Czapek
Czapek Quai des Bergues 42 mm Green Ceramic
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 42 mm Green Ceramic
Reference 66863OR.53
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Czapek
- Collection
- Quai des Bergues
- Model
- Czapek Quai des Bergues 42 mm Green Ceramic
- Reference number
- 66863OR.53
- Year / era
- 1998 · 1990s — mechanical revival
- Complication
- Time only
- Movement
- Manual-winding, hand-finished
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Dial type
- Green sunburst
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 200 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 250 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 42 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Bezel
- Fluted 18k gold
- Crystal
- Box sapphire with AR coating
- Dial
- Green sunburst
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Titanium deployant clasp
- Water resistance
- 200 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 44A — Manual-winding, hand-finished
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 10 days
- Number of jewels
- 37 jewels
- Complications
- Time only
- Functions
- Dive time, running seconds
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1998 – 2013
- Limited-edition quantity
- 250 pieces
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Jörg Hysek
Jörg Hysek left Rolex and Seiko's European studios to build a design practice in Geneva, giving houses such as Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, Seiko and TAG Heuer their sculptural, architecture-led cases before founding his own brand, HD3.
Historical significance
Czapek Quai des Bergues 42 mm Green Ceramic sits within Czapek's Quai des Bergues line, introduced in 1998. It carries the house codes established since 1845 — ceramic case, green sunburst dial and manual-winding, hand-finished — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
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 41 mm Slate Carbon
Ref. 12881OR.10
Czapek Quai des Bergues 40 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon
Ref. 60909OR.41
Czapek Quai des Bergues 40 mm Meteorite Grade
Ref. 77186OR.69