Czapek continues the progressive march of their Antarctique collection with a new variation in a green meteorite dial. Introducing the Czapek Antarctique Green Meteor
Press Release information with commentary in italics.
New: Czapek Antarctique Green Meteor
The Czapek Antarctique Green Meteor will retail at CHF 25,000 / USD 29,500 / EUR 26,300. Prices are before taxes. Limited edition of 100 pieces.
Commentary
A new dial for a very successful collection. The new variant now features a beautiful green meteorite dial. The dial is taken from the Gibeon dial. Gibeon meteorites are composed of an iron-nickel alloy containing significant amounts of cobalt and phosphorus. The crystal structure is rather interesting and shows a fine octahedrite and the Widmanstätten pattern. When we examined the watch at WWG24, we were captivated by both the beauty and depth of the colour and the pattern.
Other aspects of this novelty are the exact same as the other watches in the Antarctique Collection, which now number 21 models in various case materials and complications. Same case. Same movement.
Pricing wise, the CHF 25k tag takes cognisance of the meteorite dial, and is a fair premium over the standard Passage de Drake which now retails for CHF 22k.
Release details
Since its launch four years ago, the Antarctique has become recognised as a contemporary classic and has featured many dial variations – always with intriguing textures and atypical colours that appear to change with every shift in the light. As is the norm at Czapek, the green meteorite dial is partially a response to collectors’ wishes – and partially a ‘lightbulb moment’ of creativity.
“After creating the Antarctique Viridian Green in 2021 in partnership with Fratello watches, many collectors asked if we would do another green dial, so it has been very much in our minds. The decision to use meteorite was a coup de foudre moment, he adds. “I was visiting our partner, GT Cadrans, and held a disc of meteorite against my Antarctique. It looked so right with the style of the watch. And I immediately thought, why not do it in green – a cool tone of green that would complement the colour of the steel case.”
Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek & Cie.
In keeping with Czapek’s love of highly textured dials, meteorite appears to be deeply three-dimensional – sometimes almost infinite, resembling an illustration by M C Escher. However, this is an optical illusion caused as the light catches the geometric lines – known as the Widmanstätten pattern – created by the crystallised structures of the iron-nickel alloy. Characteristic of octahedrite meteorites, the crystals were formed as the meteorite cooled very slowly during its millions-of-years journey through the cosmos, before colliding with Earth. Thanks to this crystalline structure, the pattern is different on every slice of meteorite used to create a watch dial, making each one unique.
The Czapek dials have been taken from the Gibeon meteorite, which fell in Namibia in prehistoric times – believed to be approximately around 600 million years ago. The slice of raw meteorite must be acid-washed and polished to reveal the full beauty of the pattern – the angles of the lines being determined by the plane on which the raw material was cut. For the Antarctique Green Meteor, the mineral’s natural grey colour has been transformed by a rich green lacquer; applied in many layers and polished to a perfect finish, it appears to change tone in different light conditions. The simplicity of the dial indications – faceted trapezoid indexes and sword-shaped hands – gives full rein to the meteorite’s intriguing geometric patterns.
Aside from its beauty, meteorite holds a special fascination in being perhaps the only material found on Earth that didn’t originate on our planet – and, indeed, may have originated before our planet existed. It’s a subtle reminder of the infinity of time and the cosmic origins of our conventions of time measurement.
The Antarctique is powered by the automatic SXH5 calibre, conceived in-house by Czapek’s own team. With special attention given to balancing aesthetics and performance, the movement architecture was designed for visual harmony and transparency as well as functionality.
Introduced at Watches and Wonders 2024, the Antarctique Green Meteor will be made in a limited edition of 100 pieces and is available for pre-order at the brand authorised dealers worldwide, the boutique in Geneva, rue de la Corraterie 18, and at Czapek.com. Deliveries will start in Q2 2025.
