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Lot Essay
A superb and unique 18k white gold tourbillon GMT wristwatch from independent maker Czapek, the present Place Vendôme pays tribute to Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman and the 50th anniversary of his accession, known as the Omani Renaissance. This special piece is beautifully hand-engraved and inscribed and finished throughout to the highest degree, an undoubted trophy for collectors of the finest and most innovative independent watchmaking.
The model itself represents the visionary entrepreneurial spirit of the founder of the original company, François Czapek, who always serves as a guiding thread for the company. The ‘Place Vendome’, Czapek’s second wristwatch model, marked a new technical landmark for the company, being the first to feature a suspended tourbillon. Yet the Place Vendôme does not focus solely on the technical qualities of the tourbillon, it is equally important as a travel time watch. Indeed, the watch is appropriately named ‘Place Vendôme Tourbillon Suspendu’ ‘Ici et Ailleurs’ or ‘Here and Elsewhere’. It's an invitation to travel. The functions of the watch are: hours and minutes; one-minute tourbillon; second time zone; day and night indicator and power reserve indicator.
Czapek & Cie
François Czapek was a Czech-born Polish watchmaker who fled to Geneva in 1832 after fighting in the Polish uprising. He immediately started his own atelier and in 1839 entered into a partnership with Antoine Norbert de Patek, introducing him to the world of watchmaking. In 1845, at the end of their partnership, he created Czapek & Cie and achieved considerable success. He became the official watchmaker of Napoleon III and opened, what was probably the first watchmaking boutique on the Place Vendome in Paris. He wrote a book about watchmaking, but unfortunately, he died before publishing a second one.
The name of Czapek & Cie was revived in 2015 with an exceptional collection, whose leading model won the Public Prize in the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie in Geneva in November 2016. This collection takes its inspiration from an 1850’s Czapek time piece. It features a beautiful enamel dial and a 7-day proprietary movement perfectly combining craftsmanship with design and exclusivity with rarity. The Company’s second collection, a suspended Tourbillon with a second time-zone, was launched one year later in 2017, while the first Czapek chronograph, ‘Faubourg de Cracovie’, was unveiled at Baselworld 2018. The company’s headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.
The model itself represents the visionary entrepreneurial spirit of the founder of the original company, François Czapek, who always serves as a guiding thread for the company. The ‘Place Vendome’, Czapek’s second wristwatch model, marked a new technical landmark for the company, being the first to feature a suspended tourbillon. Yet the Place Vendôme does not focus solely on the technical qualities of the tourbillon, it is equally important as a travel time watch. Indeed, the watch is appropriately named ‘Place Vendôme Tourbillon Suspendu’ ‘Ici et Ailleurs’ or ‘Here and Elsewhere’. It's an invitation to travel. The functions of the watch are: hours and minutes; one-minute tourbillon; second time zone; day and night indicator and power reserve indicator.
Czapek & Cie
François Czapek was a Czech-born Polish watchmaker who fled to Geneva in 1832 after fighting in the Polish uprising. He immediately started his own atelier and in 1839 entered into a partnership with Antoine Norbert de Patek, introducing him to the world of watchmaking. In 1845, at the end of their partnership, he created Czapek & Cie and achieved considerable success. He became the official watchmaker of Napoleon III and opened, what was probably the first watchmaking boutique on the Place Vendome in Paris. He wrote a book about watchmaking, but unfortunately, he died before publishing a second one.
The name of Czapek & Cie was revived in 2015 with an exceptional collection, whose leading model won the Public Prize in the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie in Geneva in November 2016. This collection takes its inspiration from an 1850’s Czapek time piece. It features a beautiful enamel dial and a 7-day proprietary movement perfectly combining craftsmanship with design and exclusivity with rarity. The Company’s second collection, a suspended Tourbillon with a second time-zone, was launched one year later in 2017, while the first Czapek chronograph, ‘Faubourg de Cracovie’, was unveiled at Baselworld 2018. The company’s headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland.