Robot is a Czech watch brand.

The word “robot” was first used by the Czech writer Karel Čapek more than 100 years ago and was associated with hard work. In his play R.U.R., he addressed the question of what our world might look like in the future if we created robots as soulless machines to help us.

Watchmaking enjoys a long tradition in Bohemia. The industrial development of this part of the world in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was conducive to the flourishing of many areas of technical progress. Czech industry achieved international fame during the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the newly established Czechoslovak state.

Fortunately, a lot of the knowledge and expertise survived the following half a century of decline under the communist regime. Today, decades after the fall of communism, Czech design, typography and precision engineering are again enjoying the reputation they deserve.

Driven by his passion for technology and handwork, the Czech entrepreneur Josef Zajíček chose the name “Robot” for the watch brand.

Zajíček started his own business in his youth and built his own company, which is still successful in the automotive industry today. He knew robots from this industry very well, then he found an interest in the art of watchmaking over time and discovered its tradition in the Czech Republic.

His watchmaking team comprises several first-class designers and watchmakers. It all started with a meeting between investor Josef Zajíček and the designers Michal Froněk and Jan Němeček of the renowned Olgoj Chorchoj design studio based in the Libeň neighbourhood of Prague. It soon transpired that all three shared a passion for technology, craftsmanship, and old racing cars. They began producing Robot watches in Nové Město nad Metují. Their aim is to restore Czech watchmaking to its rightful place.

The watches are manufactured in small runs mainly by hand. They come with an exceptional 5+3 year warranty.

A racing car named simply Sport was created in 1949 on the shortened chassis of the existing Aero Minor II model. Two prototypes were produced, designed specifically for the legendary Le Mans race where they ran in the 750cc category with spectacular results. Drivers Otto Krattner and František Sutnar raced under the number 58. With the performance co-efficient factored in they came second after the winning twelve-cylinder Ferrari. The 2,391 kilometres they covered and the average speed of 99.664 km per hour were the absolute best performance in their class.

As the new communist government was getting an ever firmer grip on the society, the successful racers were not allowed to participate in the 1950 race. The authorities initially attempted to recruit them as spies and when they refused they were charged with treason and sentenced to long prison terms. Sutnar was released in 1963. He emigrated to Switzerland where he died in 1992. Krattner died in Czechoslovakia in 1979.

In 2018, the Le Mans Redux Company was founded to promote the Czechoslovak industry and design. The co-founders are Josef Zajíček, Michal Froněk and Jan Němeček. The company acquired an original Aero Minor Sport car, renovated it and returned it to the racing circuit. The ultimate goal of the project was the vehicle’s participation in the Le Mans Classic race in 2022 which it completed successfully.

The Tatra 77 was the world‘s first aerodynamically shaped massproduced car. It was produced from 1934 to 1938. The dial of the Robot Aerodynamic series features a circular ribbed motif – a typical feature on the bodywork of the first Wikov 35 Kapka and Zbrojovka Z 4 aerodynamic cars.

The dial also features a “fuel gauge” – the power reserve of the handwound movement – and a small seconds subdial at the six o’clock position. Complementing the dial’s aesthetics is the long, streamlined shape of the hands. The watches are equipped with a top-quality Swiss movement with a high power reserve of 8 days.

• Robot watches