Visit to Robot’s Atelier in Nové Město nad Metují

On a brisk January morning, Ondrej and I meet with Lucie Motlíková, Head of Marketing for Robot, and we drive an hour and a half east from Prague to the Czech watchmaking town of Nové Město nad Metují. There are three watch companies centered in this small town, with Robot being the latest one to establish its workshop there. During our drive, Motlíková narrates the story of how the Robot watch company came about.

The story begins with Josef Zajíček, owner of an auto parts business based in Mladá Boleslav, the birthplace and manufacturing city of Škoda cars. After twenty-two years of supplying plastic and carbon parts to various car manufacturers, he decided to sell the company during the pandemic. However, his passion for cars remains, as did his ownership of Autodrom Most, the racetrack well known for the Superbike World Championship and European car races.

Just prior to selling his company, he discovers the world of watchmaking. Being a serial entrepreneur, Zajíček starts to think about manufacturing watches. His first instinct is to buy Prim, an already well-established manufacturer of Czech-made watches. However, negotiations fall through, and he decides to create a new watch company and begin manufacturing in Nové Město nad Metují.

Zajíček names the company Bohematic and hires an industrial designer, Michal Froněk, an outsider with no experience in watch designing. He prefers an outsider’s perspective for creating unique designs rather than be limited by copying designs from existing watches. Froněk is the co-founder of one of the best-known Czech design studios, and is a professor of product design at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague. Both Zajíček and Froněk have a common interest in vintage cars, so this becomes the inspiration for the first Bohematic watches.

Unfortunately, the Bohematic name is short-lived to avoid a potential clash with Richemont-owned Montblanc, which has a product line with a similar name. He begins brainstorming for a new name. Having built a successful auto parts company, Zajíček utilized robots throughout his manufacturing process. More importantly, Czech author, Karel Čapek first coined the term ‘robot’ in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), which was published in 1920. Hence, Zajíček thinks it is befitting to rename the watch company Robot—Robot hodinky, to be specific—two Czech words that are familiar to most of us.

"Karel Čapek's vision of the future in which robots work on our behalf for us not to waste time and be able to enjoy ourselves is symbolic even for our brand," says Zajíček. "People need to use time efficiently today. Its scarcity and value are present in the fine materials traditionally used in watchmaking and the mechanisms that are made to last centuries. Let the Prague astronomical clock serve as an example."

As we drive up the winding road leading to the center of Nové Město nad Metují, even on a gloomy winter day, the castle and the row of Renaissance-style houses make for a scenic backdrop. We are greeted by cheerful Renata Eichlerová, who is the Production Director for Robot watch manufacturing. After introductions, Eichlerová takes us on a tour of Robot’s small-scale production facility. She explains that Robot is a microbrand with an output of between 200 and 250 watches annually, with 50% of the watches being customized at the request of the customers. Customization can be as simple as a unique seconds hand in a specific color with the shape of the customer’s car as the counterweight. They also customize dials, cases, and straps and personalize sapphire case backs with stamped printing. All the customization is done in-house, with the supply of parts being procured from the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

Eichlerová elaborates that Robot first and foremost offers uniquely designed watches with the possibility of customization. Simple customizations are offered at zero to a low surcharge. All watches utilize La Joux-Perret movements. These movements are selected for their thinness, making the watches more comfortable for daily wear. With three watchmakers sharing various responsibilities, they are efficient in turning around simple customizations, from rendering to a fully assembled watch, within three weeks.

As we walk through the design department, we observe the production of the entry-level, three-hand Aplos model. Aplos in Greek means simple, and this watch encompasses all the characteristics of simplicity and style. Robot uses electroplating techniques to make colorful dials, transforming Alpos into a contemporary watch. Studio Olgoj Chorchoj, which is co-founded by Michal Froněk, is responsible for designing Aplos. It has a diameter of 39.4mm, and with the slim La Joux-Perret G100 movement, the overall height is 10.3mm. With the long indices and round counterweight, the watch resembles the shape of a wheel. The date is subtle and unobtrusive. The rotor on the movement has a series of robots that spell out the word robot with their hand gestures. Viewing the entire rotor from the compact opening on the case back took me a moment, but the animation of robot on the oscillating rotor made me laugh out loud.

The second watch we see at the watchmaker’s table is the Aerodynamic model. It is impressive holding the dial in my hand as I skim over the perforation and raised indices. The dial is inspired by the avant-garde Czechoslovakian aerodynamic cars of the 1930s. Hans Ledwinka was the chief designer and engineer while Erich Übelacker was responsible for the bodywork of Tatra T77. The design of the body was also based on the ideas and knowledge of the Hungarian-born Swiss aerodynamicist Paul Jaray. Tatra T77 was the first ever mass-produced car with a streamlined body.

The dial features a circular ribbed motif inspired by the bodywork of the first Wikov 35 Kapka and Zbrojovka Z 4 aerodynamic cars. The dial also features a power reserve in the shape of a fuel gauge and a small seconds sub-dial at six o'clock. The manually winding La Joux-Perret movement has skeletonization and decorative brushing with an eight-day power reserve. The muted 39.4mm sandblasted titanium case redirects all attention to the dial.

After the tour of the workshop, Ms. Eichlerová gives us an overview of all the watches in Robot’s portfolio. During the overview the idea of Flieger Friday was born! Ondrej and I inquired about the possibility of creating a limited edition watch based on Aplos model, but with sandblasted steel case, and with a variation of a Flieger dial. While the idea was well received, few pending questions regarding the detail remained.

Ondrej and I wanted a Flieger without date. This required Robot to order special movements from La-Joux Perret. We also requested custom skeletonized hands with lume. This was also possible to do with Czech supplier. Finally, we wanted to make this Flieger at entry-level pricing below Aplos to make it accessible and democratize this project. After few discussions, all was agreed and we proceeded with 50-piece limited edition.

This is a special watch in many ways. Robot Flieger Friday watch pays tribute to military aviation in Czechoslovakia, where a significant portion of Austria-Hungary's aircraft manufacturing rooted in Czech companies such as Aero, Avia, Beneš-Mráz, Letov, Praga, Tatra, and Zlín. A modern Flieger watch that evokes the nostalgia of the "kerosene-tainted air of former times," paying homage to a rich Czech aviation lineage.