My beginnings as a watch collector go far, far back, and interestingly, I started building my collection by focusing on watch production from the former Eastern (socialist) bloc—but not for long.I soon realized that Soviet watchmaking alone was (and still is) so vast and fascinating that I decided to focus exclusively on USSR watches. Nevertheless, since those early days, I’ve been familiar with the Prim company. What’s more, my best friend once told me that one of his first watches was a Prim—so I’ve always had a certain fondness for the brand. But to be completely honest, my knowledge of Prim and its fate stopped there. I never really paid any more attention to it—until recently.
I play tennis occasionally, and the manager of the tennis court happens to be from the Czech Republic. Since he knows I’m a watch enthusiast, he once struck up a conversation about the Czech watch brand Prim. He proudly claimed that today, Prim is one of only eight watch companies in the world that fully manufacture their own watches, meaning they produce not just the cases but also their own in-house movements—every part of the watch is made "at home". I must say that the number eight seems too low to me, but that’s not the point here. What surprised me was the fact that Prim still exists. I had assumed it had suffered the same fate as most other former socialist watch companies. Naturally, I was curious to find out what Prim has to offer today—so I began investigating.
First, I have to warn you: it seems that Prim’s legacy suffers from the same issues as many ex-USSR brands—there’s a dispute over the rights to the brand name. From what I can tell, there are at least two companies currently using the Prim name, and both use versions of the original Prim logo.
The first is ELTON, based in Nové Město, which uses the label “Manufacture Prim 1949” (their website is www.prim.cz). The second is MPM-Quality, which uses the so-called “loaf” Prim logo (their website is www.prim-hodinky.cz).
ELTON claims that the production of Prim watches in Nové Město never stopped and that they are the original continuation of the Prim brand.
MPM-Quality, on the other hand, claims that the original company went bankrupt in 1994, that they bought the trademark in 2001, and that they are now the official owner of the Prim name. To make the confusion even worse, ELTON itself doesn’t stick to just one logo. For watches with in-house movements, they use “Manufacture PRIM 1949”. For watches with Swiss automatic movements, they use the “PRIM automatic” logo. For quartz watches, it’s just “PRIM”.
That’s the theory, or at least what they claim on their website. But when browsing through their collection, you’ll notice that many watches don’t carry any of the above-mentioned logos! The only consistent feature seems to be the pictogram of the Nové Město arches (you can see this on their website).
I’m certainly not the one to decide who is right in this dispute. All I can say is that MPM-Quality watches are not interesting to me at all. Their collection consists of watches made who-knows-where, mostly powered by Japanese or Chinese movements.
ELTON, on the other hand, really does produce its own hand-wound and automatic movements—and that’s what interests me. So, from this point on, I’ll be focusing on ELTON, without insisting that they are the “true” PRIM. After going through their entire collection, I realized that very few watches actually appealed to me.Either I didn’t like the design, or the watches were too small, or they were extremely limited and sold out immediately. The most interesting one was the Mig15, which had just been released but was already sold out. The only remaining candidate that suited my taste was the Orlík II. As you can guess from the title, the Orlík II is the watch I ended up buying.
After this very long introduction, it’s finally time to begin the review of the Orlík II.
Orlík is a reissue of the Czechoslovak military watch from the 1960s. The Orlík I version is similar to the original Orlík; it is also relatively small (38 mm), whereas the Orlík II is quite a different watch. It’s more of a tribute to the original than a reissue.
But as I said, I didn’t buy this watch as an Orlík or Prim fan in general. I chose the Orlík II simply because it is big enough and looks decent.
The Orlík II comes in three versions: stainless steel, black PVD, and bronze. My first pick was the bronze version, which really looks great. But then I realized that the bronze version is the only one without an open case back. And I wanted a watch where the in-house Prim movement is visible!
