Czapek

Who are Czapek?

Czapek & Cie is a Geneva watch company named after François Czapek, a 19th-century watchmaker who was Antoine Norbert de Patek’s first partner (Czapek). The original firm faded in the 1870s; the name was revived in 2012 and the new Czapek watches launched in 2015 (Czapek). This page covers both chapters, the collections and who owns the company, then what to check when buying a Czapek watch second-hand in the UK.

The revived company is independent and part-owned by its customers: it raised money through equity crowdfunding and has about 200 shareholders (Wikipedia). It does not publish production figures.

The history of Czapek watches

Czapek’s history has two parts: François Czapek’s own firm in Geneva, Paris and Warsaw from 1845, and the revival begun by three entrepreneurs in 2012. The key dates are Patek, Czapek & Cie (1839), Czapek & Cie (1845), the revival (2012 to 2015), the Antarctique (2020) and the La Chaux-de-Fonds workshop (2022).

François Czapek. Czapek says Franciszek Czapek was born in 1811 in Semonice, in the kingdom of Bohemia, and grew up in Poland. After the collapse of the Polish uprising of 1830 he fled to Switzerland, arriving in Geneva in 1832; he set up Czapek & Moreau with a local partner and gallicised his name to François (Czapek; Wikipedia).

Patek, Czapek & Cie. On 1 May 1839 Czapek and Antoine Norbert de Patek, another Polish emigrant, founded Patek, Czapek & Cie, based at Quai des Bergues 29 in Geneva (Czapek; Wikipedia). The partnership was set for six years and was dissolved in 1845; Patek went on to found Patek Philippe with Adrien Philippe (Wikipedia). Our Patek Philippe page covers that side of the story.

Czapek & Cie. Czapek founded Czapek & Cie on 1 May 1845 with a new partner, Juliusz Grużewski (Czapek). The firm opened a boutique at Place Vendôme in Paris in 1850 and one in Warsaw; Czapek’s timeline dates the Warsaw shop to 1854, while its Faubourg de Cracovie collection page says 1850 (Czapek). In 1855 it became Watchmaker of His Imperial Highness, Prince Napoleon, according to Czapek; Wikipedia says the firm supplied watches to Napoleon III from 1855. Sources differ on the end: Wikipedia says the company changed hands around 1869 for undocumented reasons, while Czapek says François Czapek “mysteriously disappears” in 1871.

The revival. A company registered in Geneva in 2011 as Lissignol SA was renamed Czapek & Cie SA on 12 December 2012 (Wikipedia). In 2013 Xavier de Roquemaurel met Harry Guhl, and with the watchmaker Sébastien Follonier they set out to revive the brand, studying Czapek’s surviving watches before drawing new ones (Wikipedia; Czapek). Czapek & Cie launched in Geneva in 2015 with the Quai des Bergues, and in November that year an equity crowdfunding campaign regulated by FINMA, the Swiss financial regulator, brought in 93 new shareholders (Wikipedia).

New collections. The Quai des Bergues No. 33bis won the Public Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2016 (Czapek). The Place Vendôme tourbillon followed in 2017, the Faubourg de Cracovie chronograph in 2018, and in 2019 Czapek opened a boutique on rue de la Corraterie in Geneva (Czapek). The Antarctique sports watch of 2020 brought the SXH5, which Czapek calls its first movement conceived and developed entirely in-house (Czapek). In April 2022 Czapek opened its own manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds (Czapek), and the Promenade followed in 2024 (Wikipedia). In 2025, ten years after the launch, Czapek introduced the Time Jumper, a jumping-hour watch (Czapek).

What is Czapek known for?

Czapek is known for reviving a 19th-century name with designs drawn from François Czapek’s pocket watches, for being owned partly by collectors through crowdfunding, for building its watches with specialist partners, and for the Antarctique sports watch.

Designs from the archive. Czapek’s founders say they studied the original watches and kept details such as a Roman-style minute hand paired with a fleur-de-lys hour hand (Czapek). The collections are named after places in François Czapek’s life: the Quai des Bergues in Geneva, Place Vendôme in Paris and the Faubourg de Cracovie in Warsaw (Czapek).

Calibres and partners. Czapek’s watchmaking page lists seven calibres it has developed: the SXH1 (seven-day hand-wound), SXH2 (tourbillon with second time zone), SXH3 (automatic integrated chronograph), SXH5 (automatic micro-rotor), SXH6 (openworked split-seconds chronograph), Calibre 8 (double escapement with differential) and Calibre 9 (automatic tourbillon) (Czapek). It calls its approach “horizontal manufacturing”, working with partners such as the movement makers Chronode and Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier and the dial makers Donzé Cadrans and Metalem (Czapek). Wikipedia says the SXH1 was developed by Chronode under Jean-François Mojon, and Czapek says Vaucher builds the SXH3. The Complicité’s double escapement was made with the watchmaker Bernhard Lederer (Czapek). Our guide to in-house and outsourced movements explains why the distinction matters.

Dials. Czapek says most of its dial designs are registered at the Swiss design register, and it uses hand guilloché, grand feu enamel and flinqué dials made by specialist craftspeople (Czapek).

