A LUMINOUS TRIBUTE TO 10 YEARS OF WATCHMAKING
Since its relaunch in 2015, Czapek & Cie has built its creative approach around a simple but demanding idea: to bring traditional craftsmanship into dialogue with modern watchmaking. The Antarctique Plique-à-Jour continues this exploration, applying an ancient decorative art, normally reserved for jewellery or objets d’art, to a modern integrated steel watch.
“Czapek has always sought to explore métiers d’art and reinterpret them through contemporary design and novel techniques,” says Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek & Cie.
THE PLIQUE-À-JOUR TECHNIQUE
The plique-à-jour technique, whose name literally means “letting in the daylight,” is one of the most demanding forms of enamel work and was developed in the Byzantine Empire in the 6thth century AD. It consists in applying layers of coloured enamel into open metal cells with no backing. The enamel is fired at around 900°C, fusing to the metal framework — typically made of gold— but leaving transparent sections that allow light to pass through. The result resembles a miniature stained-glass window, alive with reflections and variations in tone.
Only a few workshops in the world still master this art, due to the precision and patience it requires. The challenges lie in multiple dimensions. First, each colour must be carefully formulated to achieve the desired hue and transparency once fired. Second, each cell on the dial must be filled individually, in the right proportion and sequence, to obtain harmonious gradients. Third, the enameller must control every stage of firing, ensuring the material does not crack under high temperature. Finally, the finishing process — polishing and adjusting the thickness — must be done, gently and progressively, to preserve the integrity of the enamel.
COLLABORATIVE CRAFTSMANSHIP
To realize this project, Czapek collaborated with several specialized partners. While MD’Art created the metal structure, Bagues-Masriera was responsible for the enamel work, including the colour application and high-temperature firing. PBMC carried out the delicate polishing and thickness adjustments, performed one by one andin progressive stages to avoid fissures in the enamel. The final steps — including pad printing, attachment of the dial feet, and surface finishing — were entrusted to MD’Art.
A LIMITED EDITION FOR TEN YEARS
Only ten pieces of the Antarctique Plique-à-Jour will be produced, each one subtly unique due to the natural variations of the enamelling process. The series, as was the case for the Antarctique Tourbillon launched in April, carries the Czapek anniversary logo engraved on the case back, as it is part of the collections marking ten years since the rebirth of Czapek & Cie in 2015 — a decade defined by collaboration, passion, and the pursuit ofindependence and authenticity in contemporary watchmaking.
