’s shores. The resulting watch – with its novel enamel dial – is the result of nearly three years of creative development, design, and prototyping among Collective, Czapek and its manufacturing partners.

Czapek and Collective began working on the project in 2020, when Asher Rapkin and Gabe Reilly (Co-founders of Collective) approached Xavier de Roquemaurel (CEO of Czapek) about a collaboration. Like many collectors, the Collective team admired Czapek’s unique formula for watchmaking – blending traditional horological craft with modern movement architecture, along with transparency and reverence for their production partners. Rapkin and Reilly were drawn to the Antarctique in particular because of its unique position in the sports watch category and were keen to work with Czapek on bringing an enamel dial to the model.

Asher Rapkin, Co-founder of Collective explains, “Haute horology sports watches can often feel austere and cold. However, with the Antarctique, Czapek offers a fresh and decidedly romantic take on the category. The P.04 seeks to build on that approach with a rich and evocative enamel dial.”

Once the group agreed to explore an enamel dialed sports watch, inspiration came quickly. Gabe Reilly, Co-founder of Collective, who studied at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, proposed developing a dial that would evoke the archipelago’s iconic shores.

According to Reilly, “Our goal with the P.04 Lanikai was to create a sports watch that honors Hawaiʻi’s rich tradition of watersport – from surfing to outrigger canoeing – by capturing the unique quality of its waters.”

When visiting the famed Lanikai Beach on the island of Oʻahu, Reilly sent de Roquemaurel and the Czapek team photos of its unique aquamarine hue as inspiration and reference. With those images, Czapek and famed enameler Donzé Cadrans began a years-long process of prototyping to create a dial that would capture not just the color but also the texture and motion of Hawaiʻi’s waters.

To do so, the dial has several unique qualities: First, the blank is formed into a concave shape, which ultimately creates the effect of varying depth across the dial. Next, its wave texture is stamped from a hand-engraved mold. Finally, the enamel itself is layered onto the dial and fired – a particularly challenging process given its uneven depth. Due to these factors, the team spent over a year developing and refining the process until the end result met Czapek’s high standards.

The result: the dial not only evokes the colors of the Pacific, but it also creates the effect of light and shadows dancing through the waves. A sand-colored second hand completes the aesthetic, further evoking the shore of Lanikai Beach.

“From the very beginning the Collective Team challenged us to create a sporty enamel timepiece”, remembers Xavier. “We love challenges, friendship and collaboration. The process of co-creating a watch is always exciting as it pushes us to go beyond our usual barriers. We sat with Claude-Eric from Donzé Cadrans and our head designer, Adrian, and started drawing until discovering a design that enhanced the enamel technique in an extraordinary way… never done before. Yet superior design demands a corresponding finesse in execution. For the underwater dune shape, we worked with Michèle, our friend and master hand-engraver, on an engraving that could reproduce the natural irregularities and create a surreal impression. In the meantime, Claude-Eric searched the planet for the enamel powder with the perfect turquoise blue tone of Lanikaï. And… the first tests were a disaster!”, he recalls with a smile. “Trying new techniques is a lengthy learning process, and it took us many more attempts than with any other Antarctique dial to get it right, but the final result is way above any of our expectations.”

Asher Rapkin expressed his admiration for the Antarctique, saying, “I knew this was a watch that offered a modern perspective on the brand’s classical roots. The design of this dial demonstrates how flexible a platform it is – capable of taking the wearer away from their location to the warm beaches of Hawaiʻi, while still showcasing incredible horological skill."

Beneath the surface of the watch beats the SXH5 calibre, Czapek’s mythical in-house movement, providing a fantastic combination of modern technology and old-world craftsmanship in one-piece. This 30mm automatic caliber features a recycled platinum microrotor, a series of seven skeletonized bridges whose shape is inspired by both the XIX century pocket watches, and by the brand’s Faubourg de Cracovie chronograph’s rotor. The movement has superlative finishing on the bridges merging traditional angling techniques with state-ot-the-art laser engravings.

The Czapek Antarctique P.04 “Lanikai” for Collective is limited to 50 pieces, each with a unique, concave dial with wave engraving, layered enamel, and a sand-colored second-hand. The watch comes with an upgraded bracelet featuring the new screw-through link construction, updated end-links, and micro-adjust clasp. Also included is a rubber strap with a signed deployant clasp.

The P.04 Lanikai is priced at $26,500 USD. Because the project has been under development for three years, the watches are already in production and will be delivered by the end of August 2023. This limited-edition timepiece is available exclusively at collectivehorology.com.

Technical specifications

Czapek & Cie. Antarctique P.04 “Lanikai” x Collective Horology

Limited edition of 50 pieces

Case

• Material: Stainless steel
• Diameter: 40.5 mm
• Height: 10.6 mm
• Sapphire crystal glass-box with anti-reflective treatment
• Sapphire case back with anti-reflective treatment on the inner side
• Screwed-down crown
• Water-resistant to 120 meters

Dial and hands

• Enamel wave dial by Donzé Cadrans
• Luminescent, steel "Sword" hands
• Sand-colored central seconds hand

Movement

• Calibre SXH5: Czapek's in house self-winding mechanical movement
• Diameter: 30 mm – 13 lines ¼
• Height: 4.2 mm
• Number of parts: 193
• Number of jewels: 28
• Swiss lever escapement, variable-inertia balance fitted with four gold inertia-blocks
• Frequency: 4 Hz – 28'800 vph
• Power winding system: Micro-rotor with a recycled platinum mass
• Power-reserve: 60 hours on one single barrel
• Barrel torque: 8.8 Nmm

Functions/Indications

• Hours, Minutes & Seconds

Strap and buckle

• New integrated bracelet with screw-through links and updated case integration
• Czapek exclusive "Easy Release" system and micro-adjustment device
• Additional rubber strap

MSRP: USD 26'500

For more information, please visit czapek.com