Czapek Quai des Bergues “Sursum Corda” – Closing the Circle

Key Highlights

• Anniversary interpretation of the Quai des Bergues, marking 180 years of the maison and ten years since its modern rebirth.
• 40.5 mm 18K rose-gold case with white grand feu enamel dial, Roman numerals and twin de-centred sub-dials.
• Hidden “Sursum Corda” motto, historical Czapek signature and laser-engraved “10 / 180” emblem within the enamel.
• Seven-day, double-barrel, manual-winding calibre inspired by 19th-century pocket watches.

Returning to the source on Geneva’s Quai des Bergues

Czapek’s historic home remains Geneva’s Quai des Bergues, where François Czapek opened his atelier before expanding to other cities. The modern Quai des Bergues line draws on archival pocket watches such as the 1850s reference 5350, whose Roman numerals and de-centred indications set the template for today’s design.

The inaugural Quai des Bergues N° 33 translated these cues into a white grand feu enamel dial with small-seconds and power-reserve sub-dials driven by a proprietary calibre developed with Chronode, while the 33bis – winner of the Public Prize at the 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève – underlined Czapek’s focus on long autonomy and a clear, recognisable visual identity.

The Quai des Bergues “Sursum Corda” tightens this link between 19th-century pocket watches and contemporary Geneva watchmaking, using the familiar layout as a canvas for discreet anniversary codes.

A secret message in white enamel

The “Sursum Corda” edition centres on an 18K rose-gold case, a white grand feu enamel dial and slender hands framing a restrained display. Beneath the enamel, the Latin motto “Sursum Corda” – “Lift up your hearts” – appears only when light strikes at the right angle, joined by a laser-engraved “10 / 180” that marks a decade since the maison’s revival and 180 years since its founding.

The phrase, invoked by CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel during demanding phases of the brand’s journey, became an internal rallying cry before being proposed for the dial by a Czapek team member, and a further historical nod sits in the small-seconds sub-dial, where a secret “Czapek” inscription recreates François Czapek’s original signature from the Geneva archives.

These hidden inscriptions make the model both a dress watch and a coded anniversary piece for collectors who like discovering the maison’s story on the wrist.

A seven-day calibre bridging centuries

At the heart of “Sursum Corda” is Czapek’s manual-winding calibre from the movement family created for the first Quai des Bergues wristwatches. Twin barrels provide a seven-day power reserve and invite a weekly winding ritual, while the symmetrical layout with open ratchets recalls mid-19th-century pocket watches and showcases the gear train.

Finishing follows haute horlogerie norms with circular graining, hand-chamfered bridges and sand-blasted surfaces, and the 40.5 mm case, positioned between the earlier 42.5 mm and 38.5 mm sizes, balances wrist presence and legibility around the twin sub-dial display that unites the Quai des Bergues references.

Continuity within the Quai des Bergues collection

Alongside the anniversary piece, Czapek presents Quai des Bergues N° 33 in rose gold with a white grand feu enamel dial, and N° 25 in stainless steel paired with enamel, building on the 33bis and 25ter while extending customisation to the hands and to the choice of a “secret sentence” within the enamel. They share the same seven-day calibre with a sub-dial at 4:30 indicating power reserve and day of the week.

Together with “Sursum Corda”, these references link the maison’s rebirth to a coherent identity focused on mechanical content, artisanal dial work and the culture of independent watchmaking in Geneva.

Why it matters

The Quai des Bergues “Sursum Corda” distils Czapek’s approach to independent haute horlogerie, combining historically grounded design, a long-power-reserve calibre and discreet, personal details. For collectors who value narrative, finishing and understatement, it offers a bridge between Geneva’s watchmaking past and a modern, boutique-scale brand.

The model and its companion references show how a single family of watches can carry archival inspiration, contemporary movement architecture and intimate dial storytelling while remaining suitable for regular wear.