Prague, Czech Republic
Michal Froňek and Jan Němeček of Olgoj Chorchoj have introduced their newest watch—the Aero Minor for Bohematic—that takes inspiration from the celebrated icons from the country as the brand continues to create mechanical timepieces featuring modernist design with timeless shapes and precise craftsmanship pushing the limits of technological possibilities.
This watch pays tribute to the legendary Czech car Aero Minor Sport and the racers who drove it to victory in its class in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1949.
Olgoj Chorchoj’s numerous details on the Aero Minor link the watch visually to this hugely successful racing vehicle.
The watch’s lightweight titanium case features ergonomically shaped lugs and a rotating bezel with inset luminescent markings.
The distinctive dial, the typography and the shape of the hands are reminiscent of the car’s dashboard instruments; gear cog grooves decorate the crown and the rotor echoes the geometry of a wheel.
Its lightweight titanium case features ergonomically shaped lugs and a rotating bezel with inset luminescent markings.
The distinctive dial, the typography and the shape of the hands are reminiscent of the car’s dashboard instruments; gear cog grooves decorate the crown and the rotor echoes the geometry of a wheel.
The calibre has several modifications made especially for the Aero Minor chronograph which features a column wheel and a rare complication called flyback—a function that allows the watch owner to stop and reset the stopwatch with a single push of a button.
Inspiration for including this complication came from the idea of measuring the circuit laps in Le Mans or the competition segments in TSD rallies. Manually set into the dial are two sub-dials with raised indices and a minute scale.
The skeletonized date wheel showing under the perforated dial and the luminescent date window (which greatly helps legibility in low-light conditions) add a beautiful, yet functional detail.
Rounding up the busy watch face is the perfectly clean minute scale with slightly raised Super-LumiNova indices. Adding the finishing touch to this model is the hand-sewn leather strap with large holes; it comes from Ondřej Šíma’s Prague studio.
The Aero Minor model is produced in four different colors referencing legendary racing circuits Le Mans blue, Spa gray, Indy sunburn, and Monaco black.
Project: Aero Minor Watch
Designers: Olgoj Chorchoj
Manufacturer: Bohematic s.r.o.
