La chaux de fonds

Czapek sets production goal of 3,000 watches per year after La-Chaux-De-Fonds move

In order to meet demand, Czapek & Cie has moved into what it describes as a more spacious, newly renovated premises.

The move comes after a period of strong growth for the brand and represents a major step in the company’s strategy for the future, with the brand setting its sights on major growth in terms of production.

Czapek & Cie celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2020 and until that point it had been producing up to 180 timepieces a year. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it faces a challenge.

Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek, explained: “We had a dramatic choice to make, either pause, like many others, or go into overdrive. We decided to press ahead, because we realized that watch lovers love watches every single day, and they were looking to see what we were doing.”

Czapek says the decision paid off.

To proceed with the strategic launch of the Antarctique line, de Roquemaurel recalls having to drive components around the Jura Mountains to the Czapek partners who were still working.

The company’s fans grew incrementally with each new release of models like the limited editions Antarctique Passage de Drake Roaring Forties or the Viridian Green for Fratello. They were often sold out in a matter of hours.

For the team leading the company, the acceleration is gratifying: “Until then, our cash burn was like a prairie fire in our backs,” de Roquemaurel remembers. “Now we finally glimpsed green spaces and it ushered in Czapek’s second Golden Age.”

This year, the company will be producing up to 800 timepieces.

However, to maintain its laser focus on quality, Czapek will continue working with its dedicated manufacturing partners, who are at the high end of the Swiss watchmaking tradition.

At the same time, the company aims to ramp up production at the new workshop.

On this, de Roquemaurel added: “We will bring in more watchmakers, and, if need be, the building next door is also available.”

The mid-term goal is to be able to manufacture up to 3,000 watches a year.

“It’s ambitious, but Czapek has the know-how and now the space to open its next chapter.”

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