The Czapek Place Vendôme Complicité Stardust Cobalt combines extensive sapphire tech and a dual escapement
Borna Bošnjak- Czapek presents a new iteration of its complex Place Vendôme Complicité in a new Stardust Cobalt colourway.
- The dual going train connected by a differential was a design collaboration between Bernhard Lederer and Czapek, with a sapphire bridge holding the differential.
- The 13-piece limited edition is cased in white gold, with an openworked silver dial with highlighting elements in blue and gold.
If you’ve read about Czapek, chances are you would’ve come across the brand’s popular Antarctique line, or perhaps the new Promenade collection. These time-only pieces have become Czapek’s bread and butter, but thanks to their popularity and good sale numbers (especially if we consider the integrated-bracelet Antarctique), it gives the brand a chance to experiment with some true haute horlogerie. Launched last year, the Czapek Place Vendôme Complicité is a collaborative effort with Bernhard Lederer, a watchmaker specialising in dual escapement movements, incorporating two going trains connected by a sapphire bridge-suspended differential. The new Stardust Cobalt Blue model combines the main colours of its predecessors, wraps them in a white gold case for a limited edition of 13 pieces.
Just glancing at the dial, you might expect more than just a three-hander with a power reserve, but describing the Place Vendôme Complicité as simple is doing it a huge disservice. The phenomenon of resonance is not an oft-explored one, with just a handful of master watchmakers perfecting its use in a wristwatch. Czapek doesn’t fully rely on this, instead using the average rates of the two balance wheels oscillating separately by connecting them with a differential. And to ensure the skeletonised gears of the Calibre 8 are on full display, Czapek constructed the bridge holding the differential out of sapphire – a rare treat. To ensure legibility and offer a point of difference from earlier models, the eight indices and all the hands are heat-blued, set against a silver backdrop of the circularly brushed flange and grained baseplate.
A side-on look reveals the hollowed-out lugs of the Place Vendôme Complicité case, here crafted in 18k white gold, as well as the Czapek logo-signed crown and a new domed sapphire replacing the box crystal of the prior models. The dimensions are 41.8mm in diameter, 13.3mm in height, and 48.2mm lug-to-lug, sitting just slightly north of that 40mm many consider a sweet spot. These sportier dimensions are also met with a 50-metre water-resistance – more than you might expect from such a complicated watch, though certainly not putting the Place Vendôme Complicité Stardust Cobalt in outright sports watch territory.
The reverse of the Calibre 8 is certainly not as impressive as the dial side, and that’s for once a good thing, meaning you won’t have to dread your staring into the movement being interrupted. Czapek’s movement decoration, though certainly more contemporary than classical, is fantastic despite the front of the watch being the star of the show, with plentiful wheel skeletonisation, finely frosted surfaces, and a total of 18 hand-chamfered internal angles.
Czapek Place Vendôme Complicité Stardust Cobalt pricing and availability
The Czapek Place Vendôme Complicité Stardust Cobalt is a limited edition of 13 pieces. Price: US$100,000
| Brand | Czapek |
| Model | Place Vendôme Complicité Stardust Cobalt |
| Case Dimensions | 41.8mm (D) x 13.3mm (T) x 48.2mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | 18k white gold |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Open, silver brushed |
| Strap | Blue alligator leather, 18k white gold folding clasp |
| Movement | Calibre 8, co-developed with Bernhard Lederer, dual escapement |
| Power Reserve | 72 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds, power reserve |
| Availability | Limited to 13 pieces |
| Price | US$100,000 |