So, bronze was out, and the standard steel version came into consideration. It’s the cheapest and easiest to maintain. But — the hands on the steel version are not the same as those on the PVD or bronze versions! They are plain, simple hands. They’re okay, but I had already set my heart on the hands from the bronze version, so the steel hands were a disappointment. In the end, I pulled the trigger on the black PVD version. This version has the hands I like the most, the case back is glass, so the movement is visible.
The funny thing is that even the movements are not exactly the same in all three models. Okay, they all belong to the 98.01 family, but the materials and decorations differ. The steel version has the standard rhodium-plated movement, the bronze version has a gold-plated movement, and the PVD version features a PVD-coated movement.
If you're not from the Czech Republic, getting a Prim watch is not a simple task. I don’t know why, but ELTON does not have its own web shop. Even worse, there is no ELTON representative outside the Czech Republic. There is only one official seller offering ELTON Prim watches on the Chrono24 platform—and that’s it.
But if this seller doesn’t have a particular watch in stock, then you have to wait and hope that the factory has it available.I took a different route and checked all the Czech webshops that sell PRIM watches, and I managed to find one with the black PVD version in stock and willing to ship to the EU.
When I opened the package, there was no “wow” effect, to be honest. I wasn’t particularly impressed at all. “Nothing special” would be the best description.
Then I started examining the watch more closely. When setting the time and date, I noticed that the watch stops when the crown is pulled out, so you're able to set the time to the exact second. Good. The crown is screw-down. Good again. Setting the date? No quick-set function! I checked the instruction manual (which, by the way, is only in Czech), and the date can be “quick-set” in a way I call the “Russian approach”:You pass midnight to around 00:30, then wind the hands back to 22:30, pass midnight again, and so on.
The watch is nicely packaged. I appreciate the wooden box, which isn’t too big. In the envelope, you receive three documents. The first one is, of course, the warranty certificate. The second is the already mentioned instruction manual, available only in Czech. And the third is a certificate of authenticity.
This certificate is rather unusual and clearly related to the ongoing dispute over the Prim trademark. But it’s a nice addition and adds value to the package, since it includes a detailed description of all technical aspects of your watch: the manufacturer, reference number, movement specifications, complications, and details about the materials used in each part of the watch. Again, it’s all in Czech—but still very helpful.
Even though most of the technical details are shown in the photo, let me briefly comment on them.
The official diameter of the watch is listed as 42 mm—BUT that’s not quite true. The watch is actually larger, measuring around 43–44 mm, depending on where you take the measurement. The dial alone is nearly 36 mm, which is quite large. The thickness is officially 14.5 mm, but I measured almost 14.9 mm. Lug width is 22 mm, and the official lug-to-lug (L2L) is a massive 54.3 mm—but I measured 49 mm. I think the 54.3 mm refers to the distance from one end of the case to the other. But the lugs themselves aren’t placed at the very edge of the case—they’re set more inward.
So… hmm… a strange certificate, right?
Other specs state that the crown, case, case back, and buckle are all made of DLC-coated stainless steel. The crystal is sapphire with anti-reflective coating. The hands are stainless steel with Luminova. The dial is—well—galvanized plastic with white printing and Luminova indexes.
I couldn’t find any information about the bezel material, but based on touch and feel, I assume that at least the external grip is also galvanized plastic.
The strap is rubber with a pin buckle. The buckle is PVD-coated stainless steel and features the factory pictogram. The strap size is 22/20 mm.
The watch has a declared water resistance of 10 ATM. I haven’t tested this, of course.
Now, let’s move on to the most important part—the 98.01 movement.
The movement was developed in 2010. According to Prim’s technical specifications, it is relatively large (29.6 mm in diameter) and thick (6.8 mm). It is the largest movement among all Prim calibers. It has 22 jewels and beats at 21,600 A/h. The power reserve is stated as 45 hours in some documents, while the certificate for this specific version declares it to be 48 hours. The second hand moves very smoothly, and the movement is also very quiet.
