Maximum speed during the stratospheric flight.
Mission / PRIM TYCHO BRAHE KOSMOS
Czech time at the edge of space.
We brought together Czech watchmaking, astronomy and a historic observatory. The result was the first Czech watch to complete a stratospheric mission — while helping to fund the observatory’s restoration.
31 kmmaximum mission altitude
ÚSTECKÁ OBSERVATORY / LIBOŇOV
Extreme conditions survived by the mechanical watch.
Full functionality was confirmed after recovery.
01 / Birth of the project
A tradition from 1949. A story from 1929.
Vít Musílek initiated the project after visiting the ELTON hodinářská manufacture in Nové Město nad Metují. The observatory’s story impressed PRIM’s management and led to the joint creation of the TYCHO BRAHE KOSMOS model.
The caseback carries a map of the night sky in 1949 — the year Czechoslovak watchmaking began. Its astronomical motif unites two Czech histories in a single collector’s object.
02 / Experiment
Not a marketing trick. A real mission.
The watch was placed in a transparent case beneath a high-altitude balloon. The December 2024 mission reached approximately 31 kilometres, where the sky is black, cosmic radiation is substantially higher and temperatures fall to around −70 °C.
The watch was recovered after its return and remained fully operational. The photographic record captured the Czech movement against the curved horizon of Earth.
01Ústecká hvězdárna z. s.
02ELTON hodinářská a. s. / PRIM
03Galerie KODL / Artslimit
03 / Project memorandum
A symbol of Czech precision and watchmaking tradition.
“This image captures the triumph of innovation and historic craftsmanship rooted in 1949. Representing both the mastery of Czech watchmakers and a spirit of national pride, the watch reached a speed of 276 km/h, climbed to 31,000 metres and withstood extreme conditions including temperatures as low as −70 °C and high radiation. Valued at CZK 700,000, this bold project was the most valuable stratospheric balloon payload launched in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Its successful landing marked another milestone: the first Czech watch to visit the stratosphere. It was also the first project under the auspices of Ústecká Observatory after 79 years of inactivity. The image evokes technical excellence, national pride and the development of space technology, leaving a Czech mark on the global landscape of innovation and tradition.”
04 / Film record
The flight and return of the watch.
05 / Project result
A Czech watch above Earth.
A watch helping to put the observatory back on the map.
The prototype raised CZK 390,000 at auction. Proceeds from the later auction of the actual flight watch were also dedicated to restoring the historic observatory.
Press coverage / Media
As featured in
Media in the Czech Republic and abroad are following the restoration, the Czech watch mission to the stratosphere and the future Research Station.
