A Double Sun rises over the Quai Des Bergues

One size never truly fits all – and with this in mind, Czapek presents its Quai des Bergues model in a new, 40.5mm case. The steel case retains all of the stylistic signatures of the Quai des Bergues case – with a slight refinement of the case-side recesses in order to incorporate the movement (Calibre SXH1) – and a subtle change to the slope of the lugs to ensure a perfect fit on the wrist.

To complement the new case size, Czapek, together with its dial-making partner Metalem, developed an entirely new guilloché pattern, named ‘Double Soleil’, after the parhelion phenomenon, an optical illusion that appears under certain atmospheric conditions as a luminous spot on one or both sides of the sun. Also known colloquially as ‘sun dogs’, parhelia occur when the sun shines through thin cirrus clouds composed of hexagonal ice crystals, which refract the rays, rather like the effect of a prism. This spectacular and rare phenomenon most often occurs in winter, when the sun is low in the sky.

The starting point for the new pattern was a discussion about the Maison’s proprietary Ricochet Guilloché. Through a process of iteration, with greater emphasis on vertical symmetry and straighter, deeper cuts, the new Double Soleil pattern achieves a bolder and more contemporary look. And it plays an intriguing visual trick: are the lines radiating outwards like sunrays from behind the sub-dials or are they being drawn inwards?

Specifications

Functions

Hours, Minutes & Seconds
Small second at 7h30
Power reserve indication with weekdays at 4h30

Movement

Calibre SXH1: Haute Horlogerie proprietary mechanical hand-wound movement
Power-reserve > 168 hours (7 days) on 2 barrel-springs
Frequency: 3 Hz – 21,600 VpH
Diameter: 32 mm – 14 lines ¼
Height: 4.75 mm
Finish: Openworked with double open ratchets, sandblasted bridges, blue screws, bevelling, final anglage main