I tried to find the official daily accuracy specification (the declared +/- seconds per day), but that information is not mentioned in the certificate nor anywhere online.So I paid special attention to this myself. I wound the watch by hand and set the time precisely to the second using my phone.I then wore the watch for seven consecutive days, day and night. I never took it off my wrist, and I didn’t wind it again during that time. The result was a consistent +10 seconds per day without any deviation. So I called my watchmaker and asked him to try to slow the movement down just a bit. He was quite eager to do it, as he had never seen this movement before and was curious to inspect it. So for the next few lines about the movement review, I owe him a big thank-you.
With his help, I can share pictures of the “naked” movement—without the rotor.
Right away we noticed (and also measured) that the movement is actually only 25.6 mm wide, but it has a 2 mm steel ring around it. So, the 98.01 movement is the same as the basic 98.00 movement, just with the added steel ring. This ring fills the gap between the movement and the case when the movement is used in larger watch cases.Even the movement itself is stamped simply with “cal. 98.”
Regulating the speed of the watch is done in a very orthodox, old-fashioned way—via a lever above the balance wheel. There’s no micro-regulator. Regulation is quite tricky; the lever is very sensitive, and even the slightest adjustment can have a significant effect on the rate.
What’s even trickier is that the movement is very unstable—or better said, very sensitive—depending on the position in which you’re adjusting the speed. It has a huge positional error. There is a drastic difference in the running speed depending on whether the movement is placed dial-side up, crown-side down, or backplate-side down. And the movement also behaves differently when it’s “naked” compared to when the dial and crown are mounted. The total positional variance was nearly 20 seconds! So in the end, setting the running speed—even with all the right measurements—was more or less a method of trial and error. It ultimately depends on the user's habits and how the watch is worn.
So my watchmaker adjusted the speed “by feeling.” The first day it was -11 seconds, then -10, and now it seems to have stabilized at -7 seconds per day. I noticed it loses less time during the night than during the day. It seems that while I sleep, I often wear the watch with the dial facing down, which happens to be the fastest position.
We decided not to adjust the speed any further…
My watchmaker was quite unpleasantly surprised that the rotor winds the movement in only one direction—on the return path it just spins freely. His general impression was that the movement really is unlike anything he had seen before—yet at the same time, it felt similar to many others.There were no real improvements anywhere.
Let’s go back to the general impression of the watch.There’s nothing particularly bad or good that absolutely needs to be pointed out—but let me try.
I already mentioned the bezel, which feels quite plasticky. It turns in both directions with 60 clicks per full rotation. One might say the bezel has a certain “ex-USSR” feeling—and that’s true—but the clicks are actually among the best I’ve ever experienced! Stiff, but not too stiff. You can turn the bezel easily, yet at the same time you feel every movement. Perfect!
I really like the design of all three hands. The date window is large and easy to read. To be honest, that applies to the entire dial.
This watch truly fulfills the main purpose of a watch: at any moment, with just a quick glance, you instantly know what time it is. Even at night! Throughout the night, the Luminova stays bright and readable.
Even though I’ve received some positive feedback about the general look of the watch, for me it’s definitely not an eye-catcher, and it doesn’t really draw attention. A shame, because with just a few small upgrades, this watch could become much more attractive—without losing any of its practicality or requiring additional costs. For example, the Orlik I models have orange indexes and numerals instead of white, and that looks much better. Too bad the Orlik I is just a 38mm watch... Also, one of the Orlik I models uses a movement with a small seconds complication, which again gives the watch a different and more interesting look. So this “boringness” could be improved quite easily. The bronze Orlik II is much more visually appealing as well, and I still can’t get over the fact that they decided to close the case back… But of course, this is just my very subjective opinion. You might easily feel differently.
Overall, the watch is well built, fits the wrist nicely, and is easy to wear. As I mentioned, it stayed on my wrist for more than two weeks straight, and the entire experience was—very comfortable. I really like that the rubber strap comes with a pin buckle rather than a clasp, since the pin buckle allows you to adjust the tightness during the day if needed.
