When I first encountered Biatec Watches, it was during an Internet deep-dive as I sought my next watch, three years ago. I wasn’t looking for any style in particular, just something that caught my eye. The Corsair CS—the brand’s second model after the Majestic—won the day and remains in my watchbox. I wear it with some regularity and unlike many of my watches, I’ve yet to have that flash of doubt, wondering whether I should sell it. It’s a bold and somewhat formal take on a classic flieger.
Biatec’s most recent offering is the Leviathan diver. Another watch that leans dressy for its type, the Leviathan appeared in photos and on paper to be even more impressive than its siblings. Having kept in touch with the brand owner since my purchase, I reached out to see if I could take the new model for a spin.
On the Wrist
The Leviathan doesn’t quite live up to its name when you’ve got it on, and that’s a good thing. The watch doesn’t look its 40mmdue to the substantial lugs. While only 20mm, they are pronounced and therefore make the case look closer to 38 or 39mm. The crown at 4 o’clock furthers this effect, as it doesn’t protrude from the side.
Lugholes that sit toward the bottom of the case profile and female endlinks help the bracelet contour around one’s WrisTopography™ for a comfortable fit (though the lack of microadjustments means there may not be a perfect fit for all). For my part, the best fit I could get on my 7-inch wrist left it a bit tight—depending on your wrist shape and size, you may have better luck. A butterfly clasp gave me no issues, though is a curious choice on a diver rated to 300m.
The watch is highly legible due to sharply contrasting colors, jumbo hands, and a simple, uncluttered layout. Reading from almost any angle proved no challenge, and the excellent lume aided low-light time-telling. The bezel is also lumed and operates exceptionally well. There’s enough going on with the dial—gilt, polish, lume—that I found myself glancing down frequently just to enjoy the watch.
Dial Details
Some of us here at The Watch Clicker aren’t really big fans of gilt on watches (it’s Will, The Watch Clicker). I’m not going gilt-hunting, but when it’s done right, it’s done right. And on the Leviathan, it’s done right. The Leviathan comes in three models: blue, black, and vintage (my labels, not theirs). The blue and black are modern and feature polished silver indices. The vintage model that I had for review instead opts for polished gilt indices with Old Radium Super-LumiNova. I like the colors and how they play with the matte black dial and red text.
Biatec has really made this dial their own with the indices. The Biatec logo is an echo of the coat of arms of Slovakia, also found on its flag. The full logo resides at 12 o’clock, with a polished gilt cross, but the remainder of the hour marks are smaller versions of the same square escutcheon shape. Carrying the theme even further, the thick hands are effectively elongated versions of the applied markers. As an added bonus, the hands are perfectly measured: the minute and lollipop seconds hands extend to the outer edge of the hour marks, while the hour hand extends just before the inner edge, bisecting the lollipop of the seconds hand.
Everything is filled with a healthy portion of Old Radium lume. One of the issues I have with my Biatec Corsair CS is the hands and indices don’t shine evenly. The Leviathan suffers no such flaw. While the hands seem a slightly lighter shade of beige in daylight, they shine equally bright as the shield markers. All the lume lights up in a flash and remains bright for a good duration—including the bezel. While the fully lumed bezel is reported to be the same Old Radium lume, it’s very clearly BGW9. Ever the fan of contrast, I like the way the different tones play against each other.
Other dial details are also well-executed. A rehaut with seconds encircles the main dial for precise bezel timing, while beige pips form a minute track around the hour markers. The Leviathan model name is featured in red script at 6 o’clock. A gilt-framed date window is below in place of a 6’olcock marker with a black date wheel to match the dial.
Case and Bracelet Details
Coming out from the dial, the Biatec Leviathan has a double-domed sapphire bezel with a highly effective AR coating. Interestingly, the domed glass is only available on this model, to reinforce the vintage aesthetic; the black and blue models both have flat sapphires. The doming is exceptionally subtle, though, so I can’t say how much of a vintage vibe it conveys.
Surrounding the crystal is a damn-near perfect 120-click bezel. It has a polished base and a fully lumed sapphire insert. Despite shallow scalloping, the bezel operates easily with satisfying but muted clicks and no backplay. The screw-down crown, on the other hand, has deep grooving; positioned at 4 o’clock, it sits outside the lugs and features a polished logo within a frosted circle. Icy cool.
A ho-hum slab-sided case is 40mm wide and brings the total thickness to a not-terrible 14mm. The entire case and bracelet are coated with NanTec, which quadruples the hardness of the stainless steel, making even the polished surfaces highly resistant to damage. I try my best to be careful with review pieces, but let my guard down a bit (which usually results in damage), and for the life of me couldn’t find a single mark on the case at the end of my time with the Leviathan. So let’s call it a win.
Protruding straight out from the case, the unique lugs are sharp and angular, but feature rounded ends where you find the only bad thing about the watch: In lieu of regular springbars, two miniscule screws hold a solid bar between the lugs. The external lug screws are a good look on this watch, but the system was utterly impractical for this unrepentant strap-swapper (I only swapped straps a pitiful two times for this review).
On the caseback, a serpentine leviathan snakes its way through the Biatec logo in a crisp, polished relief. There’s plenty of text on the periphery, including the brand’s motto (Inspired by the past, driven by the future), but it is subtly etched and allows all eyes to be on the twisting sea monster. The screw-down caseback features a Viton gasket, which provides superior resistance to the elements and 300m water resistance.
The Leviathan bracelet is the first that Biatec has ever produced, and as a standalone item, it is excellent. The railroad style links are brushed and polished and the two small links are fully articulating, allowing for even greater comfort. The butterfly clasp is secure and posed no issues once fastened, but proved finnicky in the actual clasping process, occasionally popping back out as I tried to close it. One must wonder about the merits of a butterfly clasp on a fully spec’d dive watch…
Final Thoughts
The Leviathan has all the specs and functionality of a tool watch but the aesthetics (or at least the shininess) of a dress watch, and the butterfly clasp adds to the disconnect, though it certainly isn’t the first dress diver out there. That said, at around $1,275, the pricing for the Biatec Leviathan accurately reflects the quality of watch you get. Everything is finished well, with a unique design, and few flaws. In fact, the Leviathan could probably justify a higher price tag.
Biatec makes exceptional watches and the Leviathan is no exception. Hiding between the date window and the minute track is the text Made in Slovakia. All the watches are designed and assembled there, and the brand operates out of the small town of Budča in the center of the country. That label carries more for this brand than Swiss Made carries for most that use it—heritage and authenticity are paramount. That comes through in the design and quality of each piece. The Leviathan is no exception.
Check out more watch reviews from Mike at The Watch Clicker
Check out the Biatec website
Case Width | 40mm | Thickness | 14mm |
Lug-to-lug Height | 50.2mm | Lug Width | 20mm |
Crystal | Domed Sapphire | Strap | Bracelet |
Water Resistance | 300 meters | Lume | Super-LumiNova® GL Light Old Radium |
Movement | Sellita SW-200 Premium | Price | $1,275 |