Ever since its launch in 2015, Czapek & Cie has relentlessly sought to maintain a delicate balance between high-end mechanics and refined aesthetics.

The brand new Antarctique Rattrapante, a split-second mono-pusher chronograph with a unique, dial-side mechanism, embodies these ideals.

“The Antarctique line was released in 2020 as the epitome of sporty elegance,” says CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel. “It was calling for a complication that would amaze our aficionados.”

A glance at the SHX6, Czapek’s proprietary calibre created in collaboration with Chronode, is a work of art from the mechanical and aesthetic standpoint. For one, the number and thickness of the main components had to be reduced to make sure the timepiece would keep its streamlined look and feel and fit well into the 42.5-millimeter case.

“As with the classic chronograph, the split-second runs on energy tapped from the second wheel,” explains Xavier. “This time, we favoured a horizontal clutch rather than a vertical one to highlight the aesthetics of the transmission”.

The focus of the movement is the tripod bridge in the centre that holds down a patented satellite minute train and the patent-pending split-second mechanism just below. The two column wheels, one at the top (for the chronograph) and the bottom (for the split-second mechanism) divide the movement into two halves. The minute totaliser at four o’clock and the small seconds at seven o’clock serve as visual anchors to this high-flying, modern and dynamic timepiece, and maintain the link to the company’s spiritus rector, the great nineteenth-century watchmaker, François Czapek, who was using vertical symmetry as an aesthetic guide.