Digital passport. Czapek issues a paper certificate, the Czapek Passport, and a blockchain certificate with the Aura Blockchain Consortium that records service and ownership history and can be transferred when a watch is sold (Czapek).

Which Czapek watch collections are there?

Czapek’s current range is grouped into Quai des Bergues, Place Vendôme, Faubourg de Cracovie, Antarctique and Promenade (Czapek). The collections table on this page gives the year each began and a line on each. A few points help when you read listings:

• Calibre names. Each collection has its own calibre, for example the SXH1 in the Quai des Bergues, the SXH3 in the Faubourg de Cracovie and the SXH5 in the Antarctique (Czapek). Check the calibre named in the listing against the model.
• Antarctique sizes. The Antarctique comes in 40.5 mm and 38.5 mm, and the Rattrapante in 42.5 mm (Czapek). Our watch sizing guide explains how case size wears.
• Water resistance. Czapek rates its gold watches to 30 metres and its steel and titanium watches to 50 metres (Czapek), so most are not dive watches. Our guide to water resistance explains what to ask.
• Limited editions. Many Czapek models are made in limited, numbered runs; the first Antarctique limited edition sold out within weeks (Czapek). Match the number on the case to the papers.

Who owns Czapek?

Czapek is independent: it is not part of a watch group. The revived company has about 200 shareholders and by 2025 had completed six funding rounds (Wikipedia). Harry Guhl, a co-founder, was no longer its president but remained its main shareholder in 2023, according to Wikipedia. Czapek’s own site calls Xavier de Roquemaurel chief executive and founder (Czapek).

Czapek says the crowdfunding made it the first fine watchmaking brand revived by watch enthusiasts, and that it set out to “collect” shareholders as well as customers (Czapek). In the UK, Companies House lists Czapek & Cie SA as a Swiss overseas company whose UK establishment opened on 21 October 2015 (Companies House).

Buying a Czapek watch second-hand in the UK: what to check

Check that the serial number matches the Czapek Passport and whether the digital passport can be transferred to you, ask which calibre the watch has and when it was serviced, and run a stolen-watch check.

1. Papers and the full set. Czapek issues a paper certificate, the Czapek Passport, with each watch (Czapek). Ask for it, match its serial number to the watch, and ask which other items come with it. Our guide to what “full set” means explains what each item proves.

2. Digital passport. Czapek says its blockchain certificate records service and ownership history and can be transferred to a new owner, and that owners can register a watch bought pre-owned (Czapek). Ask the seller to transfer it to you.

3. Recently bought watches. Customers who buy direct from Czapek agree not to resell the watch within 12 months (Czapek terms and conditions). If a nearly new watch is offered privately, ask when and where it was bought.

4. Warranty. Czapek mentions an international warranty but does not state its length on the pages we checked. A dealer’s own warranty is a promise from the dealer, not from Czapek. See watch warranties explained.

5. Servicing. Czapek recommends a service every four to five years; its overhaul includes stripping and cleaning the movement, regulating it, replacing the seals and testing water resistance (Czapek). Ask when the watch was last serviced, by whom, and for the paperwork. Our guide on how to care for a mechanical watch covers what a service involves.

6. Authenticity. Buy from a seller who will put authenticity in writing and accept returns, and have the watch checked by a watchmaker you choose. Our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers what a watchmaker looks at.

7. Stolen-watch check. Check the serial number against a stolen-watch register before you pay. Our stolen-watch check guide lists the UK registers.

For the full process from setting a budget to collecting the watch, see the guide to buying a luxury watch.

Frequently asked questions

Is Czapek related to Patek Philippe?

Historically. François Czapek and Antoine Norbert de Patek were partners in Patek, Czapek & Cie from 1839 to 1845; Patek then founded Patek Philippe with Adrien Philippe (Wikipedia). The companies are not connected today.

When was Czapek founded?

Czapek & Cie was founded by François Czapek in 1845 (Czapek). The modern company revived the name in 2012 and launched its watches in 2015 (Czapek).

Who owns Czapek?

Czapek is independent and owned by about 200 shareholders, many of whom invested through equity crowdfunding (Wikipedia).

Where are Czapek watches made?

Czapek is based in Geneva and has its own manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, opened in 2022; it also works with Swiss partners such as Chronode and Vaucher (Czapek).

Does Czapek make its own movements?

Czapek develops its own calibres and makes them with partners. The SXH5 of 2020 was the first it conceived and developed entirely in-house (Czapek).

What is the Czapek Antarctique?

A sports watch launched in 2020 with the automatic micro-rotor SXH5 calibre, in 40.5 mm or 38.5 mm (Czapek).

What is the Czapek Passport?

Czapek’s paper certificate for each watch, which is matched by a digital blockchain certificate recording service and ownership history (Czapek).

Why are Czapek watches named after places?

The collections are named after places in François Czapek’s life: his Geneva quay, his Paris boutique at Place Vendôme and his Warsaw boutique in the Faubourg de Cracovie (Czapek).

This page is general information. Watch60 is independent and has no commercial relationship with Czapek.

We check the facts on this page against the sources listed, and it is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Brands change their warranty, servicing and sales terms, so confirm them with the brand or the seller before you buy.