ANTARCTIQUE TITANIUM DARK SECTOR

RRP for this timepiece is 32,000 CHF

A head turning piece of contemporary haute horlogerie with a distinctly suave personality, the Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector by Geneva based independent watch manufacturer Czapek introduces a dramatic new dimension to the brand’s hugely successful luxury integrated sports watch collection.

Named after the Dark Sector Laboratory at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, where the night skies are the most pristine and darkest in the world, the Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector artfully adopts the concept of space to depict the time in a stylish and contemporary way.

Uniformly finished with a brushed grain, the austere metallic tone of the brushed Grade 5 titanium case and bracelet is accentuated by the matte anthracite dial and combine to give the watch a cool, monochrome theme. The polished bezel and rounded crown protection provide a discreet element of contrast, while the contra-directional graining on the signature ‘C’ links give them a pronounced appearance on the bracelet.

Beneath the subtle convex arc of sapphire crystal, the three hand time-only display is minimal and futuristic in its execution. A fine minutes track defines the periphery of the dial, while the conventional indices which feature on the Dark Sector’s Antarctique siblings are dispensed with, and instead two concentric rings of curved steel segments are punctuated by spaces between them, those voids becoming the hour markers.

The time is displayed via the steel sword hour and minute hands, which are coated with Super-LumiNova for optimal legibility in all light conditions. Only the red tip of the seconds hand and the red dot at the twelve o’clock position add an element of colour to the watch.

On the underside, a sapphire crystal caseback reveals the superb SXH5 in-house calibre which beats within. A state of the art mechanism which has been entirely conceived and developed in-house, its breathtaking display is dominated by a cascading series of seven skeletonised bridges, which is a tribute to the classical architecture of the 19th century pocket watches of François Czapek. The inner workings and detailing of the free sprung balance and going train of interconnecting wheels and gears, and the sandblasted black German silver mainplate, with mirror polishing, anglage and bevelling are immaculately finished by hand to the exacting standards of haute horlogerie.

Offset and fitted flush onto the main plate to shave excess height off the movement and allow for a compact profile, the energy for the single barrel comes from the 100% recycled solid platinum micro rotor, whose bi-directional winding provides the chronometer-rated 28’800vib/h mechanism with a minimum of 60 hours of power reserve when fully wound.

Measuring 40.5mm across and standing 10.5mm tall, the Antarctique Titanium Dark Sector boasts a water resistance rating of 12 ATM/120 m. It is supplied with a second, complimentary rubber strap, which is easily interchanged with the bracelet, thanks to a quick release system, and will be manufactured in a limited annual production of just 100 pieces.