The Antarctique bares its soul

The high art of skeletonisation allows connoisseur and neophyte alike to discover and delight in the inner workings of a watch, the interplay of the hollowed-out bridges, wheels, and hands around a filigree mainplate. Czapek & Cie’s Antarctique Révélation takes this idea even further. The movement itself is placed on the dial side, where it acts as a fascinating animation to thrill the wearer. It recalls the Antarctique Rattrapante launched in 2021, which featured the first split-seconds chronograph to appear on the dial. 

What sounded simple at first became a three-year saga of deep exploration into aesthetics and engineering. The powerful SXH5 was an outstanding caliber on its own merit and with an exceptionally stark design, in particular the fine bridges angling over to grip the gearwheels, a hint of the nineteenth-century Czapek pocket watch movements. To execute the goal of flipping the movement upside down in order to skeletonize the main plate, also required reversing the escapement. Then the oscillating mass had to be engraved on both sides, for example, and the crown mechanism, now visible to the naked eye, had to be reworked entirely. On a more technical note, the seconds hand could no longer be connected by a bridge to the center, so space was made at 4:30 for a small seconds dial. The solution was to use sapphire crystal ring for the seconds. It is discreetly attached to the larger sapphire ring carrying the hours and minutes and ensuring as much transparency as possible, so the wearer can take a deep dive into the mechanism.

Gradually, what emerged was a new movement, the SXH7. As it evolved, elements from other Czapek models found their place, like the central tripod from the Antarctique Rattrapante holding together the finely cut out bridges. The position of the small seconds, too, is reminiscent of the famous day-date subdial of the Quai des Bergues.

Specifications

Functions

• Hours, Minutes, Seconds

Movement

• Calibre SXH7: Czapek's in-house self-winding mechanical movement, fully skeletonized
• Swiss lever escapement, variable-inertia balance fitted with four gold inertia-blocks
• Frequency: 4 Hz – 28800 VpH
• Power winding system: Micro rotor with a recycled platinum mass
• Power-reserve > 56 hours on one single barrel

Finish

• Open ratchets, sandblasted black bridges, bevelling, straight-grained sides, six hand-chamfered inward angles

Case

• 40.5mm Stainless steel
• Sapphire crystal glass-box with anti-reflective treatment
• Sapphire case back with anti-reflective treatment on the inner side
• Water resistance: 120m
• Screwed-down crown

Bracelet

• Integrated stainless steel bracelet with Czapek exclusive "Easy Release" system and micro adjustment
• Optional leather or rubber strap

Dial

• Anthracite dial with 'sector' applied markers
• Luminescent, steel "Sword" hands