Czapek Antartique Rattrapante Owner Review : Exclusive, bestial and complex

Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante: An Underrated Watchmaking Supercar Wondering about the opportunity to acquire the Patek Cubitus 5821 1A, and given the lack of a specific response from the Patek Salon regarding a possible allocation, I began to wonder a lot about the options available at this price point and naturally began to scour the market for a potentially better quality/price/watchmaking content ratio… It's true that, being more towards the end of my watchmaking journey than at the beginning, I potentially wanted something very complicated, a watch that made a statement, with a certain presence on the wrist. I could therefore be fascinated by these rather extreme RMs playing with cutting-edge materials and complications, but at a different price point than my usual budget. It was then that I spotted, at a fairly attractive price considering the quality of the item, from the excellent and friendly sellers at Subdial in London (whose patience I salute following my few banking compliance setbacks in making a large transfer in pounds sterling) the Czapek Antarctic Rattrapante Silver Grey, the subject of this article. And then I began to think. Indeed, here is a watch that ticked many boxes with regard to my specifications: sport-chic, with this deep skeletonization of the split-seconds dial side (Czapek is the only one to have done it for the moment), with a high level of finishing, with these airs of a rather extreme grand complication, able to be worn on a bracelet, leather or rubber with this possibility of changing bracelet and style in the blink of an eye, water-resistant to 120m, from a brand that I particularly like (being very satisfied with my first experience with the Terre Adélie Secret Alloy, which it would ideally complement), which nevertheless retains a small link with Patek thanks to the history of the name and would therefore be able to fill the void left by the Cubitus and its lack of innovation, of purely disruptive character for what had been sold to us as an important novelty... For more or less the same price as the latter! In short, the reasons for buying were all the more so because, thinking about it, to find this type of large, very sporty skeleton complication, unless I'm mistaken, you would have to go to RM or MB&F in an even higher price segment, not to mention the maintenance costs of a split-seconds chronograph, which are absolutely exponential at Richard Mille, which would have made me sweat profusely at each service while waiting for the quote (which wasn't for lack of having seen some on Puristspro or private Whatsapp groups)... One last point finally convinced me... I had been so satisfied with my first purchase from Czapek that I had often thought about giving it a little sister because I have this type of operation with my watches: when I particularly like a brand, I generally need several, so as to always have one when the other goes into service... My decision was finally made. Forget the Cubitus, too expensive for just a different case compared to my 5711 1A… And I contacted Subdial to make it happen. Once I had the watch in my hands, I was able to see the excellence of its finishing and design… It's a 42.5mm diameter watch, but it sits perfectly on the wrist due to the absence of lugs. The thickness may seem substantial at 15.3mm, but don't be fooled by appearances… It's the "chimney" sapphire that greatly accentuates it (as is often the case with Czapek watches, the glass adds extra thickness that is less noticeable on the wrist). The caseband is much thinner, which makes the watch easy to get used to. The watch is water-resistant to 120m, allowing the Antarctic Rattrapante to be worn daily. The dial is a real spectacle. The complication of this SHX6 movement, produced in partnership with Chronode, is completely skeletonized, allowing you to observe the ballet of the cams and cogs when playing with the chronograph, then the split-seconds hand. The principle of the split-seconds hand is quite simple: let's say I'm timing a group of cars doing laps of a circuit. I'll start the chronograph by pressing the upper pusher on the crown. Now let's consider that I'm trying to find out at what precise minute one of the other cars will pass in front of me. At the moment it does, I'll start the split-seconds hand by pressing the pusher at 10 o'clock. In this way, the split-seconds hand will stop at the precise moment when this car has completed the maneuver while the main chronograph hand will continue its course. Let's say I want to repeat my measurements to focus on another car in the group: I will then press the pusher at 10 o'clock again so that the split-seconds hand "catch up" with the main hand in order to turn again and be ready for a new calculation (hence the name "split-seconds"). And finally, once I have finished all my measurements, I will press the pusher above the crown again to reset the chronograph to zero. This is therefore a complication that requires great technical mastery because we have, in a way, two chronographs in one! This dial (or rather its absence) offers great depth, where we see absolutely all the parts. The pushers are smooth and flexible to use. They are very responsive to the engagement of the complication. The components of the skeletonized complication are all chamfered and brushed on top. The screws are mirror polished. The hands are flame-blued. The Silver Grey sub-dials have beautiful iridescent reflections, similar to those of a noble opal. The overall effect plays beautifully with the light. The sapphire caseback is more understated, with alternating dark bridges that are very well crafted, with fairly sharp chamfers, but nonetheless feature a beautiful recycled gold rotor. The bracelet, unlike that of my Antarctic Terre Adélie, has evolved considerably, particularly in terms of its integration, which is better, and the links, which have a less noticeable "articulated" effect, making them rough to the touch. Unlike my Terre Adélie, I have the standard micro-adjustment, which is very practical for summer when my wrist swells a little. By gripping the small pushers on either side of the buckle, I can slide the links forward or backward for greater wearing comfort. And of course, as with all Antarctic watches, I have the "quick change" feature with a small lever that you turn using a rod under the short lugs, allowing you to switch between leather and rubber (which Subdial very kindly sourced from the brand because it was missing to complete the watch. I also thank Nicolas for his excellent support), which is always practical for giving the impression of changing watches. Thus, such a system is welcome because I find that switching the Rattrapante to rubber lightens it, both visually and on the wearer, given that it is, despite everything, a fairly large watch with a certain presence. Finally, the timekeeping, as usual with Czapek, is exemplary, with very little daily deviation. To conclude, the Antarctique Rattrapante is, like my Parmigiani Fleurier Ovale Pantographe acquired a few weeks later, a sort of final boss, one more dressy, the other in a sporty register. This duo acquired over a short period of time, is ultimately horologically much more interesting than the Cubitus 5821 1A alone which ultimately innovates quite little, even if it remains a very pleasant piece to wear. There are very few of us to own these two pieces in France (perhaps I am even the only one?!), which pleases me singularly. Complicated, exclusive, with a rather extreme look, quite unique in their kind, these two watches have earned me many compliments, notably when I walked around the watchmaking area of Galeries Lafayette, where salespeople wanted to see them more closely and take pictures or during the recent Geneva Watch Days where I went with the Pantographe. In my opinion, they therefore fully deserve the title of watchmaking supercar, given the enthusiasm and interest they generate when I take them with me to the many watchmaking events. If, as mentioned in the Pantographe review, the latter reminds me of the Bugatti Royale, the Czapek, on the other hand, would be more of a Pagani because of its sportiness and a certain bestiality.