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拍品专文
Watch no. 3277 is an exceedingly rare example of a “Demi-Chronometer” made by Czapek. It is thought that only four other watches with this designation are known to exist to date, no. 3395 sold to Emperor Napoleon III, nos. 3583, 5011, and 5077.
From this series the present watch is the earliest high quality Czapek known giving us a rare opportunity to track his progress in developing his precision timekeeping. It also allows us to have a glimpse into his watchmaking abilities and judge his role in his previous partnership with Antoine Nobert de Patek. One might ask how much credit should be given to Czapek for it.
No. 3277 is furthermore the only known watch made by Czapek fitted with a personalized dial, rendering it an extraordinarily rare timepiece.
The movement
High quality isochronous calibrated lever escapement, exposed ruby pallets and mustache-shaped fork’s tail (fig. 1), temperature-compensating bimetallic balance with gold adjustment screws and Breguet balance spring, Audemars’ all-or-nothing type repeating mechanism activated by a slide at 2 o’clock, Geneva stop-work to prevent overwinding. The train has 19 ruby jewels and the entire escapement is jeweled and capped - each arbor is mounted in two jewels with holes and two flat ones. All of the latter are components of exceptionally high quality and finish.
To make sure that this is understood, Czapek engraved the cuvette “PÓŁ-CHRONOMETR” meaning “DEMI CHRONOMETER” which indicates the highest quality.
It is stamped with Czapek’s trademark both outside (fig. 2) as well as under the dial (fig. 3). Additionally, it bears the watch serial number matching the serial number of the case.
The dial
Instead of the standard numerals 1-12, the dial has Gothic letters spelling: JÓZEF SZEMIOT, the person who has ordered the watch. It was hand-painted which is clearly shown by comparing the differences between the “E” in “JÓZEF” and the “E” in “SZEMIOT”.
It is secured to the movement by two screws at the 12 and the 6. At the time it was a typical dial fixing solution for Czapek, as well as for his first partner, Antoine Norbert de Patek.
Personalized dials by Czapek, as well as by Patek, are very rare. It appears that this is the only one made by Czapek known. Very few were made by Antoine Norbert de Patek, numbers 25’586, 90’035, 97’950, 134’352, and one more1.
The Case
Engine turned, made by Etienne Piguet, a Geneva master casemaker listed as Monteur de boites en or2, owner’s coat-of-arms in high relief on the back cover (fig. 4).
Provenance
The Princes Szemiot is an old Russian family. The owner of the watch was from a branch that settled in the north-western part of Poland, near the Russian boarder, and, in time, Polonized completely.
Józef Szemiot, who ordered this watch, was born around 1820. His father, Tadeusz Szemiot was a marshal of Szawelski, a position Józef was also awarded. During the war with Russia (January uprising 1863-65) Józef was a captain in the Polish Army fighting Russians. He died in 1864 in a forest battle near Bronkowice. The watch was, most likely, with him.
CZAPEK & CIE.
The importance of Frantisek or François Czapek in the world of horology lies in the fact that he was the first partner of Antoine Norbert de Patek, founder of what was to become Patek, Philippe & Cie. However, there is more to it than meets the eye. As Patek stated himself, it was Czapek who first established the watch business and Patek then joined him on 1 May 18393.
In 1838 or early 1839 Antoine Patek, in an application for a permanent visa, stated to the Geneva police that he was interested in joining the company of Czapek & Moreau4. Monsieur Moreau was a French watchmaker who had settled in Versoix, near Geneva. Czapek, who got married on 22 October 1836 in Versoix, lived with his wife in Moreau’s house and also worked with him.
Moreau didn’t have children and took care of his, quite attractive, niece Marie-Adelaide Thomasine. Patek, who also lived in Versoix, knew Czapek and consequently Moreau. All in all, Marie-Adelaide became Patek’s wife and Moreau & Czapek became Patek & Czapek with Moreau as a silent partner.
Czapek & Moreau
↓
Patek & Czapek (& Moreau)
↓ ↓
Patek & Cie. Czapek & Cie.
↓
Patek, Philippe & Cie.
Franciszek Czapek was born in Bohemia in 1811 but grew up in Poland. He participated in the Polish uprising of 1830 (see lot 174 for details) as a soldier of the Polish National Guard in Warsaw. After the end of the uprising he escaped to Switzerland. By 1836 Czapek was already a well experienced watchmaker5.
