CALIBRE 9
THE NEW IN-HOUSE CALIBER 9
Reflecting Czapek’s unwavering pursuit of Beauty, the purity of the mechanism became the main design driver for the new in-house movement, Czapek Calibre 9. The fundamental principle was that that the three key elements – tourbillon, gear train and barrel – should be revealed on the dial side, perfectly aligned on the vertical axis and appearing as airy and light as possible. The open-worked flying tourbillon appears to hover between the main plate and dial, directly connected to the gear train, which floats in the centre of the dial beneath an extremely long and finely curved minutes bridge. The barrel dominates the upper section of the dial, floating in an aperture beneath an open-worked bridge.
To amplify the trompe l’oeil effect and create the impression that it is floating in the air, the surface of the gold winding rotor is convex. Moreover, Michèle Rothen, Czapek’s cherished independent master engraver, hand-engraved it with a black-hole-inspired pattern similar to the guilloché Singularité.
Calibre 9 is the first Czapek calibre not only designed, conceived and constructed in-house but also machined mostly in-house. However, as Xavier de Roquemaurel points out, this does not signify a wish for full vertical integration. Emphasising that Czapek will always defend the principle of établissage, he explains: “We want freedom – hence the capacity to produce elements in-house. But we don’t want to make everything ourselves; for us, freedom also means the ability to choose and collaborate with the best specialist partners in any given area. That is what enables us to maintain agility and independence.” He also points out the invaluable sense of ‘family’ among the Maison’s regular partners. “These values are deeply embedded in the philosophy underlying our 10th anniversary celebration and our future,” he says.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Caliber 9:
Czapek's in house self-winding mechanical movement, 100% swiss made.
Swiss lever escapement, variable-inertia balance (8mg per cm2) via 4 gold inertia weights.
Power-reserve:
> 72 hours on one single barrel
Power winding system:
Automatic, hand-engraved 5N gold oscillating weight
Frequency:
3 Hz – 21600 VpH
Diameter:
32.4 mm
Height:
Oscillating weight / bottom dials: 4.2 mm
Oscillating weight / centre bridge: 7mm
Number of components:
191
Number of jewels:
20
Finish:
Openwork ratchets, sandblasted, blackened, satin-finished and hand-bevelled bridges, six hand-chamfered inward angles.
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