Introducing: The Robot Minor Arctic LE
As many of you know, Robot is a brand offering high-quality Czech-made mechanical watches. The Minor, inspired by the Aero Minor racing car, is one of Robot’s most renowned models. Today, in a limited series of only 12 pieces, Robot introduces the Minor Arctic LE. This edition is a tribute to explorer František Běhounek, the first Czech to cross the North Pole in 1928.
Robot Minor Arctic LE
Let me start with the car that inspired Robot’s Minor chronograph and gave it its name — the Czech-made Aero Minor Sports 750. This initially two-seater open race car was powered by a two-cylinder Jawa B2 two-stroke front engine. Mike mentioned in this article that the Aero Minor Sports 750 was a 501–750cc class winner at the 1949 Le Mans race. For journalistic completeness, I should mention that during Le Mans 1949, this class consisted of three cars — two Aero Minors and a Simca Six.
Although the Aero Minor Sports 750 inspired the Minor chronograph, Robot did not blindly copy design elements from the car. You might find some hints, though. For example, there’s the crown, shaped like a gearbox gear, and the watch’s rotor, shaped like a wheel hub. Then, of course, the chronograph function underlines the motorsport character of the watch.
Crossing the North Pole
Having now addressed the “Minor” part, I’d like to highlight the “Arctic” part of this watch’s model name. We’re looking at the sixth iteration of the Robot Minor chronograph. Until now, most models have had catchy circuit names, such as Spa, Indy, Monaco, and Le Mans. Not this time. The Arctic theme comes from the watch’s icy white perforated dial, snow-white rubber strap, and blue PVD-coated case. This icy parable makes for a perfect opportunity to honor the polar explorer František Běhounek, the first Czech to cross the North Pole in 1928. As usual, “LE” stands for Limited Edition, and here is a reminder that Robot will only make this watch in an exclusive series of 12 pieces.
Inspiration and tributes aside
Inspiration and tributes make for nice background stories, but in the end, we’re here for the watch. The Robot Minor Arctic LE is a chronograph with an unusual asymmetric dial design. It seems to have only two registers and an oddly placed date window near 11 o’clock. However, besides the two chronograph registers, there is a less visible sub-seconds counter in the shape of an airship’s steering wheel for this model. The more visible silverish sub-dials consist of the regular 30-minute counter and 12-hour register.
The Minor Arctic LE model features a titanium case with a durable blue HarDeCo coating. This case has a 44.5mm diameter and a 15mm thickness, including the slightly domed sapphire crystal. Its 54.5mm lug-to-lug span makes it a prominent watch, although the Grade 5 titanium case aids wearability. As a nod to explorer František Běhounek, the sapphire window on the back shows a drawing of the airship used for his polar expedition.
A semi-transparent mesh dial textured like ice crystals features 952 precise perforations and reveals a La Joux-Perret L110 mechanical chronograph caliber below. This Valjoux 7753-based movement features a 4Hz frequency, a 55-hour power reserve, a blued column wheel, blued screws, and a Geneva-striped top plate. In this execution, it also has a skeletonized date wheel and a blued custom rotor. Back on the dial side, the central minute and hour hands, hour indexes, and markers on the rotating bezel are filled with Super-LumiNova.
Made in Nové Město nad Metují
Robot watches are made in Nové Město nad Metují, the Czech watch industry’s cradle in the nation’s northeast. Earlier this year, I visited Robot’s atelier and was delighted to see so much dedication and skilled craftsmanship. A small team there fulfills everything it needs to produce exclusive wristwatches, from the design of the cases, dials, and hands to spray painting, assembly, and testing. Robot watches, equipped with high-quality La Joux-Perret Swiss movements, are undoubtedly Czech-made products.
Pricing and availability
The Robot Minor Arctic LE will be available at the brand’s boutique in Prague and on its official website. Priced at €5,640, this limited edition is not a cheap watch, but it shouldn’t be. It is a meticulously handcrafted, high-quality product that will last and meet owners’ expectations. Due to its size and price, it might not be a watch for everyone. But that is also okay because, as we know, there will be only 12 of these special watches.
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