After parting with Patek in 1845 where, in addition to his share of the profit he was paid 100 Swiss Francs per month6, he established his own business Czapek & Cie. with financial backing from Juliusz Gruzewski, his new partner. The latter was not only a hero of the 1830 Insurrection but was also actively involved in the Polish independence movement. In 1863 his loyalty earned him the position of an official agent of the Polish National Government in Switzerland, with responsibility for arms purchases and their transport to Poland7. His ties with Polish emigres as well as with wealthy Poles in Poland must have been far-reaching. In addition, he was a personal friend of Napoleon III and secured a position for Czapek as a watchmaker to the Emperor8. Czapek had a factory in Geneva9, a shop in Warsaw10, and another in Paris11. He sold watches directly to clients as well as to other watchmakers who put their names on them.
In 1850 he wrote a book about watches and watchmakers12. It is obvious from reading it that he knew watchmaking well, both in theory and in practice.
An interesting fact is that Czapek's early watches incorporated Adrien Philippe's patented stem-winding and setting mechanism. In his book13 Czapek stated that he used only this design. It is hard to imagine that Patek was not aware of this, there must have been a reason why he allowed him to use Philippe's patented invention. This mystery, so far, is still unsolved. Maybe, there is even more to the relationship between Patek and Czapek than meets the eye.
1 In a book Pani Roza (Poland, 2009, p. 93) about Rose Potocka, her son mentions that she had a Patek Philippe watch with personalized dial spelling her name.
2 Geneva Archives.
3 Philip Poniz, Patek, Philippe, The Forgotten Beginnings, VOX, Geneva, Spring 2003, pp. 92-101.
4 Geneva police archives for August 1839 (when Patek came to pick up the visa).
5 Nakwaski, Memoirs. Library of the University of Lvow (manuscript 1016). Nakwaski was Czapek’s contemporary and the founder of the Association of Polish Watchmakers in Switzerland.
6 The partnership agreement.
7 Juliusz Gruzewski, PSB, vol.9, pp. 66 and 67.
8 Unger's calendar for 1860.
9 A. Potocki, Raporty Szpiega, 1835-48 manuscript, published Warsaw 1973.
10 Warsaw Directory, 1854.
11 Unger, op. cit.
12 Fr. Czapek, Slow kilka o Zegarmistrzowstwie [A Few Words about Watchmaking] (Leipzig, 1850).
13 Czapek, op. cit.
From this series the present watch is the earliest high quality Czapek known giving us a rare opportunity to track his progress in developing his precision timekeeping. It also allows us to have a glimpse into his watchmaking abilities and judge his role in his previous partnership with Antoine Nobert de Patek. One might ask how much credit should be given to Czapek for it.
No. 3277 is furthermore the only known watch made by Czapek fitted with a personalized dial, rendering it an extraordinarily rare timepiece.
The movement
High quality isochronous calibrated lever escapement, exposed ruby pallets and mustache-shaped fork’s tail (fig. 1), temperature-compensating bimetallic balance with gold adjustment screws and Breguet balance spring, Audemars’ all-or-nothing type repeating mechanism activated by a slide at 2 o’clock, Geneva stop-work to prevent overwinding. The train has 19 ruby jewels and the entire escapement is jeweled and capped - each arbor is mounted in two jewels with holes and two flat ones. All of the latter are components of exceptionally high quality and finish.
To make sure that this is understood, Czapek engraved the cuvette “PÓŁ-CHRONOMETR” meaning “DEMI CHRONOMETER” which indicates the highest quality.
It is stamped with Czapek’s trademark both outside (fig. 2) as well as under the dial (fig. 3). Additionally, it bears the watch serial number matching the serial number of the case.
The dial
Instead of the standard numerals 1-12, the dial has Gothic letters spelling: JÓZEF SZEMIOT, the person who has ordered the watch. It was hand-painted which is clearly shown by comparing the differences between the “E” in “JÓZEF” and the “E” in “SZEMIOT”.
It is secured to the movement by two screws at the 12 and the 6. At the time it was a typical dial fixing solution for Czapek, as well as for his first partner, Antoine Norbert de Patek.
Personalized dials by Czapek, as well as by Patek, are very rare. It appears that this is the only one made by Czapek known. Very few were made by Antoine Norbert de Patek, numbers 25’586, 90’035, 97’950, 134’352, and one more1.
The Case
Engine turned, made by Etienne Piguet, a Geneva master casemaker listed as Monteur de boites en or2, owner’s coat-of-arms in high relief on the back cover (fig. 4).
