Hot Takes: Geneva Watch Days Czapek — Antarctique Shines Once Again
Czapek was the final brand I sat down with in Geneva. Did I save my favorite till last? Yes, actually, I really did. I wanted my enthusiasm to remain high throughout the fair and, at the end of a long day, there was no better way to ensure I’d still be firing on all cylinders than to have a sit-down meeting with the brand I’ve been most impressed with over the past few months. Thanks, in large part, to the Czapek Antarctique steel sports watch.
The release of the Czapek Antarctique Terre Adelie was a big one. It took my year by storm, upending everything I’d been expecting. I’ve already elevated that watch into the pantheon of this generation’s greats.
I feel that we’ve been looking at the same three luxury steel sports watches. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. The Patek Philippe Nautilus. And the third of the Holy Trinity, the Vacheron Constantin Overseas.
The millennial generation has the third member of an exclusive club that I hereby dub the 21st Century Trinity. Thanks to Bvlgari, H. Moser & Cie., and Czapek, we now have the Octo Finissimo, the Streamliner, and the Antarctique to keep our bank accounts blushing for the next 40 years.
A generational classic
The Czapek Antarctique Terre Adelie special edition was strictly limited. As such, the lamé dial used in the first run of Antarctiques seems set to retire (although could possibly rise from the dead at some point). The next-gen Antarctique will use a much more structured, 3D dial with an optically dazzling pressed pattern.
The hour markers will be shortened to accommodate a more prominent minute track, and the “double claw” marker at 12 o’clock makes way for an Arabic 12. Images of this piece are under embargo right now, but there is a teaser sketch on the website, which you should check out if you liked the first go-around of the Antarctique.
Hot take: Czapek keeps its foot on the gas with a continuation of its Antarctique sports watch line. The latest entrant is due for release later this year. Just five years after its rebirth, this brand is flying. It has found a formula that, along with its more classical line, can keep it in my good books for the next 50.
In-depth reviews of the pieces seen during the fair will follow. Feel free to comment below with your initial takeaways of new releases, the event format, and anything you’d like us to focus on or explore further.
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