After throwing quite the party in 2025 with three impressive releases, Czapek is wrapping up its double anniversary celebration with something special: the Quai des Bergues “Sursum Corda.” And true to form, they’ve hidden a secret in plain sight.
This year marks 180 years since François Czapek, the original master watchmaker, set up shop in Geneva back in 1845. It’s also been a decade since the brand was revived by modern enthusiasts in 2015. To celebrate, Czapek has released four timepieces throughout the year – the Antarctique Tourbillon, the Antarctique Plique-à-Jour, the Time Jumper, and now this elegant dressy piece that brings everything full circle.
A Secret Worth Finding
The “Sursum Corda” (Latin for “Lift up your hearts”) takes the classic Quai des Bergues design and adds layers of hidden meaning. The most intriguing detail? The phrase “Sursum Corda” itself is secretly integrated under the white enamel dial. You can only see it when light hits the surface at just the right angle. It’s like a personal mantra hiding in your watch.
This isn’t just fancy marketing speak, either. CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel apparently used this phrase during the toughest moments of rebuilding the brand. One team member suggested putting it on the anniversary piece, and here we are. It’s a reminder about resilience and never giving up – even when things look impossible. (If you know the reference, you know.)
The dial also features a laser-engraved “10 / 180” logo marking both anniversaries, plus another secret: François Czapek’s actual signature reproduced from Geneva archives, tucked inside the small-seconds subdial at 4:30. For a watch that looks so clean and minimal at first glance, there’s a lot going on once you start looking closer.
The Technical Bits
The 40.5mm rose gold case houses Czapek’s manual-winding calibre with a double barrel setup that delivers a full seven days of power reserve. That’s 168 hours between windings, which is genuinely practical. You can wind it on Sunday morning and forget about it until next weekend. This actually echoes old 19th-century practice when pocket watches were wound after church service.
The movement architecture draws inspiration from those Victorian-era pocket watches – symmetrical layout, open ratchets, the whole nine yards. But it’s finished to modern haute horlogerie standards with circular-graining, hand-chamfered bridges, and sand-blasted surfaces.
The dial follows the original Quai des Bergues recipe: elongated Roman numerals on a white grand feu enamel surface, with those distinctive dual off-center sub-dials. It’s a look that connects directly to the 1850s pocket watch (reference 5350) that inspired the modern collection when it launched in 2015.
Not Just an Anniversary Piece
Here’s the interesting part: Czapek isn’t just making a limited anniversary run. They’re also introducing updated versions of their regular Quai des Bergues models. The new N° 33 comes in rose gold with white enamel, while the N° 25 pairs stainless steel with enamel.
Both models get enhanced finishing and personalization options. You can choose between historical “Fleur-de-Lys” hands or contemporary arrow designs. Want your own secret sentence written in the enamel? They’ll do that too. The sub-dial at 4:30 cleverly shows both power reserve and the day of the week, making that seven-day movement more useful.
The 40.5mm size becomes the new standard for the collection, replacing the previous 42.5mm and 38.5mm options. It’s a smart middle ground that should work for most wrists while maintaining the watch’s elegant proportions.
Why It Matters
The original Quai des Bergues 33bis won the Public Prize at the 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, proving that people responded to this blend of historical authenticity and modern craftsmanship. That’s still the game plan here – just refined and focused.
For a brand that started as a 19th-century success story, disappeared, and then got resurrected by passionate enthusiasts, putting hidden messages about resilience into an anniversary watch makes perfect sense. It’s not just commemorative – it’s personal.
The “Sursum Corda” and its companion models will be available through Czapek’s retailers, their Geneva flagship, and online. Whether you’re drawn to the hidden messages or just appreciate a beautifully made dress watch with serious power reserve, this is quite a way to close out an anniversary year.
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