Czapek
Czapek Quai des Bergues 40 mm Meteorite Grade
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 40 mm Meteorite Grade
Reference 77186OR.69
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Czapek
- Collection
- Quai des Bergues
- Model
- Czapek Quai des Bergues 40 mm Meteorite Grade
- Reference number
- 77186OR.69
- Year / era
- 1983 · 1980s — quartz-crisis era
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- Satellite-hour automatic
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Dial type
- Meteorite
- Strap / bracelet
- Milanese mesh
- Water resistance
- 500 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Grade 5 titanium
- Bezel
- Unidirectional ceramic 60-minute
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Meteorite
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- Milanese mesh
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 500 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 67F — Satellite-hour automatic
- Movement type
- Manual-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- Chronograph, tachymeter, date
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1983 – 1997
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
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 40 mm Meteorite Grade sits within Czapek's Quai des Bergues line, introduced in 1983. It carries the house codes established since 1845 — grade 5 titanium case, meteorite dial and satellite-hour 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 bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
- 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 41 mm Slate Carbon
Ref. 12881OR.10
Czapek Quai des Bergues 40 mm Mother-of-pearl Carbon
Ref. 60909OR.41
Czapek Quai des Bergues 42 mm Green Ceramic
Ref. 66863OR.53