The rubber strap itself isn’t the best, but it’s far from bad. Maybe just a bit too stiff for my taste—I prefer softer rubber. But maybe I’m spoiled by my sports watches, which have very soft rubber straps.
So, all in all, the best way to describe this watch is as an all-rounder. It’s a kind of hybrid between a dress watch, sports watch, diver, pilot—there’s a bit of everything in it. And you know what? I like it more and more every day. My opinion of the overall look of the watch has improved a lot since day one.
And then we come to the price. Take a deeeep breath! The price for this model was 3,200 EUR! I say was because after the New Year, the price went up—to 3,400 EUR!
I truly respect independent watchmakers who produce in-house movements. That deserves admiration. And I believe I’ve shown that respect by actually buying this watch. But to be completely honest—this price is an exaggeration. And keep in mind—this is one of the cheapest watches with an in-house movement in their entire lineup!
Since the company is heavily focused on the Czech market, I can only guess: either their production capacity is so limited that they simply can’t afford to expand into other markets—and their low output makes production costs too high, or Czech customers are simply so proud of their national brand that they buy up everything, no matter the price.Listening to what my tennis court manager says, the second option seems to be the case. But I believe the first one is more realistic.
This price really demands a comparison.
If you’ve read some of my previous blogs, you’ve probably come across my reviews of a few new Raketa watches. Raketa is another brand that, since 2015, once again manufactures all components in-house—including their own automatic movement, the updated 2615.I own the Raketa Amphibia with black DLC coating and 42mm size. Its movement has no date complication and runs at a lower frequency (18,000 A/h), but it has more jewels (24) and charges bi-directionally. The case is stainless steel, with sapphire crystal and a 200m water resistance rating. It comes with a rubber strap and a pin buckle. Price?1,100 EUR.
Let’s take another example: one of the best price/quality brands—Mido. I used to own their Multifort watch: again, DLC-coated steel case, sapphire glass, 42mm size, rubber strap with a clasp. It was powered by the Powermatic 80 movement (that’s 80h power reserve), specifically ETA C07.621 (aka 2836-2), 21,600 A/h, 25 jewels, with a day/date complication. No bezel on this one. Not an in-house movement, of course, so the production is cheaper. Full price for this watch: 900 EUR. But it can often be found for less.
Mido is the thinnest among these three, Prim is the thickest. Prim has the biggest dial, Raketa the smallest one. Raketa has the most beautiful decoration of the movement, Mido the worst. Etc. I’ve compared a lot of aspects already, but maybe I’ll do a dedicated article for this comparison one day.
The main question here is—who buys Prim? The movement is far from the best of the three (I dare say it’s the worst), the watch construction and materials are on par at best, and yet the price is three times higher. So buying the Prim at this price is not a rational decision. Far, far from it. There are tons of watches out there that are cheaper and, I dare say, better—or at least of similar quality. We all know what can be bought for 3,200 EUR, right?
If you really want something with a good in-house movement, you could get not one but three Raketas (or at least two) for that money. Suddenly, Raketa watches are no longer expensive—they’re cheap. I’m sure there’s a great Seiko, or even a Grand Seiko, in that price range. And so on, and so on.
So again—who buys Prim for this kind of money? Who buys other Prim models with price tags of 5,000 EUR and more? Well... who am I to blame anyone. It’s me, for example. And probably a few other watch freaks who want to—and can afford to—show their respect to a company that still tries to make its own movements in today’s copycat world. Some Czech patriots, probably.
If you fit into any of those categories—go for it. The watch is good, and the company deserves your support. But if you’re just a rational watch lover—wait for the day when Prim becomes a mass producer, which might lower production costs and bring a better price to the end customer. Until then, stick with other watches—Miyota, Seiko, Sellita, ETA, Seagull...
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