The Czapek Antarctique Tourbillon combines the brand’s sportiest model with a high complication for the first time
Buffy Acacia- Czapek’s integrated sports watch gets a complicated upgrade in time for Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025.
- The Calibre 9 is a new in-house flying tourbillon movement from Czapek, featuring a 72-hour automatic power reserve and a variable inertia balance.
- Its gorgeous guilloché dial is made from Czapek’s 401 Secret Alloy, either left bare or coated with blue or gold PVD.
Can the Czapek Antarctique Tourbillon still call itself a sports watch with only 50m of water resistance? Probably not. Does a tourbillon really affect the timekeeping performance of a wristwatch? It’s unclear. Does any of that matter? Definitely not, because luxury watches thrive on contradictions. The Czapek Antarctique Tourbillon exists to remind us that Czapek’s basis is one of extraordinary engineering and finishing, not just following trends for the sake of it.
The Czapek & Cie. Antarctique collection came out in 2020, getting in relatively early on this new wave of integrated bracelet sports watches. The company itself is only in its tenth year of releasing watches since the Czapek brand name was resurrected, but it has quickly become one of the most anticipated independents out there. All you need is one look to see why. The case of the Antarctique relishes those 1970s design cues with a filter of contemporary expression. The lugs are only slightly curved, allowing the case’s silhouette to maintain a lot of structure, but ensuring that the polished, U-shaped centre links on the bracelet stand out even more due to their straightness. It’s a stainless steel watch, but the attention to detail feels deserving of a precious metal. The diameter is an approachable 40.5mm, while the 11.5mm thickness is also geared towards comfort.
Speaking of precious metals, the dial of the Czapek Antarctique Tourbillon uses what Czapek calls its 401 Secret Alloy. It’s a little bit of an open secret that the alloy includes gold, platinum, palladium and silver, but it isn’t publically known in what quantities. The dial has undergone a tremendous hand-turned guilloché process to achieve the ‘Singularité’ style, which feels like it sucks you into the many vortices of the three circular cutouts. Beneath the large strut that props up the hour and minute hands, those cutouts offer windows into Czapek’s new in-house calibre, but it’s the flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock that will be the most mesmerising aspect. Maintaining order and legibiltiy, a chapter ring around the dial’s perimeter is engraved with minute markers and features jutting hour markers. There are three colour variations including the 401 Secret Alloy dial, with the silver version being untouched and the Glacier Blue and Photon Sphere gold versions having PVD coatings.
Of course, the true star of the show here is Czapek’s new manufacture movement. The Calibre 9 boasts a flying tourbillon, meaning that it appears to be attached to nothing, while also having automatic winding. The power reserve is 72 hours, with a beat rate of 21,600 vibrations per hour, and the lever escapement uses a variable inertia balance to keep its power delivery more consistent over time. The caseback reveals stunning hand-engraved decoration of the 18k recycled gold winding rotor, partially skeletonised to show off a little bit more of the Calibre 9’s plates. Those plates are as industrial as a watch can get, though, with sandblasted surfaces and a grey coating to pull attention to its moving components as well as the rotor itself.
Czapek Antarctique Tourbillon price and availability
The Czapek Antarctique Tourbillon is limited to 50 pieces in the 401 Secret Alloy version, while the Glacier Blue and Photon Sphere references aren’t limited. Price: CHF 63,000 (~US$71,340)
| Brand | Czapek & Cie. |
| Model | Antarctique Tourbillon |
| Case Dimensions | 40.5mm (D) x 11.5mm (T) |
| Case material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Hand guilloché 401 Secret Alloy in natural, blue PVD or gold PVD finishes |
| Bracelet and strap | Stainless steel integrated bracelet with quick release system, additional integrated rubber strap |
| Movement | Calibre 9, in-house, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 72 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, flying tourbillon |
| Availability | 401 Secret Alloy dial limited to 50 pieces, Glacier Blue and Photon Sphere dials standard production. |
| Price | CHF 63,000 (~US$71,340) |