In August last year in the blog we reviewed one of the watches of the Slovak microbrand Biatec, and namely the Corsair model. At that time I mentioned that I really like another project of this brand – Leviathan, which at that time was not yet available for sale. It’s already … and, because I caught a good contact with the owner of the brand – Peter Kožár, I was able to get this model for testing as well, in the version that I like the most, i.e. vintage (03). With a choice of several versions of the watch, I usually choose the one that looks the most raw and the least shiny – that’s my taste.
Biatec Leviathan even in version 03 is not a raw watch, but despite its innocent appearance, it has all the features of a thoroughbred toolwatch and is not as delicate as it may seem. This time I received a new copy for testing, so I could enjoy the opportunity to unpack the new watch from foil, adjust the bracelet and wear it without stress on the first marks 😊
The new Biatec Leviathan costs about PLN 5,500, which places it above the average when it comes to prices of microbrand watches, even those equipped with Swiss mechanisms.
Enough chatter, I invite you to read the review.

Box

As with the Corsair, the Leviathan case is also impressive. This is not an identical packaging, it has a slightly different design (different hinges), but it’s also beautifully finished, both outside and inside. What I immediately pointed out was its weight: it is very heavy for a watch case. The box together with the watch weighs almost 2 kg! This gives a proof of the quality of materials used for its production. The box is black and is lacquered and polished to a high gloss, inside it is lined with light eco leather and looks very prestigious. From the very beginning, it makes us understand that we are dealing with a premium product.

Case

This watch is very original in many ways, one is a case that is 40mm wide and looks like a medieval mortar from the side. Such a short and thick steepshot cannon, probably most people associate it😊 This is the result of the fact that the side wall of the case is completely straight and is 14mm high, which is quite a value for a 40mm watch.

The lugs are very massive, long, not bent, but broken downwards and oval-shaped at the end. It’s because of them, despite the fact that the watch has 20mm between the lugs, it looks more 22mm. The lugs have a shape that looks like part of the bracelet, not the case, and this combined with the crown at 4 o’clock makes the case visually appear even smaller. The treatments used in the design of this case cause that our sense of sight is completely deceived and when we look at the watch from above all dimensions would be described completely differently than those that the watch really has.
Lugs were drilled through. The bracelet is mounted between them, not with spring bars, but with screws. It matches very nicely with the look of the bracelet and basically the whole watch.

The case is entirely polished to a high gloss, the finish is perfect, it doesn’t have even the slightest shortcomings, the surfaces are so even that each, even minimal touch of the watch with your fingers leaves greasy stains on the mirror surface. It’s a quality from the highest watch shelf, in this aspect Biatec doesn’t stand out from Swiss brands more expensive than it even several times. The quality is also visible in fitting the elements of the case together, the gaps in this watch (between the case and bezel and between the case and the bracelet) are so minimal that they are almost invisible. The polishing of the case between the lugs doesn’t even slightly differ in quality from the polishing on the sides of the case.

The crown placed at 4 o’clock is screwed down and has the engraved Biatec logo that I like very much. Unscrewing the crown slightly disturbs the lug, which is very close to it, but because it’s unscrewed very easily, it can be done without much problem. The crown work itself is incredibly pleasant, there is not even the slightest slack, the crown works with adequate resistance giving a sense of full control over the set directions. The watch has a WR at level 300M.

An interesting feature of this model is the use of steel with a NanTec coating in the case and bracelet, which guarantees 3 times higher hardness and scratch resistance than steel alone. Along with the watch I also got 2 pieces of steel – one without NanTec coating and one covered with this coating, with permission to scratch both pieces with a steel brush and compare the scratches that appear on each surface. We planned to record a test of both metal pieces, but the one that was uncoated came so scratched that you couldn’t see any new ones. So I checked the scratch resistance of the metal with the NenTec coating by drawing it with a wire brush and the brush practically slipped on the surface without leaving any marks, which would certainly not be possible with ordinary, highly polished steel.

