Czapek Promenade L’Écume des Jours Turns Boris Vian’s Imagination Into Horological Art

A literary-inspired creation brings together blue enamel, mother-of-pearl, jade and a water lily seconds hand in a limited edition of just 18 pieces.

Since its introduction in 2024, the Promenade collection has represented one of the more intimate sides of Czapek & Cie. Rather than focusing on overt technical spectacle, the collection approaches watchmaking as a space for reflection, using the dial as a canvas for stories, materials and artistic expression. With the new Czapek Promenade L’Écume des Jours, that philosophy takes a distinctly literary direction, drawing inspiration from Boris Vian’s celebrated 1947 novel of the same name.

Limited to only 18 pieces, the new creation combines a 38 mm stainless steel case with a highly layered dial built from blue enamel, mother-of-pearl and jade. At 4:30, a titanium water lily becomes the seconds hand, bringing one of the novel’s central images directly into the mechanics of the watch.

Boris Vian and L’Écume des Jours

Boris Vian remains one of the most unusual creative figures of postwar France. Trained as an engineer, he was also a jazz trumpeter, songwriter and novelist, moving effortlessly between disciplines and developing a distinctive universe where music, literature and surrealism frequently overlapped.

Published in 1947, L’Écume des Jours follows Colin and Chloé through a love story that gradually becomes consumed by illness and an increasingly distorted world. Vian’s imagination gives the novel a number of inventions that have taken on lives of their own, including the pianocktail, a fictional piano capable of creating cocktails according to the music being played, and the water lily that grows inside Chloé’s lung.

It is these two motifs that Czapek has chosen to translate into watchmaking. The result is not simply a watch bearing the name of a novel, but a dial designed to establish a visual relationship between music, nature and the surreal atmosphere of Vian’s work.

A Dial Between Music and Water Lilies

The dial began as an exploration of pearled mother-of-pearl before evolving into a more ambitious composition proposed by Czapek designer Chloé Desbiolles. A ring of piano keys now circles the flange, referencing the pianocktail and its unusual connection between music and cocktails.

At 4:30, the signature position of the Goutte d’Eau model, sits the second defining element: a water lily. Rather than being simply printed or applied to the dial, the flower becomes the seconds hand itself, rotating above a jade disc and turning the passage of time into part of the visual narrative.

The construction of the dial required the collaboration of Donzé Cadrans and MD’Art. The foundation is a Goutte d’Eau enamel dial produced by Donzé Cadrans, while MD’Art carries out the intricate work required to integrate the additional materials. The recesses are laser-lowered to accommodate the mother-of-pearl ring and jade disc, with the piano keys hand-painted individually.

The jade is then laser-worked to create the seconds track, while the water lily itself is laser-cut from titanium. The choice of titanium is particularly practical: its low weight allows the seconds hand to rotate freely without placing unnecessary demands on the movement. Once formed, the flower is finished with miniature painting before being positioned over the centre of the jade disc during assembly.

The combination of materials gives the dial considerable depth. Blue enamel provides the base, mother-of-pearl introduces a pearlescent surface around the perimeter, while jade adds a natural green element beneath the moving water lily. Together, they create a dial that changes character depending on the angle and available light.

Czapek’s In-House Calibre SXH5.1

Behind the artistic dial is Czapek’s proprietary automatic Calibre SXH5.1. The movement uses a micro-rotor made from recycled 950 platinum, allowing the architecture to remain relatively open while maintaining automatic winding.

The micro-rotor acts on a single barrel delivering 8 Nmm of torque and provides a 60-hour power reserve. The movement measures 30 mm in diameter and only 4.2 mm in height, while comprising 127 components and 26 jewels.

A Swiss lever escapement regulates the movement through a variable-inertia balance equipped with four gold inertia blocks. The balance oscillates at 4 Hz, or 28,800 vibrations per hour, giving the watch a modern mechanical operating frequency.

Through the sapphire caseback, the SXH5.1 reveals seven skeletonised bridges inspired by François Czapek’s nineteenth-century pocket watches. Open-worked ratchets, sandblasted black bridges, bevelled angles and straight-grained sides provide the movement with a deliberately contemporary interpretation of traditional finishing.

A 38 mm Promenade Case

The L’Écume des Jours is housed in a 38 mm stainless steel case, measuring 10.8 mm in height with a 42 mm lug-to-lug distance. Its proportions suit the relatively restrained character of the Promenade collection, while the box-shaped sapphire crystal adds visual presence above the dial.

Both the front crystal and sapphire caseback receive anti-reflective treatment, with the latter providing a direct view of the in-house movement. Water resistance is rated at 50 metres.

The watch is delivered on a dark blue nubuck leather strap, chosen to complement the blue enamel and the darker elements of the dial. Czapek also offers a stainless steel Milanese mesh bracelet as an alternative, allowing the same watch to take on a more architectural character.

A Literary Edition With Only 18 Pieces

Czapek has limited the Promenade L’Écume des Jours to just 18 pieces. Each watch will be delivered in a special edition presentation box containing a copy of Boris Vian’s novel, reinforcing the connection between the object on the wrist and the literary work that inspired it.

Before its wider release, the watch will be presented to international press in Paris at the Moulin Rouge, with a visit to Boris Vian’s former apartment followed by a conference and lunch dedicated to the writer’s legacy.

With L’Écume des Jours, Czapek once again treats the watch dial as more than a surface for displaying time. Blue enamel, mother-of-pearl, jade and miniature painting become elements of a visual story, while the rotating titanium water lily gives that story movement. It is a distinctly Czapek interpretation of Boris Vian’s imaginative world—and one limited to just eighteen chapters.

Technical Specifications

For more information, please visit the official Czapek website.

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