Like many Swiss brands, Czapek & Cie is a storied name with a rich history, dating back to the early nineteenth century. And, like many Swiss brands, much of that history has very little to do with the brand we know and love today. Czapek & Cie was essentially dormant from the mid-1860s until 2012, when entrepreneurs Harry Guhl and Xavier de Roquemaurel, along with watchmaker Sébastien Follonier, acquired the rights to the name and began rebuilding the brand. A few years later, in 2015, the brand went public and released their first watch in 2016 (and, as a sign of things to come, won their first GPHG award in the same year). Suffice to say that in the 10 short years that followed, Czapek has become a dominant force in its corner of the watch industry, making complex, covetable sports watches as well as more traditionally styled pieces.

Today, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the modern era of the brand, Czapek adds another arrow to its quiver — the Time Jumper. Inspired by the pocket watches of that first era of the brand, the Time Jumper is an avant-garde piece, built around a new (patent pending) jumping hour complication, where the 24-hour display is created through two large discs, with trailing minutes on a peripheral ring. This complex dance of gears and discs would make for a complex dial. Still, Czapek has cleverly circumvented the issue while paying homage to its roots through the implementation of a half-hunter cover with two apertures for the central hours and the lower minutes display, both covered with a magnifying crystal and a complex, three-dimensional guilloché pattern. The resulting watch, offered in 3N gold or stainless steel, and sized at 40.5mm, is an attractive proposition, one that offers a blend of contemporary cool flavoured with a historic aesthetic that has proved to be catnip for collectors of all stripes.

Czapek & Cie Time Jumper in 3N 18-carat yellow gold case with guilloché inlay

A half-hunter cover with two apertures for the central hours and the lower minutes display

While the watch, with its covert dial and smooth rubber strap, is enough to win people over, it’s the movement that really shines. The Calibre 10 is, to put it plainly, impressive. From the back, you see the central platinum rotor, graceful curves that have come to be a Czapek hallmark, quality finishes and an innovative and practical 24-hour display that genuinely brings something new to the table. Not only was the calibre designed and assembled in-house, but a solid 75% of the movement was machined by the brand itself, something that demonstrates the young (but also old) brand’s increasing capabilities and independence. The well-pitched Time Jumper is a remarkable effort for a 10th anniversary; we can’t wait for the 20th.

The Calibre 10

Tech Specs: Czapek & Cie Time Jumper

Movement: Calibre 10.01, automatic, 60 hours of power reserve
Functions: Jumping hours and trailing minutes
Case: 40.5 x 42.4 x 12.35mm, in stainless steel with white gold guilloché inlay, or 3N 18-carat yellow gold case with guilloché inlay
Dial: Open
Strap: Blue rubber strap
Price: CHF 42,000 (ex VAT) in steel, CHF 64,000 (ex VAT) in gold