Czapek
Czapek Quai des Bergues 41 mm Slate 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 · Quai des Bergues
Czapek Quai des Bergues 41 mm Slate Carbon
Reference 12881OR.10
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Czapek
- Collection
- Quai des Bergues
- Model
- Czapek Quai des Bergues 41 mm Slate Carbon
- Reference number
- 12881OR.10
- Year / era
- 1953 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- Micro-rotor automatic
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 41 mm
- Case thickness
- 10.2 mm
- Case material
- Carbon TPT
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 74A — Micro-rotor automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1953 – 1962
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Czapek Quai des Bergues 41 mm Slate Carbon sits within Czapek's Quai des Bergues line, introduced in 1953. It carries the house codes established since 1845 — carbon tpt case, slate grey dial and micro-rotor automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
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.
More Quai des Bergues
Czapek Quai des Bergues 37 mm Slate Grade
Ref. 44886OR.75
Czapek Quai des Bergues 41 mm Silvered Sapphire
Ref. 21498OR.98
Czapek Quai des Bergues 40 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon
Ref. 60909OR.41
Czapek Quai des Bergues 42 mm Green Ceramic
Ref. 66863OR.53
Czapek Quai des Bergues 40 mm Meteorite Grade
Ref. 77186OR.69