roughbarked said:
Ian said:
You need bigger batteries.
.
I’m reminded of…
A Polish tourist comes back home after visiting the USSR. He carries two very large and heavy suitcases. On his wrist is a new Soviet-made watch. He tells the customs man: “This is a new Soviet watch. It’s a wonder unknown in the capitalist countries. You see, it shows time, the rate of your pulse beats, the phases of the Moon, the weather in Warsaw, Moscow, and New York, and more and more!”
“Yes, it’s a wonder,” the customs man agrees. “And what is it you have in these big suitcases?”
“Oh, it’s just the batteries for that watch.”
The Soviets made some very good as well as very cheap mechanical watches but I really haven’t seen any Soviet Electronic balance or quartz watches.
Hmm..
Interestingly, Poljot produces the chronograph caliber 3133 with the help of Swiss machines. During the Quartz Crisis of the 1970s, cheap quartz watches from Asia took over the European market. Time-honored Swiss manufacturers plunged into financial difficulties. Many sold their production facilities and their know-how to the Soviet Union. A similar phenomenon occurred after the Second World War. Technical drawings and documents from Wempe and A. Lange & Söhne were translated into Russian and given to the Soviet Union as a reparation payment. This is how the Soviet Union came to know how to produce an incredibly precise marine chronometer, a type of watch that helps sailors navigate. Machines and parts from Glashütte also made it to the Soviet Union. These helped Russian engineers create pilot’s watches with an improved version of the German pilot’s chronograph caliber 59.
The automatic movement 2416 and the popular alarm caliber 2612 are well-known Poljot calibers. The alarm caliber is based on a caliber from the Swiss ébauche manufacturer Venus. However, it’s not an alarm for your bedroom, but an alarm on a mechanical wristwatch. This model is the most popular Russian watch with an alarm. Furthermore, there are different manual and special calibers with day or night displays or 24-hour indicators. The improved version of the chronograph movement 3133 has a moon phase or a 24-hour display. Generally, these Russian calibers are considered very robust and reliable. Poljot also uses ETA movements in some of their watches. For example, the caliber 2824 is used in numerous automatic watches. The 2824 is a popular automatic caliber also used by many name-brand Swiss manufacturers.
Poljot Watches After the Fall of the Soviet Union
The design of many Russian watches began to resemble those of Western watches after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Poljot went bankrupt in 2004. The company Maktime took over most of the production, but subsequently went bankrupt in 2011. The rights to the brand names Aviator, Buran, and Sturmanskie were sold to the Russian watch manufacturer Volmax.
There are still countless new Poljot watches being sold. However, it’s often not specified whether the watches are new old stock or replicas, and it’s difficult to determine where the watch was produced. Thus, you should pay careful attention to details when buying a Russian Poljot watch. Check the offer thoroughly and ask the seller detailed questions, such as the production year and location. The caliber is also an important point of reference. There are also Poljot International wristwatches that were made in Germany.
Russian watches produced before 1991 when the Soviet Union still existed are the rarest. Generally, Russian wristwatches are high-quality timepieces and collectors and watch enthusiasts know this. Consequently, demand in the last few years has significantly risen, which has influenced the prices. Vintage watches from Russian manufacturers are getting rarer and more expensive.
Russian Watches from Vostok
Aside from Poljot, Vostok is one of the most important and well-known Russian watch manufacturers. They’re most famous for military watches like the Russian diving watch Vostok Amphibia. “Vostok” means “east” in English. The company was founded in 1942 at the command of Joseph Stalin. During the Second World War, production facilities were moved further east to avoid the advancing German army. Today, the company’s headquarters are in Chistopol, about 500 miles east of Moscow. Vostok was an official supplier of watches to the Soviet troops and continues to provide the Russian armed forces with timepieces today. However, the manufacturer also produces watches for civilian use. Since the end of the Second World War, the company has produced cockpit instruments for military vehicles, planes, and even submarines.
