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Czapek Faubourg De Cracovie Dione & Rhea
Ref. FdC Dione & Rhea
Sits in Czapek’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Czapek watches we list, which start at £20,900.
Price range £20,900 to £57,000 across 11 Czapek watches in stock.The centrepiece here is a Grand-Feu white enamel bombé dial, handcrafted and fired to produce a subtly domed surface. Two black enamel sub-dials are welded into it — one at nine o'clock concealing a Czapek signature — with baton hour markers keeping the layout clean. The integrated automatic chronograph movement is visible through a sapphire exhibition caseback. Limited to 18 pieces, the 41.5mm stainless steel case is paired with a black rubber strap fastened by a stainless steel deployant buckle.
- Reference
- FdC Dione & Rhea
- Brand
- Czapek
- Case size
- 41.5mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- White
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Functions
- Chronograph, Date, Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Rubber strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Learn more about Czapek
Franciszek Czapek fled Warsaw after the failed November Uprising and reached Geneva in 1832, gallicising his name to François. In 1839 he went into partnership with a fellow Polish exile, Antoine Norbert de Patek. That firm — Patek, Czapek & Cie — ran six years, and when it ended Patek went on to found what became Patek Philippe.
Czapek founded Czapek & Cie on 1 May 1845 with Juliusz Gruzewski. He became watchmaker to Prince Napoleon, and at its height the company had an atelier on the Quai des Bergues in Geneva, a boutique at 23 Place Vendôme in Paris from 1850, and a third in Warsaw from 1854. Then, around 1869, he lost control of the company and disappeared from the record entirely.
The name was resurrected in 2011 by Harry Guhl, later joined by Xavier de Roquemaurel and the watchmaker Sébastien Follonier. Rather than seek a single backer, they raised over two million francs from more than a hundred collectors — a house owned by the people who buy from it.
The relaunch model, the Quai des Bergues, took its two-subdial layout from an 1850 Czapek pocket watch and won the Public Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in 2016. Collections since are named for the old boutiques: Place Vendôme, Faubourg de Cracovie.
The Antarctique brought an integrated-bracelet sports watch on an in-house micro-rotor calibre, and remains the model most people meet the brand through.
- 1832
- François Czapek reaches Geneva after fleeing Warsaw.
- 1839
- Founds Patek, Czapek & Cie with Antoine Norbert de Patek.
- 1845
- Founds Czapek & Cie on the Quai des Bergues.
- 1869
- Loses the company; the name falls dormant.
- 2015
- Revived in Geneva, funded by over a hundred collectors.
Also in 4 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,782), Automatic Watches (1,540), Chronograph Watches (1,064) and Limited Edition Watches (187).
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- One of Czapek's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Czapek Faubourg De Cracovie Dione alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | FdC Dione & Rhea | 1-36-12-02-05-62 | 604020010 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £37,200 | £34,700 | £37,426 |
| Case size | 41.5mm | 42mm | 40.3mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Rubber strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | — | — | 52 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedCheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £37,200, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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