The new Czapek Antarctique Tourbillon Victory Green

With such a rich and varied repertoire, it is hard to believe that Czapek was founded as recently as 2015. Five years later, the brand introduced its first luxury sports collection, the Antarctique. To mark its tenth anniversary, the Antarctique was equipped with a spectacular flying tourbillon, framed by an equally striking guilloché pattern simulating a vortex. The latest interpretation of the model takes its inspiration from a bespoke piece commissioned by a collector. Limited to 10 pieces, the Antarctique Tourbillon Victory Green is a winning marriage of warm yellow gold and deep forest green.

As with so many creations at Czapek, the Antarctique was the brand’s response to a petition for a more contemporary, robust, water-resistant yet luxuriously finished sports watch. A handsome design that steers clear of the angular bezels dominating the genre, the Antarctique’s barrel-shaped case and bracelet are seamlessly integrated. Almost all the models – time-and-date, Rattrapante and Révélation – boast 120m water-resistant cases. The exception, and a reasonable one given the distinctive glass box sapphire crystal framing the spectacle, is the Antarctique Tourbillon, limited to 50 metres.

Unlike the tourbillon in the Place Vendôme collection, the Antarctique’s flying tourbillon is aligned with the vertical axis. The three main elements – the barrel, the gear train and the tourbillon cage – are arranged in a line from 12 to 6 o’clock, giving the dial its tight symmetry, intersected by a long, finely curved openworked bridge in the centre.

Sharing identical specifications with earlier editions, the 40mm yellow gold case is 11.5mm thick and features box sapphire crystals on the front and back to enhance viewing pleasure. Decorated with a profusion of sporty vertical brushed surfaces, a hand-polished bevel runs along the sweeping edges of the case with the signature hollowed recesses. Unlike standard Antarctique models, the tourbillon eliminates the metal bezel and instead features a raised glass box sapphire crystal front and back, maximising the openness of the dial.

The alluring combination of warm yellow gold and PVD forest green works beautifully. The hand-guilloché, executed by longtime partner Metalem, produces a dramatic plunging vortex effect. Made of a series of interlocking miniature rhomboids that shrink towards the centre, the aptly named Singularité pattern draws on astronomy to describe phenomena such as black holes. To preserve the integrity of the guilloché, the indices are mounted on the elevated flange, with PVD dark green outlines and Super-LumiNova. The curved, openworked hour and minute hands are golden to match the case and feature SLN.

Powered by the brand’s calibre 9, an automatic movement conceived, designed and machined in-house, Czapek defends its principle of outsourcing to specialist partners. The movement beats at 3Hz, delivers a 72-hour power reserve and reveals its gold rotor hand-engraved with the Singularité pattern.

Fitted with the brand’s Easy Release system, the watch comes with an integrated yellow gold bracelet and retails at CHF 98,000. It can also be paired with an alligator leather strap for CHF 73,600 or a rubber strap for CHF 69,600. Limited to 10 pieces, the watch will be available from selected authorised Czapek retailers. More information at czapek.com.