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Czapek & Cie has released its timepiece for the Geneva Watch Days fair—the Antarctique Rattrapante ‘R.U.R.’, a limited edition of 77 pieces. The name ‘R.U.R’ refers to the play Rossum’s Universal Robots by Karel Čapek, performed in 1921 in Prague, Czech Republic. Čapek—a novelist, playwright, and journalist—is credited with introducing the word “robot” in his play R.U.R., and his name inspired the brand to revisit this work. The novelty combines robotic animation with the split-second chronograph on the dial side, first introduced by the brand in 2021.
The 42.5 mm timepiece is crafted in stainless steel, with brushed surfaces and polished accents, complemented by a grey-metallised sapphire dial featuring a titanium robot crafted by Czapek’s partner MD’Art. Positioned above the chronograph column wheel, the robot’s hand-painted neon eyes change colour with each chronograph action—yellow on start, red on stop, and blue on reset.
The dial adds distinctive features—a white chronograph hand, a blue aluminium rattrapante hand with a white tip, and peripheral registers decorated with “XX” symbols—inspired by the Yautja alphabet from the Predator films, also serving as a tribute to Czapek’s CEO, Xavier de Roquemaurel. The dial is completed with mirror-polished column wheels and screws, hand-bevelled levers and bridges, and a matte sandblasted main plate. A glass-box sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment protects the dial. The pushers are ergonomically positioned—start-stop-reset at 2 o’clock within the crown guard, and the split-seconds pusher at 10 o’clock. Water resistance is rated to 120 metres.
Driving the timepiece is the new Calibre SXH6, developed with Jean-François Mojon of Chronode. This automatic split-seconds chronograph exposes the mechanism on the dial side. Anchored by a central tripod bridge, the architecture features two column wheels—one at 12 o’clock for the chronograph and another at 6 o’clock for the split-seconds system—allowing the wearer to observe the horizontal clutch engagement, rattrapante clamp action, and interplay of the wheels with every pusher activation. Inside the split-seconds mechanism, a hidden isolator improves precision by decoupling the chronograph seconds wheels without adding friction, thereby reducing disturbances during rattrapante operation.
The sapphire caseback reveals further movement decoration—a 5N recycled rose gold oscillating weight, matte bead-blasted bridges with hand-polished chamfers, circular satin-brushed wheels, and black-polished screws. The movement delivers 60 hours of power reserve at a frequency of 4 Hz.
The case is flanked by an integrated bracelet that mirrors the movement’s finish through brushed surfaces and polished C-shaped links, and is equipped with Czapek’s quick-change and micro-adjustment system.
Limited to 77 pieces, the Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante ‘R.U.R.’ is priced at approx. INR 63,52,000.
Czapek & Cie has released its timepiece for the Geneva Watch Days fair—the Antarctique Rattrapante ‘R.U.R.’, a limited edition of 77 pieces. The name ‘R.U.R’ refers to the play Rossum’s Universal Robots by Karel Čapek, performed in 1921 in Prague, Czech Republic. Čapek—a novelist, playwright, and journalist—is credited with introducing the word “robot” in his play R.U.R., and his name inspired the brand to revisit this work. The novelty combines robotic animation with the split-second chronograph on the dial side, first introduced by the brand in 2021.
The 42.5 mm timepiece is crafted in stainless steel, with brushed surfaces and polished accents, complemented by a grey-metallised sapphire dial featuring a titanium robot crafted by Czapek’s partner MD’Art. Positioned above the chronograph column wheel, the robot’s hand-painted neon eyes change colour with each chronograph action—yellow on start, red on stop, and blue on reset.
The dial adds distinctive features—a white chronograph hand, a blue aluminium rattrapante hand with a white tip, and peripheral registers decorated with “XX” symbols—inspired by the Yautja alphabet from the Predator films, also serving as a tribute to Czapek’s CEO, Xavier de Roquemaurel. The dial is completed with mirror-polished column wheels and screws, hand-bevelled levers and bridges, and a matte sandblasted main plate. A glass-box sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment protects the dial. The pushers are ergonomically positioned—start-stop-reset at 2 o’clock within the crown guard, and the split-seconds pusher at 10 o’clock. Water resistance is rated to 120 metres.
Driving the timepiece is the new Calibre SXH6, developed with Jean-François Mojon of Chronode. This automatic split-seconds chronograph exposes the mechanism on the dial side. Anchored by a central tripod bridge, the architecture features two column wheels—one at 12 o’clock for the chronograph and another at 6 o’clock for the split-seconds system—allowing the wearer to observe the horizontal clutch engagement, rattrapante clamp action, and interplay of the wheels with every pusher activation. Inside the split-seconds mechanism, a hidden isolator improves precision by decoupling the chronograph seconds wheels without adding friction, thereby reducing disturbances during rattrapante operation.
The sapphire caseback reveals further movement decoration—a 5N recycled rose gold oscillating weight, matte bead-blasted bridges with hand-polished chamfers, circular satin-brushed wheels, and black-polished screws. The movement delivers 60 hours of power reserve at a frequency of 4 Hz.
The case is flanked by an integrated bracelet that mirrors the movement’s finish through brushed surfaces and polished C-shaped links, and is equipped with Czapek’s quick-change and micro-adjustment system.
Limited to 77 pieces, the Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante ‘R.U.R.’ is priced at approx. INR 63,52,000.
