Horologii

Hands-on with the Czapek Antarctique S ‘Sashiko’ Watches

A year after the release of their smaller Antarctique S watch, Swiss watch manufacturer Czapek adds a feminine twist to the design with two new pastel-coloured dials to complement the 38.5mm case. Named after a style of Japanese embroidery, the Czapek Antarctique S ‘Sashiko’ watches come in ‘Pink Lotus’ or ‘Azure’ blue and interrupt the sporty nature of the Antarctique watch with elegant geometric patterns.

“The smaller size of the Antarctique S is an open door to creativity”, says Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek. “It allows us to play with both our feminine and masculine sides without restriction and, for these dials, we opened our creative team to more players than usual, allowing inspirations to come from farther away. One of these players is my wife, whose passion for textiles and fashion led her to Japanese culture, where traditional fabrics and the lotus flower have inspired a new dial design.

The three-dimensional stamped pattern on the dials of the new Czapek Antarctique S ‘Sashiko’ watches was chosen by Marie-Alix de Roquemarel, the wife of Czapek’s CEO, who has a love of textiles and fashion. Sashiko which translates to “little stabs” is a style of traditional Japanese stitching developed in Japan during the Edo period. In the same way, the dial features intricate patterns based upon a stylised lotus flower which in the contrasting shades of pink and blue delivers interesting plays of light and movement. In different lights, the Czapek Antarctique S ‘Sashiko’ Lotus Pink watch alternates between a bright flamingo pink to softer shades of mauve while the Czapek Antarctique S ‘Sashiko’ Azure watch varies between a crisp sky blue colour and a smokey grey-blue shade. 

When we first saw these Czapek Antarctique S ‘Sashiko’ watches at Watches & Wonders 2023, our immediate impression was that these models were marketed exclusively as women’s watches. But after trying them on for ourselves, it’s safe to say these are definitely unisex with a style that completely changes depending on who is wearing them. Assisting in this balance is the inclusion of all the typical sporty Antarctique accents like the faceted and elongated, trapezoid-shaped hour markers, slim sword-shaped hands for the hours and minutes and entire integrated stainless steel case and bracelet.

The case and movement of the Czapek Antarctique S ‘Sashiko’ watches follows suit to last year’s 38.5mm Antarctique S editions. The case is engineered entirely from stainless steel and sits on the wrist at only 10.6mm high, offering scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective treatment on both the front and back, a screwed down crown and a water resistant rating of 120 metres. There is a combination of brightly polished and brushed finishing on the metal surfaces; the bezel and C-shaped bracelet links stand out for their gleaming finish while the rest of the integrated architecture has a brushed matte look. The bracelet comes with Czapek’s exclusive “Easy Release” system and micro-adjustment device and can be swapped to a complementary rubber or leather strap of your choice.

The movement in charge of running the Czapek Antarctique S ‘Sashiko’ watches is the automatic winding SXH5.01 calibre, the first movement conceived from scratch in-house by Czapek. As always, the finishing is top-notch here. The off-centered micro-rotor allows for an unobstructed view of the entire mechanism including the free-sprung balance wheel and seven skeletonized bridges, five of which are openworked. The movement delivers standard time-only function and a 60 hour power reserve.

If you’d like to learn more about the new Czapek Antarctique S ‘Sashiko’ watches and secure one of the 99 limited edition pieces for yourself, head over to the Jura Watches website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.

Specifications:

  • Case Size: 38.5mm
  • Case Material: Stainless steel
  • Bezel: Fixed
  • Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
  • Crown: Screw in
  • Case Back: Exhibition
  • Water Resistance: 120 metres
  • Movement: Calibre SXH5.01 automatic winding
  • Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
  • Power Reserve: 60 hours
  • Jewels: 28
  • Frequency: 28,800vph
  • Dial: Pink or blue flinqué dial with Japanese embroidery-inspired pattern
  • Strap: Integrated bracelet plus additional leather or rubber strap
  • Limited: 99 pieces each
  • RRP: £26,200