Czapek

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by EdwardC

I think this white dial is really awesome

Am in awe of its' legibility, especially in verrrrrry low light. Haven't yet confirmed for sure, yet think it beats out the Polar for very low ambient light legibility. Monochrome magazine deserves kudos for this limited edition piece.

The dial reeeeally 'pops' in an elegant way imho.

[Bug04]

Welcome back and great news. Real congrats for the wonderful Monochrome and also for the M.A.D.1 Red catch!!!
I think you deserved both of them, true passion for the Antarctique and you were kind of first mover on the lottery. These watches went in good hands.
All the best!

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Thanks for your kind concern guys, the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated...

...and can't believe someone somehow knew my password was password

Sorry you all missed my post / review of the Czapek Monochrome White, but it is online with hi-res pics of course so all good.


Plus i got an email that in a few weeks the M.A.D.1 Red is arriving. So being away was good luck. Hmmmm, maybe i need to... where's Chewbacca? He might be onto something
.
.

[Easy E]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Haven't yet confirmed for sure, yet think it beats out the Polar for very low ambient light legibility.

While I have not seen the stated watch in question, I do own a Polar. This is a very bold statement.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by Easy E

While I have not seen the stated watch in question, I do own a Polar. This is a very bold statement.

Agreed 100%, and that's why i specifically mentioned it. The Polar was one of my dark night kings (besides the PAM1118 TRON with insanely bright X1 lume nothing else comes close to beating). The angled silver dial bits on the Czapek helps a lot versus the polar indices. i noticed this same thing on the Octo, the angles silver bits reflect the low light.

Gimme a sec, will get out the Polar and check....

Ok, just came out of the closet (insert friendly joke here), yes the Czapek is better than the Polar for verrrrry low light legibility without any reliance on lume. It's the angled silver bits on the dial versus the Polar's black surrounds (Polar relies moreso on the lume).

Lume-wise, nothing beats TRON, though the Czapek lume did last all night and i could read the time in the early hours of the morn. My eyesight ain't what it once was due to decades of staring at a CRT / Panel display for faaaar too long for faaaar too many years.

As always, jmho.

As i said within my review posted ____, the legibility of the dial is incredible on the Monochrome White... even for old computer coding geeks like me with diminished eyesight.

[deuxani]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Thanks for your kind concern guys, the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated...

...and can't believe someone somehow knew my password was password

Sorry you all missed my post / review of the Czapek Monochrome White, but it is online with hi-res pics of course so all good.

Congrats on your addition! It looks realllly good! Love those lume shots. Haven’t seen enough of those.

[enjoythemusic]

Always happy to help, and yeah what's with pretty much no one posting lume shots? i LOVE lume fun, and am seeing more 'lume dial art' with some brands (Ming, etc).

[enjoythemusic]

Oh SNAP, just realized i forgot to post this 'stolen' pic from elsewhere online days ago. New strap colors :smoking:

Have also seen new leather straps too, yet don't want to steal toooo much.

[deuxani]

I like them! The rubber ones look really good, not a fan of the leather. I will be going to Geneva this summer, so I will definitely try them out and try to take some photos.

[enjoythemusic]

Cool, am jealous and look fwd to your pics and thoughts. Just for the heck if it ordered a cheap $10 19mm normal leather strap (no flared end bits to match case) and for me it was a hard no visually. When the Czapek black leather with proper flared ends and red stitching arrives I'll post pics.

BTW, I heard the new rubber strap colors won't be avail until around this fall. Maybe they'll add a nice red so the current dark blue and red could be 'matched' for a playful 'bubble gum' strap look (yes I'm weird). Plus the Swiss flag is red as is the seconds-hand tip (option).

[uscmatt99]

I would love to pair that light blue strap with my white dial Passage de Drake, excellent summer combo. The salmon-ish strap would look great as well.

Steven, regarding your lume experience, it's better than mine. My Explorer and Omega PO have much longer lasting and intense lume than my Czapek. But I agree that the legibility is excellent on the Czapek without the lume. The angles of the polished hands and indices are variable and in different planes than the rest of the dial so it's really easy to read with a slight tilt of the wrist.

[deuxani]

I will :) I have only seen a Antarctique Fratello Edition in real life and ordered the Salmon S blindly, so I really want to see my config on the wrist.

Hahaha you made me really curious to how that looks! Never even thought of it, but it actually does have lugs when you remove the bracelet. Please show us, even though it’s just for laughs.

