Franciszek Czapek
Encyclopedia
Franciszek Czapek (1811-?) was a watchmaker, the partner of Antoni Patek
in Patek, Czapek & Co.
Czapek was a naturalized Pole
of Czech
origin. He was born on April 4, 1811 in Semonice (now part of Jaroměř
), Bohemia
, the son of Jan Czapek and Catherine, née Walaschek. He took part in the Polish
November Uprising
as a soldier of the National Guard, in Warsaw
.
On July 1, 1832, he arrived in Geneva, where he gallicised his name, thus becoming François Czapek. Shortly afterward, he created the firm Czapek & Moreau, along with a certain Moreau, from Versoix.
On October 22, 1836, he married Versoix Marie, the daughter of clock and watchmaker Jonas Pierre François Gevril de Carouge (1777–1854).
During the firm’s first fourteen months of activity, it appears that Patek and Czapek worked alone, perhaps assisted by one or two workmen. They purchased watch ebauches, called blanks, from specialised makers, and bought cases from casemakers. Czapek’s task was that of finisseur, meaning that he performed the final examination, finishing, adjusting, and casing the movements.
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 Krakow. Approximately 200 watches were produced yearly.
On April 18, 1845, the Patek, Czapek & Cie firm was liquidated. His former partner founded Patek & Co which later became the famous company Patek Philippe & Co.
.
By 1854 Czapek had a shop in Warsaw
and in 1860 he founded a subsidiary company on Vendôme Street in Paris
. Juliusz Gruzewski’s friendly relations with Napoleon III (1808–1873), French emperor from 1852 to 1870, helped the Czapek firm to become Fournisseur de la cour (Purveyors to the Imperial Court). For unknown reasons, the company was liquidated around 1869.
In 1895, the Great Illustrated Polish Encyclopedia stated that Franciszek Czapek had died in poverty at an unknown date.
Franciszek 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
.
Antoni Patek
Antoni Norbert Patek , is a Polish pioneer in watchmaking and a creator of Patek Philippe & Co. one of the most famous watchmaker companies.- Early life :...
in Patek, Czapek & Co.
Czapek was a naturalized Pole
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
of Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
origin. He was born on April 4, 1811 in Semonice (now part of Jaroměř
Jaromer
Jaroměř is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It is located 15 kilometers northeast of the district town of Hradec Králové. The town lies at the confluence of three rivers, notably the Mettau and the Elbe...
), Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, the son of Jan Czapek and Catherine, née Walaschek. He took part in the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
November Uprising
November Uprising
The November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
as a soldier of the National Guard, in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
.
On July 1, 1832, he arrived in Geneva, where he gallicised his name, thus becoming François Czapek. Shortly afterward, he created the firm Czapek & Moreau, along with a certain Moreau, from Versoix.
On October 22, 1836, he married Versoix Marie, the daughter of clock and watchmaker Jonas Pierre François Gevril de Carouge (1777–1854).
Patek, Czapek & Co. (1839-1845)
On May 1, 1839, he was one of the three founders of Patek, Czapek & Cie - Fabricants à Genève. Paragraph 5 of the agreement stated that Czapek was to receive 100 francs monthly, with the profits being divided evenly among the three associates.During the firm’s first fourteen months of activity, it appears that Patek and Czapek worked alone, perhaps assisted by one or two workmen. They purchased watch ebauches, called blanks, from specialised makers, and bought cases from casemakers. Czapek’s task was that of finisseur, meaning that he performed the final examination, finishing, adjusting, and casing the movements.
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 Krakow. Approximately 200 watches were produced yearly.
On April 18, 1845, the Patek, Czapek & Cie firm was liquidated. His former partner founded Patek & Co which later became the famous company Patek Philippe & Co.
Patek Philippe & Co.
Patek Philippe & Co. is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer located in Geneva and the Vallée de Joux.-History:Polish watchmaker Antoni Patek started making pocket watches in 1839 in Geneva, along with his fellow Polish migrant Franciszek Czapek. They separated in 1844, and in 1845 Patek joined with...
.
Czapek & Cie.
Franciszek Czapek established his own company in 1851 under the name of Czapek & Cie. He entered into an association with Juliusz Gruzewski (1808–1865), a hero of the 1830 insurrection (having remained active in politics, in 1863 he was made official agent in Switzerland of the Polish National Government, being responsible for the purchase and transport of arms into Poland). Both men were Protestant, which was rare in the largely Catholic community of Polish émigrés in Switzerland. Many of the Polish clients preferred to give their business to Czapek, believing that, with the arrival in the company of Frenchman Jean Adrien Philippe, Patek & Co. would no longer be the Polish National Manufactory that Antoine Norbert de Patek had intended.By 1854 Czapek had a shop in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
and in 1860 he founded a subsidiary company on Vendôme Street in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Juliusz Gruzewski’s friendly relations with Napoleon III (1808–1873), French emperor from 1852 to 1870, helped the Czapek firm to become Fournisseur de la cour (Purveyors to the Imperial Court). For unknown reasons, the company was liquidated around 1869.
In 1895, the Great Illustrated Polish Encyclopedia stated that Franciszek Czapek had died in poverty at an unknown date.
Franciszek 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
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
.