Franciszek Czapek
| Privately held company | |
| Industry | Watchmaking |
| Founded | 1. May 1845 |
| Founder | Francois Czapek |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Products | Wristwatches |
| Website | czapek |
Czapek & Cie. is a manufacturer of fine Swiss watches founded in 1845, in Geneva. It is most noted for its bespoke time pieces manufactured for the European Nobility in the 19th century.
Franciszek Czapek was a Czech born, Polish master watchmaker who arrived in Geneva, Switzerland in May 1832. Soon after he gallicised his name, thus becoming François Czapek. In 1834 he created the firm Czapek & Moreau with local Swiss watchmaker Moreau, from Versoix. François Czapek married (October 22, 1836) Marie, the daughter of clock and watchmaker Jonas Pierre François Gevril de Carouge (1777–1854).
Czapek was the author of the first book on watchmaking ever published in the Polish language "Remarks on the watchmaking for the use of the watchmakers and the public" (Słów kilka o Zegarmistrzowstwie ku użytku zegarmistrzów i publiczności). The work was printed in 1850 in Leipzig.
On May 1, 1839, Antoni Patek and François Czapek established a six years partnership in Geneva under the name of Patek, Czapek & Cie. This partnership produced some exceptional watches which are part of important horological collection (King Farouk Collection, Patek Philippe Museum) or auctions (Antiquorum, Christies, Bonhams, Sotheby's). Czapek was head of watchmaking (“Finisseur”) while Patek led the sales and the Company. As of July 1840, the firm came gradually to employ a half dozen workmen. Several were Poles: Lilpop from Warsaw; Henryk Majewski from Lwów; Siedlecki and Friedlein from Kraków. Approximately 200 watches were produced yearly.
After the dissolution, Patek established Patek Philippe & Co. with the new partner Adrien Philippe. Czapek founded Czapek & Cie. also with a new partner, Juliusz Gruzewski.
In 1845 Francois Czapek founded Czapek & Cie. with a new partner, Juliusz Gruzewski (1808–1865) a close friend of French Emperor Napoleon III (1808–1873). Czapek’s new company flourished. He became watchmaker to the Court of the Emperor Napoleon III ('Fournisseur de la cour - Purveyors to the Imperial Court") and had an Atelier in Geneva, a shop in Paris, Place Vendome 28 (established 1850), and another in Warsaw (established 1854).
In 1855, Czapek & Cie. started supplying its watches to Emperor Napoleon III. Juliusz Gruzewski, Czapek’s partner, was a personal friend of the Emperor a fact which no doubt allowed him to become watchmaker to the Imperial Court, supplying many of the watches that were given by him as diplomatic gifts. Czapek's clientele has included of Egypt and the House of Golitsyn.
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Wikipedia