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Oh SNAP, just realized i forgot to post this 'stolen' pic from elsewhere online days ago. New strap colors :smoking:

Have also seen new leather straps too, yet don't want to steal toooo much.

Attachment 1290193

That grey will look perfect on my Terre Adelie. Actually, so would both the blues, and a red. Huh.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

Steven, regarding your lume experience, it's better than mine. My Explorer and Omega PO have much longer lasting and intense lume than my Czapek. But I agree that the legibility is excellent on the Czapek without the lume. The angles of the polished hands and indices are variable and in different planes than the rest of the dial so it's really easy to read with a slight tilt of the wrist.

You are right in that I need to do a 'Thunderdome' lume challenge one day. Note that before going to bed I use a larger UV light and charge up the watch and PAM table clock.

Originally Posted by deuxani

Hahaha you made me really curious to how that looks! Never even thought of it, but it actually does have lugs when you remove the bracelet. Please show us, even though it’s just for laughs.

No, no no, it is reeeeally bad. Look, I grew up around / in the fashion industry, dad is friends with RL for many decades, etc...

19mm strap. No... SOOO much no. Nooooo. God no!!!

On normal 19mm leather strap? I say...




Sorry guys, wish there were strap alternatives and why I ordered quite a few from Czapek. And yes, look, I understand the price difference yet you want the clasp and end bits. Heck, after playing with it, yeah, I just want to change straps, not sit at the workbench and remove eight teeeeny tiiiiny screws and....

Here's the deal. The rubber band clasp uses four tiiiiiiny screws (I suggest using Loctite blue). Each head-side metal bit uses two screws each, so removing eight tiny screws is doable, yet have to agree with Mike M. that it's not something you'd want to do often. I'm not and so ordered straps with center clasp and outer bits.

Note: Teeeny tiny screws have verrry small threading. Oh, then there's dumb me and somehow a screw flies off and disappears never to be seen again... like that mysterious single sock after the dryer. Be honest, you know you'll never find it.

[Bug04]

So the one in the center is the nearer to orange, a color that has been wished also in previous pages of this discussion. This one is nice but personally I would have loved a more intense shade like the VCs orange rubber one

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Oh SNAP, just realized i forgot to post this 'stolen' pic from elsewhere online days ago. New strap colors :smoking:

Have also seen new leather straps too, yet don't want to steal toooo much.

Attachment 1290193

[enjoythemusic]

Agree Bug04, a deeper shade of orange is preferred (like the Polar) yet maybe this is a test piece to get feedback??? The current deeper blue, make a deeper orange, and Swiss red.

(Humor) Hey, not like we're asking for Flamingo Pink.

[Schweinwerfer]

Ah it looks outstanding
Orange would go really well! And dark blue. I'm getting my Salmon one with dark blue rubber.

[enjoythemusic]

^^^^ cool!

[londonpilgrim]

Has anyone thought about ordering an all-brushed bracelet as an additional one to their brushed/polished?

[greentimgreen]

Originally Posted by londonpilgrim

Has anyone thought about ordering an all-brushed bracelet as an additional one to their brushed/polished?

My salmon dial will be all brushed so that I can swap between them with my monochrome. I think I’ll prefer the all brushed with the white dial


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[londonpilgrim]

Originally Posted by greentimgreen

My salmon dial will be all brushed so that I can swap between them with my monochrome. I think I’ll prefer the all brushed with the white dial


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Nice, I have the arctic blue and the salmon in order both with polished but fancy a spare to swap between them

[deuxani]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

No, no no, it is reeeeally bad. Look, I grew up around / in the fashion industry, dad is friends with RL for many decades, etc...

19mm strap. No... SOOO much no. Nooooo. God no!!!

Hahaha fair enough, totally understand that it’s a weird look

Originally Posted by Bug04

So the one in the center is the nearer to orange, a color that has been wished also in previous pages of this discussion. This one is nice but personally I would have loved a more intense shade like the VCs orange rubber one

I think that is the salmon coloured strap to match with the salmon dial, that’s why it’s a bit softer. But I can imagine them bringing a real orange one too as an option.

[mikemargolis]

Originally Posted by deuxani

I think that is the salmon coloured strap to match with the salmon dial, that’s why it’s a bit softer. But I can imagine them bringing a real orange one too as an option.

Correct, that is the salmon strap. Somehow, strangely, it makes both the strap and dial look sand colored, to my eye anyway. On bracelet, the salmon dial looks salmon.

Confirmed, there will be a bright orange rubber, later this year.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by mikemargolis

Somehow, strangely, it makes both the strap and dial look sand colored, to my eye anyway. On bracelet, the salmon dial looks salmon.

