The annual watch festival " WATCH COLLECTOR'S WEEK " held at Isetan Shinjuku took place from July 3rd (Wed) to July 16th (Tue).
During the event, Isetan Shinjuku will feature watches created by a cutting-edge Swiss brand, themed around traditional Japanese crafts.

A special model from Isetan Shinjuku store, blending Japanese and Swiss traditions.

Swiss watch brand Czapek has unveiled an indigo blue edition of its "Antarctic SASHIKO" model, a special edition available only at Isetan Shinjuku, inspired by "Shonai Sashiko," a traditional folk craft from the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture and one of Japan's three major types of sashiko embroidery.
To commemorate the launch, Isetan Shinjuku will hold an exclusive customer event on Friday, July 12th. For this event, Čapek CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel will be coming to Japan from Switzerland.


Čapek, a Swiss watch brand with roots in the genius watchmaker François Czapek, who worked as a craftsman for Napoleon III in the 19th century, achieved a brand revival in 2015 by raising funds through crowdfunding primarily among watch enthusiasts. The event at Isetan Shinjuku, featuring Mr. Locke-Morel, offered a multi-sensory experience including a talk show about watchmaking and Japanese folk crafts, pairings of Swiss wine with Yamagata Shonai sand dune melons and Zao cheese pickled in sake lees, and an exhibition of Shonai sashiko tapestries and textiles.


The SASHIKO (traditional Japanese embroidery) dial of the Isetan Shinjuku store model was born from respect for the geometric lines and three-dimensionality of traditional Japanese folk art. This original design by Czapek, which is based on a lotus flower motif, is composed of six facets, and the dial changes its appearance in various ways depending on how light hits it. The Antarctic originally comes in two case sizes, 40.5mm and 38.5mm, but this Isetan Shinjuku store model is the world's first SASHIKO model to be made in the 40.5mm case size. Furthermore, it is also the world's first attempt to produce it with a deep blue dial.

An exclusive talk show delving into the story behind the creation of the limited edition model.

At the event, CEO Lorke-Rockmorel explained the reason for incorporating the sashiko stitching design into the iconic Antarctic dial as follows:

"It was my wife, who loves folk art and traditional crafts from all over the world, who introduced me to the beauty of sashiko embroidery. When I was looking for a guilloché design to decorate the dial of a new watch, she introduced me to various geometric patterns found in Japanese sashiko. One of them was the lotus flower design that we incorporated into 'Antarctic SASHIKO.' The lotus flower is known as a motif that symbolizes 'eternity,' and as a brand that has just made a comeback, we at Čapek wanted to incorporate this pattern into our guilloché designs."


The first "Antarctic SASHIKO" watch featured a pink dial inspired by the lotus flower, but this newly created collaboration model with Mitsukoshi Isetan adopts indigo blue, following the original colors of Shonai sashiko, which involves stitching white thread on indigo-dyed cotton fabric. When designing this special model, Mr. Locke Morrell visited Yamagata Prefecture with the staff of Isetan Shinjuku store and rediscovered the charm of Shonai sashiko.


"Originally, Shonai sashiko was embroidered by women for men who fished at sea, with patterns that expressed their wishes for safety at sea and a bountiful harvest. By returning to the origins of Shonai sashiko, I think we were able to create a more masculine impression. Both Yamagata and Switzerland have heavy snowfall in winter, and I feel there are cultural similarities in that handicrafts that can be done indoors have become popular in both places."
At the event venue, Shonai sashiko artist Emi Sato from Yamagata Prefecture was invited, and her long happi coats and folding screens were on display. The "Antarctic SASHIKO" collection at Isetan Shinjuku comes with a Shonai sashiko watch pillow and pillow bag made by Ms. Sato.


"When incorporating the sashiko pattern, the most important thing we focused on was not only the aesthetic beauty of the guilloché itself, but also how to make it work as a dial design. Simply repeating the sashiko pattern would inevitably result in a monotonous impression. That's why the dial of the 'Antarctic SASHIKO' has a ring-shaped design placed on top of the guilloché, which calms the impression of the dial and gives it a more watch-like design."

A moment of cultural exchange filled with new inspiration

Guests who attended the event asked a variety of questions about the design and technical aspects of "Antarctic SASHIKO." Mr. Lockemorel answered each question carefully, sometimes passionately, sometimes with humor, and enjoyed interacting with the customers for as long as time allowed. The special event, which allowed attendees to experience the cultures of the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture and Switzerland through all five senses, came to a successful close.

Click here for product details on Čapek Antarctic SASHIKO.

Find the latest information on jewelry and watches, including Czapek, here.

Text: Shingo Sano
Photograph: Tatsuya Ozawa

＊All prices include tax.
＊The information in this article is current as of the time of publication. Product information may be revised or changed without notice.

For inquiries, please contact Isetan Shinjuku Main Building, 5th Floor, Watch Department, Tel: 03-3352-1111 (Main number)
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