If you’re a fan of independent watchmaking, Czapek is a brand you must have on your radar. It’s namesake ties the brand – albeit historically – to Patek Philippe, and its designs have inspired a wide array of brands in the modern arena.
Now, Czapek has unveiled the Promenade Transparencies Aqua Blue. That takes the same design launched two years ago in Viridian Green and updates it for a different color palette.
The star of the show here is the skeletonized movement. That takes the brand’s in-house Calibre SXH7, complete with a micro-rotor, and places it behind a smoky, sapphire dial.
The result is an interesting mix of two worlds. At first glance, this looks like a lovely dress watch – well put together, and relatively simple. Look closer, though, and the more youthful movement design makes itself known.
You will have to get up close and personal to take a look at the stripped away design, where the sapphire dial allows you to catch a glimpse of the mechanics below. That makes this a bit of a unicorn – a skeletonized watch which is understated.
That dial is crafted with a vapor-deposition process, which applies the color to the underside of the dial as a metallic coating. Those deposits are an array of dots which are thinner than a human hair, and allow the brand to adjust the level of coloration in different areas.
It’s handy for allowing the small seconds register – found at the 4:30 position – to shine, and also gives a neat gradient effect. On top, you’ll find indices which are crafted from Super-LumiNova, giving a slightly paler blue hue in the day and when the lights go down.
All of that sits within a 38mm case crafted from stainless steel. The case also sits 10.8mm tall, which is pretty neat for a watch of this ilk. You’ll even get a respectable, if unremarkable, 50m of water resistance.
Czapek offers the watch on a matching, dark blue nubuck leather strap. There’s also a milanese mesh bracelet available if that’s more your thing.
Priced at $40,300, this is already a pretty pricey endeavour. But there’s a bigger barrier to owning one than your bank balance. The model is limited to just 38 pieces worldwide, which means you’ll need to act fast and get a smattering of luck to add one to your watch box.