Czapek & Cie announces the release of the latest iteration of its most recent horological marvel, the Place Vendôme Complicité Stardust Cobalt. This exquisite timepiece, limited to just 13 pieces of the 100 comprising the first edition, is the result of a collaboration with renowned watchmaker Bernhard Lederer. It embodies the perfect fusion of stunning beauty and masterful engineering.
The design of the Place Vendôme Complicité is as much the result of a chance encounter, a coincidence, as it is a technical and artistic feat. Human encounters and the sharing of ideas lie at the heart of everything that Czapek does. As a fundamental value, the Maison defends the concept of établissage – the ecosystem of specialized workshops that once defined the entire watchmaking industry; this enables it to choose the most talented, independent specialists in each of the watchmaking crafts, bringing them together —as a conductor would unite musicians in an orchestra— to create exceptional timepieces. The idea for the watch was born in 2018 as an evolution of Czapek’s renowned initial models, Quai des Bergues and Place Vendôme.
While the technical aspect of the double escapement concept fully visible on the dial side and distributed around the center was fascinating to Czapek’s CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel —and the group of ‘rare people’ who make up the Maison’s inner circle of collectors, investors and enthusiasts— it’s a guiding principle of Czapek that the beauty of a mechanism is as important as the beauty of the habillage —the dial, hands, and case. Consequently, the architecture of every Czapek calibre is designed to unite the technical and aesthetic elements, serving and enhancing both in equal measure.
For Czapek, suppliers are also partners in creativity and this turned out to be decisive in Place Vendôme Complicité ever becoming a reality. The starting point for Complicité was to respect the dial layout of the original Place Vendôme model —on which the two signature sub-dials form the base of a pyramid, completed by a third sub-dial at the apex. An initial sketch was then designed: the escapements would be at 7:30 and 4:30 and the differential that connects them would be at the 12 o’clock position, with both escapement trains embracing the center.
Inspired by the cases of Quai des Bergues and Place Vendôme, the case —a relatively compact and very wearable 41.8 mm diameter— is a distillation of Czapek’s signature iconography, with sharper lines adding contemporary flair. The eye is caught by a dynamic tension between the flowing curves of the case sides and the crisp angles of the deep recesses on the sides of the lugs, the play of light and shadow amplified by a mix of brushed and polished surfaces. Completing the ensemble, an alligator strap that matches or closely complements the color of each dial is fastened with a gold folding clasp.
The principle of the double escapement regulator is that, with two balance wheels beating independently, and power delivered from a single barrel via a differential, any variation in rate —which may be caused by gravity or various other factors inherent in everyday life— will be canceled out, thus ensuring greater timekeeping accuracy.
With the double escapement at its heart, Czapek’s new in-house Calibre 8 is manually wound to provide a power reserve of 72 hours, which is indicated on the dial at 6 o’clock between the balance wheels. Two sapphire bridges reveal the entire gear train on the dial side, protected by a box-style sapphire crystal glass.
Dominated by distinctive, triangular bridges from which the balances are suspended, the aesthetic blends modernity with tradition, playing with the colors of different metals of various components while drawing the eye deep into the workings of the movement. Naturally, haute horlogerie finishes abound, with traditional handcrafts complemented by more contemporary decorative finishes —not only on the dial side but also on the back of the movement, where 18 inward angles have been hand-beveled.
The crown wheel mechanism with a hidden signature of Bernhard Lederer is integrated into the movement design as a subtle tribute to his contribution to the development of Complicité.
Adding contemporary style, the hands are sword-shaped and open-worked, so as not to obstruct the view of the mechanism, and their shape is echoed by the applied hour markers. All are blued to enhance legibility and filled with luminescent coating. In true Czapek style, some almost-hidden details have been added purely for aesthetic effect; for example, looking deep into the movement reveals that the post on which the hands are mounted has been open-worked to create a tiny ‘arcade des heures’ —arcade of the hours.
At Czapek, they produce every watch on-demand only so the waiting time to produce the ordered timepiece may vary. Right after receiving your order confirmation, they will, within a few weeks, be able to provide you with a scheduled production month. They will then keep you updated quarterly. As soon as they meet your production month, their manufacture team will inform you about your exact manufacturing week. They will also inform you when your watch is in its final assembly stage and currently, we would need approximately 12 months to craft this model.
Sticker Price CHF 85,000 Swiss Francs —approximately USD 95,000. For more info on Czapek & Cie click here.
