Coming From Slovakia, The Biatec Majestic Chronoshop 09

Biatec is a fairly new brand from Slovakia, founded in 2016 by Peter Kožár and designer Miloš Jakubec. Watches in their current portfolio range in price from EUR 1,490 to EUR 1,990, so accessible yet a bit beyond the standard fare (in both quality/design and price). Chronoshop was founded in 2007 by Jakub Sivek as a specialised online watch retailer, which also opened a physical store in Prague in 2011 and offers Biatec’s watches. The two companies have now collaborated on a very limited and stylish time-only watch, the Biatec Majestic Chronoshop 09, which pays homage to Chronoshop’s new location (from last year) following a serious burglary.

The brushed stainless steel case with a polished bezel and accents is 40mm in diameter and 11.6mm in height (lug-to-lug 48mm) and features a ceramic protective layer to significantly boost scratch resistance. A sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coatings on both sides protects the dial, while a sapphire exhibition case back is secured via four screws. A slightly oversized and signed crown sits at 3 o’clock, and water resistance is 100 metres. The watch comes fitted with a 20mm three-link steel bracelet with a folding clasp and extension, and a grey leather strap is also available.

The embossed dial with a circular guilloche motif has a salmon hue that changes to apricot at different angles, similar to the façade on Chronoshop’s boutique (a historic building on Prague’s Široká Street). There’s no dial print or logos as this three-hander is limited to applied and faceted indices with simple steel hands. You can see similarities of the case and dial to the standard edition Biatec Majestic SE 01 WDL as the overall DNA is shared, although this is certainly a unique piece.

Powering the watch is a top-grade Sellita SW200-1 automatic (ETA 2824 alternative) with 26 jewels, 28,800vph (4Hz) and a power reserve of 42 hours. Functions include central hours, minutes and hacking seconds. As a top-grade variant, it’s adjusted in five positions for a general accuracy of +/-4 seconds per day. Decorations include perlage and a custom gold (colour) Biatec rotor, matching the entrance doors of the boutique’s building. Coordinates of Chronoshop and the limited-edition number are engraved on the plate’s perimeter. 

The Biatec Majestic Chronoshop 09 is limited to just 9 pieces, which references the building number of Chronoshop’s boutique, and the retail price is EUR 1,765 (with VAT). For more information and to place an order, please visit Chronoshop’s website.