Czapek Antarctique Tourbillon Titanium Cosmic Blue

A flying tourbillon in titanium & Cosmic Blue When the Czapek Antarctique Tourbillon was created, the fundamental design principle was that the key elements of the maker's Calibre 9 should be displayed on the dial side. The flying tourbillon, gear train and barrel would be perfectly aligned on the vertical axis and appear to float above the trompe l’oeil vortex effect created by the hand-guilloché ‘Singularité’ design, developed specially for the watch by Czapek’s long-time partner, Metalem. The name of the pattern is taken from the astronomical term singularity, meaning those places in the universe such as black holes, where space and time become infinite and undifferentiated. Now, a year after the launch, the Cosmic Blue dial of the new titanium version of the Antarctique Tourbillon amplifies the visual drama, creating the impression of infinite depth at the heart of the display and enhancing the purity of the mechanical structure floating in the void above it. The contrast between the blue dial and the hour markers, which are attached to the flange rather than being set on the dial, increases this effect. Against the rich Cosmic Blue landscape, the hand-polished angles of the long, slender gear train bridge and open-worked barrel bridge and satin-polishing on the top arms of the tourbillon cage create fascinating plays of light and shadow. On the reverse side of the calibre, the 18k gold winding rotor echoes the impression of floating, its convex surface hand-engraved with a black-hole inspired pattern by Czapek’s own master engraver. Calibre 9 marked a new stage in Czapek’s technical evolution, as the first Czapek calibre not only designed, conceived and constructed in-house, but also machined mostly in-house. Significant technical prowess is also evident in the new geometry for the tourbillon, which dictated a finely machined convex titanium cage, and the anticlockwise crown wheel that required the development of a new proprietary toothing. As the Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds continues to build its repertoire of skills, certain elements of component finishing, including the hand-bevelling and sandblasting of the large central bridge that spans the dial, were also executed in-house for the latest iteration of Calibre 9.  Perfectly fitted to the case is an integrated bracelet, which now is equipped with a special micro-adjustment system, unique to Czapek. An additional strap is provided, as Czapek has developed an exclusive quick-change system allowing the wearer to switch from one strap to another at a moment's notice.  Limited Edition: 25 pieces Specifications Functions Hours, Minutes, Seconds Flying Tourbillon Movement Calibre 9: Czapek's in house Flying Tourbillon movement Hands Luminescent, steel "Sword" hands Case Stainless steel case 40.5 mm diameter Height: 10.6 mm Sapphire crystal glass-box with anti-reflective treatment ARDur© Sapphire crystal case-back with anti-reflective treatment Water-resistance: 50 meters (5 atm) Screwed-down crown Bracelet Integrated stainless steel bracelet with Czapek exclusive "Easy Release" system Additional calf leather or rubber strap Dial Cosmic Blue "Singularity" engine-turned guilloché