Czapek & Cie. Antarctique Royal Onyx & Desert Rose

During Dubai Watch Week, the Swiss independent watchmaking Maison, Czapek & Cie, releases a unique variation of its Antarctique family of timekeepers, created in collaboration with Mansour Jewellers and dedicated to the United Arab Emirates. A limited edition of 18 pieces, the Antarctique Royal Onyx pairs the sleek modernity of the Antarctique steel case with a dramatic black dial featuring baguette-cut sapphire hour markers.

The Antarctique Royal Onyx eloquently express two of Czapek & Cie’s fundamental values: the pursuit of beauty and the spirit of collaboration. At Czapek, every new edition is a co-creation with the company’s unique community of ‘rare people’ – the collectors, business partners and friends whose tastes and desires fuel the Maison’s creativity, together with the talented designers, craftsmen and production partners who bring the new ideas to life.

The Royal Onyx story began when the first edition of the Antarctique model was launched in 2020,” says Asma Bennani, General Manager of Mansour Jewellers, Czapek’s partner in the UAE. “True to Czapek’s open and collaborative style, we almost immediately began discussing the possibility of creating a special edition for the United Arab Emirates. The idea was to incorporate a feature celebrating the value and beauty of gemstones.”

From that initial concept – and the imperative that the dial should be highly distinctive in both colour and detail – the first, and perhaps most difficult, task was to choose a colour from an almost limitless palette of possibilities. The solution presented itself in the form of a material – black onyx – rather than simply a colour. For a dynamic and unexpected contrast with the deep black of the polished onyx surface, baguette-cut sapphires were chosen to mark the hours.

Emphasising the purity of the dial and the beauty of the gemstones, the Antarctique Royal Onyx does away with the complexity of a date display. Visually simple yet challenging to produce, due to the sapphire baguettes being invisibly set onto the onyx, the dial was crafted by GT Cadrans in Lonay, Switzerland.

The simplicity and chic modernity of the Antarctique provides a great playground for creativity,” says Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek. “Harnessing traditional crafts and materials and giving them a contemporary twist, as we have done for this piece, is absolutely in keeping with Czapek’s creative ethos.”

The eye-catching dial is complemented by the flowing curves and finely honed angles of the 40.5 mm diameter Antarctique case, with its carefully judged balance of brushed and polished surfaces that are echoed on the integrated bracelet.

In keeping with Czapek & Cie’s central tenet of balancing refined aesthetics with high-end mechanics, the Antarctique Royal Onyx is powered by calibre SXH5. The first movement to be entirely conceived and assembled in house by Czapek, it was launched in the original Antarctique in May 2020 Blending the best of past and present, its distinctive architecture of seven skeletonised bridges was inspired by the 19th-century pocket watches of François Czapek. The calibre features a free-sprung balance and an elegant and highly efficient micro-rotor of recycled 950 platinum; the haute horlogerie finishes combine hand-bevelled internal angles with state-of-the-art laser engraving to create a beautiful play of contrasts: light and dark, textured and smooth, matte and polished.

Czapek & Cie, together with Mansour Jewellers, will also release Antarctique Desert Rose in November. A limited edition of 25 pieces, also created especially for the UAE, Antarctique Desert Rose plays with texture and colour: the ‘grainé’ textured finish has a subtle shine while the salmon colour is reminiscent of the desert sand – the warm shade contrasting with the cool tones of the steel case. While the Antarctique’s signature, sculptural indexes mark eleven of the hours, 12 o’clock and the date are both in Indian numerals.

Being unveiled at Dubai Watch Week in November 2023, the new Antarctique Royal Onyx and Antarctique Desert Rose will be available exclusively from Mansour Jewellers in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates.

Czapek & Cie. Antarctique Royal Onyx

Technical specifications

Czapek & Cie. Antarctique Royal Onyx

Limited edition of 18 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

Polished Onyx stone dial
Blue sapphire baguette hour markers
Steel seconds hand with blue tip
Steel skeletonized hours and minutes hands

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 calf leather or rubber strap

MSRP: TBC

Czapek & Cie. Antarctique Desert Rose

Technical specifications

Czapek & Cie. Antarctique Desert Rose

Limited edition of 25 pieces