Green in the Vortex – Czapek Antarctique Tourbillon Victory Green

Green in the Vortex Czapek Antarctique Tourbillon Victory Green

Czapek opens its studio door to a collector’s idea and lets it breathe for ten more wrists. The Antarctique Tourbillon Victory Green – born as a bespoke one-off – now appears as a numbered series of 10 pieces in 18k 2N yellow gold, dialed in forest green guilloché and anchored by the in-house Calibre 9 with a flying tourbillon.

The origin story matters. A conversation, not a brief, set the tone: warm yellow gold, deep green, and no noise around the mechanics. The result felt right enough that, with the client’s blessing, Czapek offers the same composition to a small circle. It is consistent with the maison’s habit of letting singular orders seed thoughtful editions – listening as a core competence rather than a slogan.

The dial carries the registered “Singularité” hand-guilloché pattern, developed with Metalem for the Antarctique Tourbillon. Unlike a classical rosace where lines radiate from one origin, the starting point shifts at each pass, creating a vortex that draws the gaze to the tourbillon and suggests real depth. Cut in a “Secret Alloy” base and given its intense green by PVD, it is matched by green hour markers and partially skeletonised hands, both filled with Super-LumiNova. The motif demanded a dedicated cam – a small, telling investment in craft.

Calibre 9 marks Czapek’s first movement designed, constructed, and mostly machined in-house. On the dial side, the barrel, train, and tourbillon align on a vertical axis, the flying regulator turning within a convex titanium cage. Through the back, a hand-engraved 5N gold oscillating weight completes the composition. It beats at 3 Hz, runs for 100 hours, and counts 191 parts with 20 jewels – details that read as engineering, not theatrics.

The 40.5 mm case, 11.5 mm thick, wears a box sapphire front and back, is water resistant to 5 atm, and continues into an integrated 18k 2N yellow gold bracelet with Czapek’s Easy Release system. Alligator leather or rubber can be requested for a different cadence.

Finishing follows function with quiet flourish: openworked ratchets, sandblasted, blackened, satin-finished and hand-bevelled bridges with six inward angles. The eye finds intention more than ornament – always a good sign.

Unveiled on 14 October 2026 and shown at WatchTime New York, the Victory Green is offered via selected retailers, the Geneva boutique at Quai des Bergues 27, and czapek.com. Pricing before taxes: rubber strap 69’600 CHF, alligator strap 73’600 CHF, gold bracelet 98’000 CHF. A measured proposition: ten watches, one clear idea.

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