Purple is having a bit of a moment among watchmakers. I keep notes on recurring trends I spot as new watches are launched at this time of year and have already scribbled down Moritz Grossmann, William Wood, Studio Underdog and now Czapek & Cie for adopting the colour.
Czapek & Cie has chosen a vivid purple from its artist’s palette for a limited edition run of 18 Faubourg de Cracovie watches it calls the Purple Panda.
A second reference, also limited to 18, comes with a textured dial in what Czapek describes as California Blue with colour-matching sub dials, white markets and a red central second hand.
Both styles were originally requests from customers that can now be shared with a small group of other collectors.
“Most of our clients associate Czapek with unexpected vivid colours and have invited us to make incursions in directions that are not so common in Haute Horology, as if Czapek also had an aute couture dimension. The tone of the Purple Panda was born from these exchanges, and its name from our low-key, humorous culture,” smiles Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek & Cie.
Both timepieces are powered by the COSC-certified Czapek SXH3 caliberk automatic chronograph movement.
