Czapek
Czapek Antarctique 36 mm Blue Carbon
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Czapek · Antarctique
Czapek Antarctique 36 mm Blue Carbon
Reference 24913OR.42
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Czapek
- Collection
- Antarctique
- Model
- Czapek Antarctique 36 mm Blue Carbon
- Reference number
- 24913OR.42
- Year / era
- 1958 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Flyback chronograph
- Movement
- Micro-rotor automatic
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 70A — Micro-rotor automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Number of jewels
- 45 jewels
- Complications
- Flyback chronograph
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1958 – 1971
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Czapek Antarctique 36 mm Blue Carbon sits within Czapek's Antarctique line, introduced in 1958. It carries the house codes established since 1845 — carbon tpt case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and micro-rotor automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
Czapek
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1845
- Founder
- François Czapek
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Swiss & Independent
- Major collections
- Antarctique, Quai des Bergues, Place Vendome, Faubourg de Cracovie
- Signature technologies
- Certified chronometer regulation · Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Anti-magnetic silicon escapement
- Famous movements
- Micro-rotor automatic · Manual-winding, hand-finished · Satellite-hour automatic · In-house automatic
- Notable watches
- Czapek Antarctique 40 mm Salmon 18k (1980) · Czapek Antarctique 36 mm Blue Carbon (1958) · Czapek Antarctique 36 mm Ice Platinum (1966) · Czapek Antarctique 44 mm Ice Carbon (1963)
Brand history
Czapek has spent more than 181 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Antarctique, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
François Czapek established Czapek in 1845, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Czapek calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1845
François Czapek founds Czapek in Switzerland.
1885
Czapek earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Czapek to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Czapek enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Czapek continues to produce Antarctique, Quai des Bergues, Place Vendome and other icons in limited numbers.