Detailed Price Information
Model Complications Price
Vostok Amphibia Cal. 2409 Date, manual Starting at 50 euros
Vostok Amphibia Cal. 2416b Date, automatic Starting at 100 euros
Vostok Kormandirksie Cal. 2414a Date, manual Starting at 50 euros
Komandirkskie
The most well-known watches from Vostok are the Komandirkskie, which means “captain” in English, and the diving watch Amphibia. Both models have been around since the 1960s. Models which were produced for the Ministry of Defense and which were only available in special stores have “ЗАКАЗ МО СССР” on their dial. Vostok watches with this inscription are highly coveted, as they were produced in the Soviet Union and are proper military watches. New Vostok Amphibia watches aren’t very expensive. The timepieces are well made and considered indestructible.
The Vostok Amphibia has a unique construction. It has a two-piece screw-down case back and a large screw-down crown. Under the case back, there’s a wide, flat gasket. A ring screwed to the case is forced firmly against the gasket. This system has the advantage of not damaging the gasket when you open the case, which can happen to conventional gaskets if the case back is screwed directly to it. Furthermore, the lid of the case back presses ever more firmly against the Amphibia with increasing levels of outer pressure, preventing any water from getting in. The Plexiglas used on the dial side is also unique. It flattens out or expands slightly under pressure, creating a strong seal. This is known as a self-sealing system.
The manual and automatic movements used in the Vostok watches are based on Swiss calibers. The automatic caliber 2416b with a date display, 31 jewels, shock protection, a 31-hour power reserve, and a balance frequency of 19,800 alternations per hour (A/h) is widespread. The automatic movement can be hand wound, but it doesn’t have a balance stop. The manual caliber 2414 is comparable. However, it has a longer-lasting power reserve of 43 hours.
The Vostok Amphibia is available with countless different dials. The majority have a military motif, such as a tank, submarine, or diver. There are even models with portraits of Joseph Stalin or Vladimir Putin. The most common dial colors are black, blue, or white. Typical of a diving watch, the Amphibia has luminous material on the hands and dial. The seconds hand has a luminous point at the end, which helps you know that the watch is still working while underwater.
Russian Watches from Slava
Slava is a trademarked name of the Second Moscow Watch Factory, which was founded in 1931. Translated into English, “slava” means “fame” or “honor.” The Second Moscow Watch Factory has used the Slava name since the mid-1950s. Then, only ladies’ watches had the Slava inscription on the dial. Later, quartz watches, pocket watches, and alarms were added to their portfolio. For many years, watch designs took second place to increasing production numbers. Only in the mid-1990s did the design element of these timepieces become more important.
The most famous Slava models are the Pobeda watches, whose movements are based on the French caliber LIP R-26. “Pobeda” means “victory” in English. The First Moscow Watch Factory had plans and production facilities for this movement in 1937. The Second Moscow Watch Factory made further developments under the numbers 2602 and 2602A. Watches with these calibers are sold under the name Pobeda. Between 1946 and 1955, Slava also introduced a pocket watch with the caliber 3602. This movement is based on the French movement Cortebert 620.
Since 1958, the brand name Slava has been a major part of the company. The Second Moscow Watch Factory has its headquarters in Moscow and is a publicly traded corporation.
Russian Watches from Raketa
Raketa, Russian for “rocket,” has been producing watches since 1961. The company is headquartered in Saint Petersburg. There, the watch factory Petrodworez produces many different timepieces, including wristwatches, pocket watches, special watches for Polar explorers, and military watches for the marines, army, and air force. Petrodworez is the oldest pre-communist company in Russia. Peter the Great founded the majority of the production facilities in 1721. In the beginning, the factory produced works of art for the tsar and his family. In honor of the first manned space flight, Petrodworez began naming their watches “Raketa.”
Before the company began producing watches and movements, it was restricted to making accessory parts for army technology and the watch industry. The first wristwatch, Zwesta, left the factory in 1949. Pobeda watches also began leaving the production halls in Saint Petersburg. Petrodworez developed the precision movement Raketa 2609N which served as the basis for dozens of movements. Raketa watches are available with automatic movements, calendar functions, and 24-hour displays. The 24-hour displays are helpful for polar researchers who spend time in environments without daylight. Petrodworez also produces anti-magnetic watches for use on submarines.
In the 1980s, the factory produced over four million timepieces. Raketa watches were used by the Red Army, Soviet Marines, and Soviet Air Force, as well as civilian populations. The USSR also exported their Raketa watches internationally. These Russian watches are considered reliable and robust.