OCEAN REFLECTIONS
Resulting from an association between the Geneva-based brand and the online magazine, this limited-edition watch features a beautiful flinqué dial as green as a mountain lake.
Behind every great story, there is an encounter. In this particular instance, it begins with a rather informal discussion between a Swiss watch brand based in Geneva since 2011 and a specialized online magazine established in the Netherlands in 2004. It was during this conversation that the seed of a collaboration between Czapek and Fratello was planted to create the Antarctique Passage de Drake model, a limited edition of only 50 timepieces, available by pre-order for delivery in October.
Drawing inspiration from the silhouette of 1970s sports watches, this novelty takes its name from geography, more specifically from a wide strait located at the tip of the Cono Sur joining the three oceans Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern, bordering the White Continent. It features a steel case measuring 40.5mm in diameter and 11.3 thick. Waterproof to a depth of 120m, it has solid lugs for a perfect match with the bracelet of metal links, screwed crown, and sapphire back. The backing allows one to observe the micro-rotor and the meticulous finishing of the 4hz SXH5 automatic caliber with 56 hours of power reserve.
While the case of the timepiece is superb, the highlight is nevertheless its dial, which is decorated in a sublime flinqué pattern. The surface is enhanced by a green tint, sometimes emerald and sometimes mint colored, depending on the lighting. It is encircled by “clawed” hour markers embedded in the ring bearing the minute track. The hours and minutes are displayed by two silvered and luminescent hands. The seconds are indicated by a second hand available in three options, totally or partially enameled with orange or rhodium, and the date is shown in white on a green background at 6 o’clock.
Price: €20,820
By Sharmila Bertin