Czapek
Czapek Quai des Bergues 41 mm Silvered Sapphire
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 Silvered Sapphire
Reference 21498OR.98
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Czapek
- Collection
- Quai des Bergues
- Model
- Czapek Quai des Bergues 41 mm Silvered Sapphire
- Reference number
- 21498OR.98
- Year / era
- 1950 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Moon phase
- Movement
- Micro-rotor automatic
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Silvered opaline
- Strap / bracelet
- Oyster bracelet
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 41 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Silvered opaline
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Oyster bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 52D — Micro-rotor automatic
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Moon phase
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1950 – 1966
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
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 Silvered Sapphire sits within Czapek's Quai des Bergues line, introduced in 1950. It carries the house codes established since 1845 — sapphire crystal case case, silvered opaline 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 case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
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.