Normal stuff Mike. Visual perception of the human eye and how the brain 'translates' input data. The high-end video display and the film/movie industry realized that colors 'outside the screen' and colors within a scene affects the perception of the dominant color. If you're really curious (and geeky), there's plenty of data. Here's one datapoint source.

https://jov.arvojournals.org/article...icleid=2772719

Confirmed, there will be a bright orange rubber, later this year.

[Schweinwerfer]

I'll be getting mine with blue rubber and salmon dial
I think it's a killer combo :)
Can't stand the wait anymore. Are you still in the honeymoon phase with it, enjoythemusic?

[enjoythemusic]

Great combo! Am a multiple straps guy so....

Thanks for asking and am past the honeymoon and am still blown away by the legibility (and movement of course). The elongated font helps my eyes read the date clearly too.

The bracelet is really nice, fits well, yet it's not 'liquid silk' on the wrist like the 50th anniv Omega Buzz bracelet or super tight Octo FS. The Czapek's bracelet's micro-adjust is a big plus (BIG PLUS!!!), and overall it is a beautiful bracelet. My Muse prefers the bracelet visuals over the strap.

As I get older, am more a strap guy for feel and lighter weight since it's worn 24/7. Love the strap setup and sheer ease of changing from one to another. Am grateful Czapek is expanding their strap color choices.

Scratch and ding resistance seem very, very good.

Overall comfort on my 6.75" wrist for either setup is great, aided by very good wrist balance.

Overall I'm blown away for the 'reasonable' asking price. Mike Margolis is a great guy, so those of us on this side of the pond have a sold rep

Durability is hard to know after just a week or so, yet have been doing progressively more active things such as ~20 mile bicycle rides, diving in the pool, etc.

As always at the early days, in general, I double-check the assembly/screws. So far so good, though as mentioned previously I do suggest using a SMALL amount of Loctite blue on the screws you remove the reinstall (use a toothpick tip to apply a tiny bit).

Complaints? Yeah the single contact point of the quick-change bracelet means there's side motion (and up/down around the axis too). Maybe add a small 'finger' on both underside outer bits, so TWO fingers (not one as shown in purple on below pic) to eliminate side / up / down motion. Hold on, lemme go to my office DAW / desk and Pshop up what I mean.... Brb....

For those who have changed the 1990's Rolex DJ36 on Jubilee, you know about the added end bit.

FIRST want to say I'm being VERY 'retentive' with this suggestion as the assembly is fine. Yet to add a bit of solidity to eliminate wobble add in 'side fingers' (purple section in pic below, note that both sides would have a 'finger' and not just one as shown).

Buuut, on the other hand, a bit of side give and take adds comfort as our wrists are not the same thickness from one side of the bracelet to the other. That's why the tight-bracelet Octo FS causes one side of my wrist to have a bit of skin indent after wearing it while the other side of my wrist is fine. My dad's daily beater for decades 1971 OMEGA Dynamic bracelet has lots and lots of bracelet stretch, yet that stretch also makes it fit very comfortably (we share the same wrist type).

So choose your 'poison' folks, a super-duper tight bracelet that might dig in a tiny bit on the elbow side of your wrist versus your hand side, or a bit of 'side wobble' slack so the bracelet / strap fits more comfortably overall (at least on my wrist, ymmv). Again, this is me being one of those "an_l retentive" types.

[mikemargolis]

Quick video review of our Place Vendome tourbillon, edition Ombres. LE 25 pieces (I was wrong in the video, said 15).

files.horologyworks.com/PVOmbres.mov

Sorry for the poor quality.

[enjoythemusic]

Oh WOW Mike, that's a gorgeous piece. Nice visually balanced dial too!

[JR16]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Great combo! Am a multiple straps guy so....

Thanks for asking and am past the honeymoon and am still blown away by the legibility (and movement of course). The elongated font helps my eyes read the date clearly too.

The bracelet is really nice, fits well, yet it's not 'liquid silk' on the wrist like the 50th anniv Omega Buzz bracelet or super tight Octo FS. The Czapek's bracelet's micro-adjust is a big plus (BIG PLUS!!!), and overall it is a beautiful bracelet. My Muse prefers the bracelet visuals over the strap.

As I get older, am more a strap guy for feel and lighter weight since it's worn 24/7. Love the strap setup and sheer ease of changing from one to another. Am grateful Czapek is expanding their strap color choices.

Scratch and ding resistance seem very, very good.

