The Majestic was manufactured by one of the largest Polish pre-War radio companies – the Towarzystwo Radiotechniczne Elektrit from Vilnius, operating between 1925-1939. Initially it operated as a shop specialising in sales of imported radios and radio parts. The profile of the company’s activities was extended in 1927 when it launched its own radios. The company was established by Samuel and Hirsz Chwoles and Nachman Lewin.
The Majestic receiver makes design references to designs of 1933-1935, when the vertical layout of the housing was en vogue, and when square drum scales, made of hard celluloid, were introduced. In the Majestic, the scale is backlit in three-colour light, and a magnifying glass is used to improve viewing. On the side wall of the receiver box there is a marking from a confiscation in the period of Nazi occupation, when the possession of and listening to a radio was punishable by death. The receiver uses one of the early types of tuning indicators, that is, in the form of a magnetic electric arrow gauge. In older designs of radio devices a neon indicator was used – a so-called light ruler – and later models used an electron ray tube tuning indicator, the so-called “magic eye”.
The Majestic is one of seven models of the Jubilee radio receivers, marketed in the 1935-1936 season. The annual change in the product range was caused by the peculiarities of the production cycle. Assembly was done in the period from late autumn to early spring, with a break in the summer when engineers designed new models. Such an arrangement resulted in the annual firing of the workforce without a guarantee of re-employment. Seasonal production, however, was necessitated by the existence of strong competition on a radio receiver market dominated by foreign manufacturers (Philips, Marconi, Telefunken). In order to increase sales, different models of Elektrit radios were manufactured in different type versions: B – battery-powered, Z – AC-powered, and U – DC-powered. This division was accompanied by the progressive pricing of models, from economical to exclusive versions. The Majestic was in the latter category. In 1935, it cost 675 zlotys, when a receiver made by Elektrit, the Kontinent, cost 180 zlotys. The average monthly salary at the time was 102 zlotys for a worker, and 280 zlotys for a white-collar worker.

Authors: Piotr Turowski, Filip Wróblewski