Czapek & Cie California Dreamin’

Czapek & Cie presents the latest addition to the Faubourg de Cracovie chronograph collection, California Dreamin’

Inspired by the very first modern watch of the brand. The Czapek & Cie California Dreamin’ features a Californian style dial with a grené finish and it’s powered by the 5Hz COSC-certified Czapek SXH3 caliber.

Back to the origins. This time, not directly to Francois Czapek, but to the co-founders of the modern Czapek & Cie who re-established the Company on 12 December 2012. The three entrepreneurs created the Czapek Design Study Chronograph, a manual wind chronograph powered by a historic caliber from the seventies and with a California dial. The initial purpose was to secure the legal re-establishment of the brand, yet this watch rapidly became a test of the market and a source of early stage funding before the crowdfunding equity financing took place.

This watch was in fact sold to a small circle of friends, allowing them to finance further research into design and development of a proprietary caliber. The SHX1, that powers the Quai des Bergues – the official launch collection unveiled in 2015. Today, the Czapek Design Study Chronograph serves as an inspiration for the Czapek & Cie California Dreamin’. A steel chronograph featuring a 41.5mm case and an anthracite electroplated brass California dial: the SuperLuminova® coated hour markers are in Roman numerals from X to II and Arabic from 4 to 8.

The California dial is an unusual choice for a modern timepiece, whose origins are part of the ‘mysteries’ of watchmaking. Nobody really knows why this type of dials are named after the West Coast state. Some theories state that it is called this way because that particular design was exceedingly popular in the state of California in the ’30s and ’40s. Others speculate that it’s because of a famous Los Angeles-based dial finisher, Kirk Rich, who made some popular dials with the design in the 1970s; however, nothing is definitive.

Only 18 pieces will be produced, on sale at the official brand retailers, at the Czapek Geneva boutique or at czapek.com.