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Czapek Antarctique Passage de Drake Glacier Blue
Ref. PdD Glacier Blue
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Stepping up in Czapek's range
The dial carries Czapek's registered "Stairway to Eternity" trapezoid pattern, stamped into the surface using a three-dimensional flinqué technique and finished with an ice-blue PVD coating. Sword-shaped steel hands and applied baton indices are both filled with Super-LumiNova, while a date window sits at six o'clock in line with the dial's vertical symmetry. The sapphire crystal is shaped in a box profile, with a sapphire exhibition caseback revealing the SXH5 movement's seven skeletonised, angular bridges. The in-house automatic calibre runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour with a 60-hour power reserve, wound by an off-centred micro-rotor in recycled 950 platinum. The 40.5mm marine-grade steel case combines brushed and polished surfaces and is rated to 120 metres via a screwed crown. Its fully integrated bracelet features polished C-shaped mid-links and a deployant clasp with on-the-fly micro-adjustment and a quick-release mechanism for strap changes.
- Reference
- PdD Glacier Blue
- Brand
- Czapek
- Case size
- 40.5mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- SXH5
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 120m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Super-LumiNova
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 60 hours
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 3 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (3,157), Automatic Watches (1,753) and Blue Dial Watches (871).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- 120m water resistance covers swimming and watersports
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Czapek Antarctique Passage de Drake alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | PdD Glacier Blue | 6201-1201 | pfc914-1020021-100182 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £24,000 | £24,100 | £23,800 |
| Case size | 40.5mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 120m | 120m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 60 hours | — | 48 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?
Yes. At 120m it is rated for swimming and snorkelling, though not for diving.
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 comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 60 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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