Russian Watches

What should I note when buying a Russian watch?

• Russian watches have an excellent price/performance ratio
• Russian watches are precise, but no Swiss chronometers
• Original Poljot watches are only available pre-owned
• So-called "CCCP watches" from the Soviet Union are popular amongst collectors

How much do Russian watches cost?

Russian watches offer an affordable entry into the world of mechanical watches. Well-maintained vintage watches offer excellent value for your money. However, the quality of pre-owned CCCP watches, as some fans call them, is not as high as Swiss watches. The four Cyrillic letters CCCP stand for the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). Russian watches are incredibly robust, reliable, and long lasting. New, contemporary watches can cost several thousand euros.

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Popular Poljot Watches

Poljot watches are especially popular amongst collectors. The brand has ceased producing new watches, so only pre-owned timepieces are available. Pre-1991 vintage pieces from the Soviet Union are considered collector's items. Twenty years ago, you could find these CCCP watches at almost any central European flea market. Today, it's significantly harder to obtain a well-maintained model. The Russian aviator watch with a chronograph function has an excellent reputation. The Poljot caliber 3133 is based on the Valjoux 7734, a Swiss movement. The 3133 is manually wound and considered both robust and reliable.

Poljot chronographs with 24-hour or moon phase displays are even rarer. A vintage Poljot chronograph in good condition costs around 250 euros. The Poljot Buran is also available with a chronograph function. New, the watch costs around 400 euros. Comparable Swiss chronographs powered by the Valjoux 7734 cost around 1,000 euros. A 1970s Breitling Datora can even sell for over 3,000 euros.

Poljot watches with the caliber 2612 have a few additional special features: These Russian timepieces have an alarm function. If you want your wristwatch to wake you up in the morning, this is the perfect watch for you. This timepiece is practical on trips, too. After all, who packs their bedroom alarm clock with them? A Poljot Cal. 2612 costs as little as 200 euros. The Master Memovox from Jaeger-LeCoultre is a Swiss watch with an alarm function. For a pre-owned version of this stainless steel watch, you should be prepared to pay 5,000 euros.

Poljot also produced sleek automatic watches. These timepieces are extremely affordable, costing around 150 euros. The automatic caliber 2416 often powers these watches. Some of these Russian watches are powered by ETA movements, however. ETA is a Swiss ébauche manufacturer that belongs to the Swatch Group. Countless Swiss watch manufacturers use ETA calibers in their luxury watches.

Affordable Vostok Watches

Vostok is a very famous Russian watch manufacturer. Their Komandirskie and Amphibia models are quite popular, widespread, and affordable. The Amphibia is a Russian diving watch with a rotatable bezel, luminous components, and a screw-down crown. Thanks to its special case construction, the Amphibia is waterproof to 200 m (20 bar). Manual or automatic movements power these timepieces. The caliber 2416b is an automatic movement with a date display. The Vostok movements are true workhorses; many fans of Russian watches speak of their "unbreakable" technology. A Komandirskie or Amphibia costs less than 100 euros, whether vintage or new. However, hardcore fans swear by the models produced in the USSR.

High-Quality Russian Watches

Nowadays, there are contemporary Russian watches that cost significantly more than 1,000 euros. These are produced by newer companies who began manufacturing watches after the fall of the Iron Curtain. One example is the manufacturer Poljot International. The company has existed since the mid 1990s and produces all of their timepieces in Germany. Despite their traditional Russian name, they don't make "true" Russian watches; rather, timepieces from Poljot International convey a Russian feel thanks to their designs.

Poljot International's top models have solid gold cases and some even have a tourbillon. Diamond-set bezels make their skeleton watches even more valuable. These high-quality materials and the intricate production processes have their price, however: These models cost around 17,000 euros. Without diamonds, a gold version costs 12,000 euros.

How good are Russian watches?

Russian watches are considered very robust, reliable, and long lasting. Since most the calibers used are based on Swiss movements and are even produced with the help of Swiss manufacturing facilities, they are of comparable quality to their Alpine predecessors. Concessions must only be made in terms of precision, however; a daily deviation of around 30 seconds is normal for Russian watches. That said, with a little know-how and skill, you can easily regulate the calibers and get them to run more precisely.

Finishing on cases and straps doesn't come close to the level of detail on Swiss watches. However, you're still purchasing a high-quality timepiece when you're buying a Russian watch - regardless of whether it's a diving watch from Vostok, a Poljot Aviator pilot's watch, or a classic dress watch from Raketa. Every Russian brand offers quality mechanical watches. When buying a vintage watch, be sure to take note of its condition. Get as much information as possible from the seller and take a look inside the watch if you can.

Which Russian watches are the most famous?

Russian watches have been gradually gaining in popularity over the past few years. Vintage watches from the 1970s and 80s, which were produced in the USSR, are especially coveted. Read on to learn the most important facts about Russian watch manufacturers.

Russian Watches from the First Moscow Watch Factory and Poljot

One of the most famous and important Soviet manufacturers was the First Moscow Watch Factory, which began producing watches in 1930. As its name suggests, it was the first and thus also the oldest Soviet watch factory. In 1964, they changed their name to Poljot. Translated into English, Poljot means "flight." The name change was in honor of the first manned space flight in human history. On April 12, 1961, cosmonaut Juri Gagarin became the first man to enter space - with a Russian Sturmaniskie watch from the First Moscow Watch Factory on board with him. "Sturmanskie" means "navigator" in English.

Old Sturmanskie watches are highly sought after by collectors. Chronographs with the caliber Poljot 3133 are also very popular. This movement is special because it's based on the Swiss caliber Valjoux 7734. Valjoux was an independent ébauche manufacturer that specialized in chronographs. The company was later absorbed by the Swatch Group. The Valjoux 7750 caliber is one of the most famous and most used automatic chronograph calibers in the world.

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.

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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.

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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.