Czapek & Cie, a Swiss-based watchmaker with Polish roots, is coming back to its origins and re-establishing its presence in the Polish market. The brand was founded in the 19^th Century by Franciszek Czapek, a watchmaker and a veteran of the November Uprising, who moved to Switzerland after the fall of the military rebellion and devoted the rest of his life to the art of watchmaking. In the Helvetic country, Czapek at first associated with a fellow Pole, Antoni Patek. He then founded his own company, with an atelier in Geneva and showrooms in downtown Warsaw and Paris, and became the official watchmaker of the court of Emperor Napoleon III.

Today, the revived Czapek & Cie is makes a new start in the Polish market and unveils a limited edition of watches named “Warszawianka”, an homage to the company’s founder and to the history of his homeland. The Warszawianka watch was created in cooperation between Czapek & Cie and the Polish company of Wealth Solutions – experts in building collections of rare drinks, works of art, and watches, and originators of the idea to offer the exquisite Warszawianka collection.

“Although Franciszek Czapek created his greatest masterpieces abroad, he often included patriotic references in many of his timepieces”, explains Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek & Cie. “The Warszawianka model pays tribute to these long-lasting traditions”.

The dial of the watch features, at 12 o’clock, the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland from the era of the November Uprising. This is a clear reference to the heroic, military episode in the story of Czapek’s life, who served in the National Guard and took part in the battle of Warsaw. The number “6”, unlike the other numerals on the dial, is red, to underline the hour at which the November Uprising started. The “Żyj swobodo, Polsko żyj” (Live, freedom, oh Poland, live) inscription on the dial is a fragment of the lyrics of Warszawianka – a patriotic song the entire project has been named after. Furthermore, the cabochon features a piece of amber – one of the world-famous symbols of Poland. All these unique features are combined together creating a truly exquisite watch that merges Swiss precision with the Polish soul.

“The history and tradition are really important values for Polish people, so as a Polish company specializing in luxury and collectible watches we decided to create the special edition of timepieces that would pay homage to our past and would show part of our heritage in an interesting way. This is the reason why we invited to cooperation the Swiss watch atelier which has Polish roots and a founder who had insurrectionary episode in his life story” said Michał Kowalski, Vice-President of Wealth Solutions.

The limited edition includes only 15 timepieces, including 5 with 5N Red Gold cases and 10 with XO Steel cases, and was manufactured in Switzerland. The official launch of the Warszawianka model took place on 31 May with an exclusive event at the 5-star Bellotto hotel in Warsaw.

In addition to this limited edition timepieces, the regular collection – the “Quai des Bergues” watches for ladies and for gentlemen, as well as the “Place Vendôme”, the brand new tourbillon line – is also available in Poland. Czapek’s regular collection watches may be purchased from the company’s official distributor – Jubiler Pluciński, a family-operated business boasting over 60 years of history and offering luxurious jewellery, as well as high-end watches.

Media contact: Piotr Suchodolski, tel.: +48 512 965 658, email: piotr.suchodolski@wealth.pl

Over time, Franciszek Czapek earned a reputation of an extraordinary watchmaker. Aged 20, he took part in the November Uprising and fought in Warsaw as part of the National Guard force. Once the military rebellion was crushed, he emigrated and settled down in Switzerland, where he met another November Uprising veteran – Antoni Patek. The two gentlemen decided to join their forces and founded a company under the name of Patek, Czapek & Cie. Czapek was in charge of manufacturing watches, while Patek was supervising sales and the operational part of the business. The company soon reached the production volume of approximately 200 watches per year.

However, in 1845, six years after starting their cooperation, the two Poles decided to part ways. Antoni Patek became associated with another watchmaker and established his own company that is currently well known worldwide as Patek Philippe. Franciszek Czapek joined forces with another business partner and founded another watch brand with stores in Warsaw and Paris. It also became the official watchmaker of the court of the Emperor Napoleon III. Its workshops were in Geneva and Warsaw. The 19th Century watchmaker is also the author of a book about watchmaking – a Polish-language publication entitled “Słów kilka o zegarmistrzostwie” (A brief story of watchmaking).

In November 2015, three enthusiasts of art, crafts, and watchmaking relaunched Czapek & Cie following an intense three-year period of research and development. They designed an innovative funding system to finance the project using three crowdfunding sites. “This way we fully share our passion and adventure,” says Xavier de Roquemaurel. The company is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The model Quai des Bergues 33bis won the Public Prize in the GPHG, just one year after the public revival of the company. For more information, please visit: www.czapek.com

Wealth Solutions was established in 2007 with a mission to provide unique products for collectors. The company was created by real enthusiasts of exceptional goods, such as fine Bordeaux wines, top quality whisky, and art. Over the past nine years, more than 8,000 clients have trusted Wealth Solutions by purchasing top quality collectibles and using the company’s expertise. Wealth Solutions managed to place on the market one of the oldest whiskies ever, i.e. the 67-year-old Glen Grant 1949. The cognac houses Tiffon and Bache-Gabrielsen surprised the company’s customers with special editions of the beverage originating from the turn of the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Wealth Solutions was the originator behind the idea of creating the Spirit Watches line, featuring watches with capsules filled with special and old alcoholic beverages. The first in the series – the Cognac Watch – had the 1762 Gautier cognac inside. The beverage was officially registered by the Guinness World Records™ as the oldest cognac ever sold on the auction market. The second in this line – Rum Watch was the world’s second watch fitted with an alcohol capsule and the first one with rum inside. It was not just any alcoholic beverage, but the 1780 Harewood Rum, the oldest rum in the world, which was also confirmed by the Guinness World Records™. The last one in this line – Whisky Watch was fitted with a capsule with a drop of the world’s oldest whisky – Glenlivet 1862. More information: www.en.wealth.pl

Warszawianka of 1831 (originally La Varsovienne) is a song by the French poet Casimir François Delavigne. He wrote it after being impressed by the news about the heroic Polish uprising, in order to incite Poles to continue their struggle. The song quickly became popular in the Kingdom of Poland, and was performed publicly for the first time at the National Theatre in Warsaw, after the city had been liberated from Russia. Its original version was written in French, but the song has earned its true popularity thanks to the numerous Polish translations. The most famous one was written by Karol Sienkiewicz, brother of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s grandfather. During the era of the partitions, it was one of the most important patriotic songs. Once independence was finally regained, Warszawianka was one of the candidates to become the national anthem of Poland.