An understated anniversary piece that conceals its message in enamel and leans confidently into 19th-century watchmaking logic
Anniversary watches often shout. The Quai des Bergues “Sursum Corda” does the opposite. As the closing chapter of Czapek & Cie’s 2025 anniversary quartet, it turns inward—towards heritage, proportion, and a kind of horological restraint that feels increasingly rare.
The Quai des Bergues line has always been the brand’s anchor, tracing its lineage back to François Czapek’s Geneva workshop on the Quai des Bergues and the pocket watches he produced in the mid-19th century.
This new edition doubles down on that idea, not by reinventing the design, but by refining it with confidence.
Roman numerals, a pristine white grand feu enamel dial, and the familiar off-centre layout for small seconds and power reserve all return, housed in a newly sized 40.5mm case that feels more contemporary without sacrificing classical balance.
The dial’s defining feature is also its most discreet. Hidden beneath the enamel, only revealed when light hits at the right angle, is the Latin phrase “Sursum Corda” (“Lift up your hearts”). This private message is tied to resilience and perseverance, and very much in tune with the independent spirit that brought modern Czapek back to life a decade ago.
Subtle anniversary markings (“10/180”) and a secret historical Czapek signature tucked into the small-seconds sub-dial reward close inspection rather than casual glances.
Inside beats Czapek’s in-house manual-winding calibre, built around a twin-barrel architecture inspired by 19th-century pocket watches. The result is a substantial seven-day power reserve—long enough to make weekly winding a ritual rather than a chore.
The movement finishing leans traditional, with hand-chamfered bridges, circular graining and sand-blasted surfaces that feel purposefully aligned with the watch’s historical references rather than decorative excess.
In a year filled with technically ambitious releases from the brand, the Quai des Bergues “Sursum Corda” stands apart by doing less—and doing it better. It’s not a watch designed to impress at first glance. It’s one meant to be lived with, discovered slowly, and appreciated by collectors who value meaning as much as mechanics.
