A COMPLEX DEVELOPMENT

What sounded simple at first became a three-year saga of deep exploration into aesthetics and engineering. The powerful SXH5 was an outstanding caliber on its own merit and with an exceptionally stark design, in particular the fine bridges angling over to grip the gearwheels, a hint of the 19th century Czapek pocket watch movements.

“One of the first requests had been to engrave a drawing of the movement onto the dial, as a ‘trompe l’oeil,’” says Xavier de Roquemaurel." But soon a far more complex idea emerged, namely turning part of the movement upside down in the case and skeletonizing the main plate.”  

THE MOVEMENT

The SXH7 caliber, was born as an evolution of the SXH5 movement. The decision of skeletonizing the main plate raised a number of significant challenges, the first one being to completely reverse the escapement. Then the oscillating mass had to be engraved on both sides, for example, and the crown mechanism, now visible to the naked eye, had to be reworked entirely. On a more technical note, the seconds hand could no longer be connected by a bridge to the center, so space was made at 4:30 for a small seconds dial. The solution was to use sapphire crystal ring for the seconds. It is discreetly attached to the larger sapphire ring carrying the hours and minutes and ensuring as much transparency as possible, so the wearer can take a deep dive into the mechanism. 

EVERY DETAIL COUNTS

In fine watchmaking, every little detail counts. Besides the exceptional SXH7 movement and the sleek and sharp design of the case or the dial, a great deal of attention was put on the bracelet. The feeling when placed on the wrist, the comfort in every situation and lightness are as important as the timepiece visual and technical qualities. The capability to be forgotten by its wearer and to suddenly reveal its stunning beauty create an intensely pleasurable dichotomy. This is why the Antarctique collection is equipped by an ergonomic brushed integrated bracelet, whose links mesh to form a highly polished 'C' for Czapek.