Precious Few in Precious Stone: The Czapek Antarctique Makes Its Dazzling Return

It’s extraordinary how, within just a decade, Czapek & Cie’s dress watches have ascended to the top of many collectors’ wish lists.

One might credit the young Swiss brand’s rise to its impeccably designed integrated bracelets—timeless creations launched during an era when such bracelets are especially coveted.

Czapek’s dials, too, have served as canvases for dazzling displays of artistry: architecturally exhilarating when skeletonized, and unforgettable showcases of métiers d’art when rendered opaque.

Collectors will recall head-turners such as the hand-painted Antarctique Emerald Iceberg (2021), the vividly enameled Antarctique Lanikai (2023), and the Antarctique Green Meteor (2024), distinguished by its dial of actual space rock.

Today, the manufacture unveils the successor to last year’s Antarctique Mount Erebus Deep Blue: three new limited editions that pair rare stone dials with precious gold cases and bracelets.

The Antarctique Mount Erebus Falcon Eye is limited to 10 pieces annually, and this edition features falcon eye sourced from South Africa. Its quartz-threaded fibers lend the dial a shimmering depth, complemented by a rose-gold case.

Also capped at 10 pieces a year, the Antarctique Mount Erebus Lapis Lazuli showcases a brilliant blue dial flecked with golden pyrite inclusions, again framed in rose gold.

Lastly, the Antarctique Mount Erebus Green Meteor is crafted from meteorite discovered in Namibia, and its Widmanstätten patterns are enhanced with green lacquer. Unlike its 2024 steel-cased predecessor, this iteration debuts in yellow gold, limited to just eight examples.

“When I visited our partner Gemmes-Tech and first saw these stones in their raw form, I was fascinated by their colors” remarks Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek & Cie.

Brimming as always with his infectious exuberance, de Roquemaurel elaborates that he named this sub-line of the Antarctique collection “Mount Erebus” after the Antarctic volcano famed for releasing microscopic particles of gold. All three editions are powered by the SXH5 caliber, Czapek’s first in-house movement.

“The deep lapis lazuli with its golden sparkles, the shimmering reflections of the falcon eye, and the extraterrestrial geometry of meteorite are nature’s own works of art. It is humbling to transform them into watch dials and seeing the beauty of the contrast between the gold hue and the colors of the stones. Working with such fragile materials is demanding, but it is this fragility and unpredictability that makes each piece unique, dynamic, and alive.”

Prices for the three models range from CHF 39,000 to CHF 66,000, depending on currency and the choice of bracelet or rubber strap.