Overall comfort on my 6.75" wrist for either setup is great, aided by very good wrist balance.

Overall I'm blown away for the 'reasonable' asking price. Mike Margolis is a great guy, so those of us on this side of the pond have a sold rep

Durability is hard to know after just a week or so, yet have been doing progressively more active things such as ~20 mile bicycle rides, diving in the pool, etc.

As always at the early days, in general, I double-check the assembly/screws. So far so good, though as mentioned previously I do suggest using a SMALL amount of Loctite blue on the screws you remove the reinstall (use a toothpick tip to apply a tiny bit).

Complaints? Yeah the single contact point of the quick-change bracelet means there's side motion (and up/down around the axis too). Maybe add a small 'finger' on both underside outer bits, so TWO fingers (not one as shown in purple on below pic) to eliminate side / up / down motion. Hold on, lemme go to my office DAW / desk and Pshop up what I mean.... Brb....

For those who have changed the 1990's Rolex DJ36 on Jubilee, you know about the added end bit.

FIRST want to say I'm being VERY 'retentive' with this suggestion as the assembly is fine. Yet to add a bit of solidity to eliminate wobble add in 'side fingers' (purple section in pic below, note that both sides would have a 'finger' and not just one as shown).

Buuut, on the other hand, a bit of side give and take adds comfort as our wrists are not the same thickness from one side of the bracelet to the other. That's why the tight-bracelet Octo FS causes one side of my wrist to have a bit of skin indent after wearing it while the other side of my wrist is fine. My dad's daily beater for decades 1971 OMEGA Dynamic bracelet has lots and lots of bracelet stretch, yet that stretch also makes it fit very comfortably (we share the same wrist type).

So choose your 'poison' folks, a super-duper tight bracelet that might dig in a tiny bit on the elbow side of your wrist versus your hand side, or a bit of 'side wobble' slack so the bracelet / strap fits more comfortably overall (at least on my wrist, ymmv). Again, this is me being one of those "an_l retentive" types.

Attachment 1291020

Great review of the bracelet - much appreciated! July 2023 seems so far away but in the mean time enjoy reading other owners experiences and enjoyment . Personally I like the bit of forgiveness in exchange for comfort. Noticed that when I had a chance to try one on last month. Also love my older non-SEL rolex bracelets for similar reasons though some complain of the “rattle”


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[enjoythemusic]

Always happy to help and even I'm kinda 'perplexed' how much in love I am with this piece. My Muse has seen new ones come, I'm in the 'red mist zone', but then move on. Monochrome really got the dial right for me. Easy to read in virtually any light, the little bit of lume at 6 below the date window visually balances the lume. Frankly, the Monochrome White does not 'scream' anything, and ya know, that ain't a bad thing being 'under the radar' visually. Don't get me wrong, love their 'patterned' dials, yet for me the Monochrome White is a refreshing 'exercise' in dial simplicity to some extent.

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler."
-- Albert Einstein

Have also been reeeeeally putting it through its paces because, well, as a longtime luxury product reviewer if I 'get this wrong just because I'm in love with it' means if I get it wrong the hate mail and endless trying to help sort things out because my rep is 'weighted' on getting things right too and ensuring the DUT (device under test) is as the review says.

In a sense, a review says as much about the writer as it does about the DUT.

Btw, I still prefer the rubber strap for lower weight and the bit of 'give and take' with rubber means my ever-changing wrist size from 77f with 65% humidity AirCon to 85f and 80% humidity outside... I'm a geek, it's a 0.5" variable, sometimes a bit more. The metal bracelet includes a half link btw, so fits great when wrist is small, then I use one and maybe both clasp extensions. Rubber strap just works 'better' for my wrist without adjustment fuss. My Muse prefers the bracelet visually.

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Always happy to help and even I'm kinda 'perplexed' how much in love I am with this piece. My Muse has seen new ones come, I'm in the 'red mist zone', but then move on. Monochrome really got the dial right for me. Easy to read in virtually any light, the little bit of lume at 6 below the date window visually balances the lume. Frankly, the Monochrome White does not 'scream' anything, and ya know, that ain't a bad thing being 'under the radar' visually. Don't get me wrong, love their 'patterned' dials, yet for me the Monochrome White is a refreshing 'exercise' in dial simplicity to some extent.

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler."
-- Albert Einstein

Exactly my experience with the Terre Adelie - IMO the most visually similar dial to the Monochrome. It should be stark and austere, but it's just so light, so clear and visually balanced and uncluttered, that I appreciate it more and more each day.