Scratch resistance is also confirmed when using the watch. I wear it for a week now, and so far neither the bracelet nor the case has appeared even one, even the smallest micro-scratch, and for all other watches I had, the bracelet has always had marks on the clasp resulting from sitting at the desk, even after such a short time.

Movement

And what is really inside? Unfortunately, I don’t know … and the producer deserves a minus. On the Biatec website in the specification description there is information that the watch is driven by the Swiss mechanism Sellita SW200-1 Premium or ETA2824-2 TOP. Both movements are decent work horses, especially since in both cases it is the best, most extensive version in terms of regulation options. The parameters of these movements are very similar – the frequency of 28 800 beats per hour, stop second, the possibility of hand winding with crown, 38h power reserve. On paper, the difference is only in the number of jewels – Sellita has 26 and ETA 25. The ghost movement is well adjusted, my copy is equal to -1s / day.

Dial

Because I chose version 03, the dial is black and matt, on the outermost part there is a chapter ring, which steeply drops from the bezel towards the dial. The chapter ring has densely divided, yellow second indices (each second divided into 5). Closer to the center are placed minute indices in the form of yellow dots.

Even closer we have the main hourly indices – the indices are golden in color and inside are filled with yellow luminescent mass of the old radium type.
The 12 o’clock index, which is a manufacturer’s logo, i.e. a shield with a cross in the middle, makes an amazing impression. The cross, like the index, is also golden. Other hourly indices are smaller schields without a cross in the middle. They all seem to be made very well, from afar the indices beautifully change under the influence of light and change color. What you can’t see from a distance, however, appears in the pictures with approximation, some indices, especially the 12 o’clock index have some traces or micro jags. Reviewing the photo I was very surprised, because you cann’t see it live. It’s a pity because I was very disappointed on this element of the dial, which seemed great to me.

At 6 o’clock there is a date window, which has the form of a golden, tall frame narrowing downwards. The frame looks very nice, it is high and clear, unfortunately it also has uneven finish as in the case of indices. Under the frame there is a yellow inscription “Made in Slovakia”, above it there is a red Leviathan inscription and yellow information about the water resistance of the watch. The date itself has white text on a black background.

The hands are also golden – hour and minute are like inverted and elongated indexes, hourly is a bit thicker and shorter than minute. The second has the shape of an arrow with a red arrowhead in the shape of a circle. All hands are filled with Old Radium yellow luminescent mass. The hands are done very well, there is no problem that appeared on the indexes. I think the idea that the hands are elongated indices is brilliant, because thanks to that everything fits together stylistically.

The watch uses sapphire glass with internal, blue anti-reflection. The glass is slightly doomed on the outside and stronger on the inside, thanks to which it creates cool visual effects when we look at the watch at an acute angle. Anti-reflection is very strong and when we move the hand it appears in the form of blue glow on the glass; it always happens at the same time when the indices reflect light and the combined effect looks beautiful. The watch is currently turning into a golden treasure shimmering to the holder 😊

The luma in this watch is absolutely amazing, after exposure it can be seen that we are dealing with a great glowing watch, because in addition to the fact that the indices are very bright, their color is also extremely juicy. Indices and hands glow green, bezel on blue. The brightness weakens very slowly and when after 5 hours of exposure I saw how the watch looks at night I was shocked that it still shines so strong. This is by far the best luminous watch of all that I have had so far, all Seiko and Zelos loses in the heat. The watch immediately after exposure made such a glow on the wall as Eterna Kon-Tiki with a full lume dial. Importantly, the luma on the bezel doesn’t stick at all from the indexes and, like them, shines without any problem till the morning!

Bezel

The bezel is unidirectional, has 120 clicks and a sapphire glass insert. I have a Tourby Lawless with a sapphire bezel and the bezel in Biatec is completely different. Insert Tourby changes color depending on the angle of incidence and intensity of light together with the glass covering the dial, the Biatec insert is practically unchanged, has constant colors regardless of what happens to it and thus stands out much more from glass.

