Passage de Drake "Roaring Forties"

The Antarctique Passage de Drake takes the sport-chic case design of the Antarctique Terre Adélie line and pairs it with an atypical trapezoid dial motif whose three-dimensional stamped surface creates a play of shadows across the dial. “This unique dial design is called the ‘Stairway to Eternity’ and was actually our initial concept dial for the Antarctique, as we were looking for a signature dial design that would be very different from anything else, but it was such a lengthy process to perfect that we launched with another dial, based on a forgotten workmanship technique, the combed ‘lamé’ dials,” shares Czapek & Cie. CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel. “We finally discovered the perfect motif when our designer accidentally enlarged the trapezoids by 50% without realizing it, and it looked amazing. That’s the beauty of mistakes!” All Czapek designs are officially registered, demonstrating the company’s directional approach. 

Creating a movement that was designed to be a “power-horse”, but also feature a sophisticated and ambitious architecture, was a real challenge. Everything was studied in great detail to take the best from both the past and the present. An example of this can be seen in the incredible finishing on the bridges that merges haute horlogerie angling techniques with state-ot-the-art laser engravings. 

The Antarctique Passage de Drake collection comes in a 40.5mm stainless steel case that is fitted to an ergonomic brushed integrated bracelet, whose brushed links are connected with highly polished links in the form of a “C” for Czapek. The bracelet features a quick-change system so each owner can quickly and easily switch to a rubber strap that is decorated with the same trapezoid pattern found on the dial. 

Named after the English explorer Sir Francis Drake, the Drake Passage connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans between Cape Horn (the southernmost point of South American) and the South Shetland Islands of the Antarctic. The stormy seas and icy conditions make it one of the most challenging places to navigate and sailors say to prepare yourself for an experience somewhere between bad and terrifying! 

The Czapek & Cie Passage de Drake was launched on December 8th 2020 with four different dial colours: Ice White, Deep Blue, Black Ink and a limited edition “Roaring Forties” grey. Forty pieces that sold out in less than 24 hours.