This Czech brand has been around since 1949 but many watch fans may not have heard of them. Prim make their own movements and offer a range of mechanical and automatic models. This recent one celebrates 100 years of the Czech flag, since the state of Czechoslovakia was created after the Treaty of Versailles, which came after the end of WW1.

The Orlik features a Prim Cal98 automatic, with see-thru caseback and a 1920-2020 inscription on the rotor. There’s a lovely hand-stitched leather strap and a dash of blue superlume on the hands and hour markers. This model is only available until the end of 2020, so what better way to celebrate the end of a completely horrible year than investing in a unique wristwatch that will stand the test of time?

It’s a great looker and we love the details, here’s the word from Prim;

The characteristic design is enhanced with deep symbolism and carefully planted details. The first quarter of the stainless-steel bezel has a ceramic coating (HyCeram®) in tricolour tones and it is subtly referring to the main inspiration for the edition – the Czech flag. The numeral 20 on the date wheel is red to signify the year; the other numerals are standard white.

The watch crown features the tricolour, also made using HyCeram®.

The colours of our flag mean various things to people. The white can represent freedom or purity; the red, blood shed in fights for freedom and defence of the republic. Historically, the colours come from the original royal banner (bicolour) where red is the colour of the shield (royal coat of arms) and white of the silver Czech lion. The blue wedge is most often interpreted as a symbol of Slovak mountains or even blue sky.

Price? We saw one brand new on Chrono24 for just under £2900. It isn’t a cheap watch, but then things made by hand in Europe are never going to be as low cost as a mass produced, largely robot assembled watch from a Swiss, Japanese or Chinese brand.

More at Prim watches website.