Provenance
The Princes Szemiot is an old Russian family. The owner of the watch was from a branch that settled in the north-western part of Poland, near the Russian boarder, and, in time, Polonized completely.
Józef Szemiot, who ordered this watch, was born around 1820. His father, Tadeusz Szemiot was a marshal of Szawelski, a position Józef was also awarded. During the war with Russia (January uprising 1863-65) Józef was a captain in the Polish Army fighting Russians. He died in 1864 in a forest battle near Bronkowice. The watch was, most likely, with him.
CZAPEK & CIE.
The importance of Frantisek or François Czapek in the world of horology lies in the fact that he was the first partner of Antoine Norbert de Patek, founder of what was to become Patek, Philippe & Cie. However, there is more to it than meets the eye. As Patek stated himself, it was Czapek who first established the watch business and Patek then joined him on 1 May 18393.
In 1838 or early 1839 Antoine Patek, in an application for a permanent visa, stated to the Geneva police that he was interested in joining the company of Czapek & Moreau4. Monsieur Moreau was a French watchmaker who had settled in Versoix, near Geneva. Czapek, who got married on 22 October 1836 in Versoix, lived with his wife in Moreau’s house and also worked with him.
Moreau didn’t have children and took care of his, quite attractive, niece Marie-Adelaide Thomasine. Patek, who also lived in Versoix, knew Czapek and consequently Moreau. All in all, Marie-Adelaide became Patek’s wife and Moreau & Czapek became Patek & Czapek with Moreau as a silent partner.
Czapek & Moreau
↓
Patek & Czapek (& Moreau)
↓ ↓
Patek & Cie. Czapek & Cie.
↓
Patek, Philippe & Cie.
Franciszek Czapek was born in Bohemia in 1811 but grew up in Poland. He participated in the Polish uprising of 1830 (see lot 174 for details) as a soldier of the Polish National Guard in Warsaw. After the end of the uprising he escaped to Switzerland. By 1836 Czapek was already a well experienced watchmaker5.
After parting with Patek in 1845 where, in addition to his share of the profit he was paid 100 Swiss Francs per month6, he established his own business Czapek & Cie. with financial backing from Juliusz Gruzewski, his new partner. The latter was not only a hero of the 1830 Insurrection but was also actively involved in the Polish independence movement. In 1863 his loyalty earned him the position of an official agent of the Polish National Government in Switzerland, with responsibility for arms purchases and their transport to Poland7. His ties with Polish emigres as well as with wealthy Poles in Poland must have been far-reaching. In addition, he was a personal friend of Napoleon III and secured a position for Czapek as a watchmaker to the Emperor8. Czapek had a factory in Geneva9, a shop in Warsaw10, and another in Paris11. He sold watches directly to clients as well as to other watchmakers who put their names on them.
In 1850 he wrote a book about watches and watchmakers12. It is obvious from reading it that he knew watchmaking well, both in theory and in practice.
An interesting fact is that Czapek's early watches incorporated Adrien Philippe's patented stem-winding and setting mechanism. In his book13 Czapek stated that he used only this design. It is hard to imagine that Patek was not aware of this, there must have been a reason why he allowed him to use Philippe's patented invention. This mystery, so far, is still unsolved. Maybe, there is even more to the relationship between Patek and Czapek than meets the eye.
1 In a book Pani Roza (Poland, 2009, p. 93) about Rose Potocka, her son mentions that she had a Patek Philippe watch with personalized dial spelling her name.
2 Geneva Archives.
3 Philip Poniz, Patek, Philippe, The Forgotten Beginnings, VOX, Geneva, Spring 2003, pp. 92-101.
4 Geneva police archives for August 1839 (when Patek came to pick up the visa).
5 Nakwaski, Memoirs. Library of the University of Lvow (manuscript 1016). Nakwaski was Czapek’s contemporary and the founder of the Association of Polish Watchmakers in Switzerland.
6 The partnership agreement.
7 Juliusz Gruzewski, PSB, vol.9, pp. 66 and 67.
8 Unger's calendar for 1860.
9 A. Potocki, Raporty Szpiega, 1835-48 manuscript, published Warsaw 1973.
10 Warsaw Directory, 1854.
11 Unger, op. cit.
12 Fr. Czapek, Slow kilka o Zegarmistrzowstwie [A Few Words about Watchmaking] (Leipzig, 1850).
13 Czapek, op. cit.