The Sandberg Watch Collection

Hotel Richemond, Geneva, Mar 31, 2001

LOT 278

Czapek & Cie, Genève, No. 5566, circa 1850.Fine 18 ct. gold, gilt metal and enamel notebook with a watch, with original pencil.

CHF 12,000 - 14,000

USD 7,000 - 8,500

Sold: CHF 17,825

C. Double-body, shaped like a small book, still with original paper inside, with dark blue translucent enamel over engine-turning, the back decorated with a gold cartouche with an Earl's crown and monogram and floral gold scrolls, the spine with matching enamel and a plain reserve, the front similarly decorated, the oval cover spring-loaded to reveal the watch, decorated with gold flowers. D. White enamel with Roman chapters, gold plate around the dial with winding, setting, and regulating apertres. Blued-steel 'spearhead' hands. M. Rectangular, gilt brass bar calibre, 8 jewels, cylinder escapement, plain brass three-arm balance, flat balance spring.Signed on the front plate.Dim. 82 x 58. Published in the Sandberg book, pages 476-477.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 3 - 22
Movement: 3 - 5 - 6*
Dial: 3 - 01

Notes

Czapek Lot CieFrançois Czapek was a Polish émigré, who in 1832 arrived in Switzerland after the fall of the Polish insurrection against Russia. On May 1, 1839, Antoni Patek and Franciszek Czapek established a business in Geneva under the name of Patek et Czapek. The partnership lasted six years during which some exceptional watches had been produced. After the dissolution, Patek established Patek, Philippe Co. with a new partner, Adrien Philippe, and Czapek founded 'Czapek et Cie', also with a new partner, Juiusz Gruzewski. Czapek's new company did well. Gruzewski was a personal friend of Napoleon III, and Czapek quickly became watchmaker to the court of the Emperor (Unger's calendar for 1850, Warsaw, 1850).He had a factory in Geneva, a shop in Warsaw, and another in Paris. He wrote a small book about watches and watchmaking in which he announced that he was working on a larger volume, but he unfortunately died before publishing it. An interesting fact is that Czapek's early watches incorporate Philippe's patented sliding pinion winding mechanism. In his book Czapek states that in his shop he used only this design.The largest serial number on a Czapek watch we have seen is 10705, and the smallest one is 1230, which leads us to conclude that he started numbering from 1000. We thus believe that Czapek's total production was about 9,000 watches.He made some outstanding timepieces. The Patek, Philippe Collection includes Czapek's regulator clock with a free, double wheel detent escapement. Among about 50 watches made or finished by Czapek that we have seen, certain ones are of outstanding quality.