The advantage of a bezel with a sapphire glass insert is resistance to scratches and the fact that they can have any color and amount of luma. Leviathan Bezel uses these possibilities 100% – it is two-colored (black and white) and almost entirely on the section between 1 and 22 minutes consists of luminescent mass. At 12 o’clock there is a red triangle pointing downwards.
The insert is very narrow but fits the concept of the entire watch.

Looking from the side, it can be seen that the bezel is completely polished and in half height from the vertical surface turns into an angled towards the insert. At this transition there are small incisions to facilitate gripping the bezel.

The bezel’s work is extremely pleasant, it comes with a lot of resistance and when turning it makes  pleasant to the ear clicks, there is not even minimal slack in it … moving the bezel or we will twist it to another tooth, or move the whole watch, it’s like welded.
And by the way bezel again I will mention the amazing matching bezel and case. The gaps between these elements are hair thick, actually between the insert and the glass the gap is not visible at all, the insert almost touches the chapter ring.

Case back

The case back is full, completely polished and has a strongly protruding embossing manufacturer’s logo, in the center of which is Leviathan – the legendary sea monster mentioned in the Old Testament. Standard watch information is engraved on the edge of the case back. The case back makes a great impression and proves that Biatec does’t compromise and doesn’t intend to give up quality, even in a place that is still not visible when the watch is on hand.

Bracelet

The design of the bracelet is as unique as the case. The bracelet is 20mm wide and its links consist of 3 parts – inner, wide and brushed and 2 narrow on the outside, which are polished to a high gloss. The links are full, thick and are connected to each other using 2 separate short clips, which are also polished. All this makes the bracelet look wider than it really is, without checking the width I would  bet 22mm. The clasp is a double-sided latch, without the possibility of micro-adjustment, but the manufacturer gives the set one half-smaller link, thanks to which we have a greater possibility of matching the bracelet. I found the smaller link useful and thanks to it the watch lies comfortably on my hand, although it would be even better with micro-regulation. The quality of the bracelet finish, just like the case is first-rate.

An interesting thing is the latch, which on one side has a concavity, in which the protruding badge enters on the other half. This means that the fastener can only be latched in the correct order. At first, during the first 3-4 closures I had a problem with it, but I quickly learned that first one then the other. And now I think it’s a very nice idea, because thanks to it the clasp looks better.

Summary

The review was written before Tomek and I took pictures and therefore had to modify it a bit after seeing the pictures. The summary was a song of praise for great quality, basically the best-made watch I’ve ever had, but the quality of the indices roughly changes my approach to this timer. I had a huge dilemma on how to rate a watch, which, apart from a small slip-up on the indices, is practically perfect when it comes to quality of workmanship. Metalworking and matching elements in this watch is a masterpiece.

The design of this watch is also very unique; we won’t find a watch that looks like this model. The whole watch has a spirit that I associate with medieval times- the dial with the cross on the index and the shapes of the case, lugs and bracelets make the watch seen from above resemble a medieval tower or fort. In addition, the watch deceives us completely when it comes to paper size and what our eyes see. This proves the incredible craftsmanship and attention to detail of the person who dealt with the design of this timer – hats off to the person who invented it all

It’s for these reasons that I still think that it is worth turning a blind eye to the small shortcomings found in my copy and buying a new diver from Biatec, because the mishaps happen even to the best, and this watch was very close to being perfect in my eyes. ..

Konrad

 

4 Comments

  1. I came across this watch only recently but I like it very much. It’s a nice dress-diver and I think it looks far more expensive than it actually is. If it really feels as sound as described here I would assume that it is worth every penny.

    Unfortunately I’m a pixel-peeper and the issue with the hour markers would bother me painfully. Did you ask biatec about it? Will they address it?

    Andreas
    1. Hi, Biatec has not commented on this in any way. It is very possible that it was a problem of only this one copy, but it’s hard for me to give my opinion because I have not seen other copies.

      2gwatchblog
  2. Nice and honest review. Like said, a pitty is the quality of the indices, perhaps it is only with this sample. I would like the see a review of a black or bleu version, especially the effect of the shiny dial.

    Peter

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