Introducing the Czapek Time Jumper – 10th Anniversary Jump Hour Watch

Looking Back by Looking Ahead

For its 10th anniversary as a revived maison—and the 180th anniversary since François Czapek first opened his Geneva workshop—the independent brand could easily have indulged in nostalgia. Instead, Czapek chose to look ahead. The new Time Jumper doesn’t commemorate its past so much as project its future, both technically and philosophically. Anchored by the all-new Calibre 10.1 and a completely novel expression of time, it’s a watch that celebrates heritage through innovation.

A New Way of Reading Time

The Time Jumper takes inspiration from 19th-century pocket watches, then propels the idea into the 21st century. At its center is a patent-pending 24-hour jumping hour display, a première for the brand and a rare configuration in contemporary watchmaking. Two sapphire discs—one for tens, one for units—display the hours, while the minutes trail around the edge of the dial on a rotating peripheral ring. Together they form a clean, mechanical choreography that’s as legible as it is unexpected.

This new system also provides a different rhythm of interaction. Each hour “jump” feels distinct and deliberate, a quiet reminder that time, while continuous, is best experienced moment by moment. Super-LumiNova highlights on both discs ensure that even this futuristic layout retains Czapek’s hallmark practicality.

The Flying Saucer Case

The case takes its cues from science fiction rather than classicism. Measuring 40.5 mm in diameter and just over 10 mm thick, it has a fluid, aerodynamic silhouette that’s almost entirely free of straight lines. The “flying saucer” form houses a half-hunter cover whose guilloché pattern appears to swirl inward, as though drawing light into a black hole.

When closed, a magnifying loupe at the center frames the jumping hour aperture beneath it. Open the cover, and the full mechanism reveals itself under a sapphire crystal, showcasing the artistry of Czapek’s movement finishing. The cover’s inlay is crafted in white gold on the stainless steel model and solid 3N 18-carat gold on the gold edition, each handmade by Czapek’s longtime partner, Metalem.

The design is avant-garde but grounded. Its smooth, tactile case—produced by AB Concept—feels like a pebble shaped by time, while subtle details such as the recessed crown and curved lugs make the watch unexpectedly wearable. A blue rubber strap adds a modern touch, underscoring the watch’s position between classic and contemporary.

Calibre 10.1: A Foundation for the Future

Under the loupe lies the debut of a new generation of movements: Calibre 10.1. It is Czapek’s first automatic jumping-hour calibre, and it sets the stage for what the brand envisions as a family of integrated in-house movements over the next decade. Rather than relying on modular add-ons, every future evolution of this calibre will be designed from the ground up to incorporate its complication within the architecture itself.

Calibre 10.1 is powered by a centrally mounted rotor made of recycled 950 platinum, skeletonised to preserve an unobstructed view of the bridges below. Those bridges, rhodium-plated and finished with sandblasting and circular brushing, alternate with blackened plates for a sense of depth—light playing against the darkness of space. The wheel design is new as well, five-spoked and diamond-bevelled, carrying the same sense of quiet precision that defines Czapek’s work.

Mechanically, it offers a 60-hour power reserve from a single barrel, beating at 4 Hz, with a variable-inertia balance fitted with gold inertia blocks. Around 75 percent of the components are machined in-house, but Czapek continues to honor the établissage philosophy that encourages collaboration with the best external specialists.

Looking Forward at 180

The timing of the Time Jumper’s release is significant. It marks ten years since the modern rebirth of the Czapek name and 180 years since the maison’s founding in 1845. Many brands would have used such milestones to revisit their greatest hits. Czapek instead chose to use them as a launchpad. The Time Jumper is not a retrospective—it’s a manifesto for what comes next: more daring expressions of time, more deeply integrated mechanics, and more dialogue between art and engineering.

In that sense, the Time Jumper feels like both a celebration and a challenge. It asks what the next decade of independent watchmaking might look like if heritage were not a constraint, but a foundation for experimentation.

Key Specifications

• Functions: jumping hours (24-hour register), trailing minutes
• Movement: Czapek Calibre 10.1, automatic, self-winding via recycled 950-platinum central rotor
• Power reserve: 60 hours
• Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)
• Case: 40.5 mm × 10.5 mm (12.35 mm including loupe crystal), 42.4 mm lug-to-lug, sapphire crystals front and back, 3 ATM water resistance
• Materials: stainless steel with white-gold guilloché inlay (100 pieces) or 3N 18-carat gold (30 pieces)
• Strap: blue rubber, 19 mm width, matching pin buckle
  

Availability

The Czapek Time Jumper is available at collectivehorology.com. As always, thanks for reading and supporting independent watchmaking.