History of Russian Watches

History of Russian Watches

Russian watches have a rich and interesting history dating back over 80 years with the creation of the First Moscow Watch Factory, which today manufactures Poljot watches. A highlight of Russia's watch history came in 1961 when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin took the first ever flight into space with a watch from the First Moscow Watch Factory.

Here's a chronological summary of key events in the history of Russian watchmaking.

1927 - The Labour and Defense Council passed a decree to establish a watch industry to serve government and Red Army needs. The Soviet watches were to be accurate, reliable and not inferior in quality to their Western counterparts. The equipment for the production of these watches was purchased from the USA. This was the origin of the First Moscow Watch Factory.

1930 - The first 50 Russian-made watches were presented at a ceremonial meeting in the Revolution Theatre, now known as the Bolshoi Theatre.

1940 - The "Commander" watch produced by the First Moscow Watch Factory was commonly used by officers of the Red Army. Watches with distinctive engravings were given by the army as a form of reward. In the ten years since the factory opened it produced 2.7 million pocket and wrist watches.

1941 - During World War II The First Moscow Watch Factory was evacuated to the city of Zlatoust. Throughout the war the factory worked for needs of the front producing aircraft watches and sea and aviation chronometers.

1942 - The Chistopol Watch Factory was created and began manufacturing products for needs of the front. This is the origin of today's Vostok brand.

1943 - The Chistopol Watch Factory started production of the K-43 man's watch.

1946 - The First Moscow Watch Factory began production of Pobeda (Victory) watches. The name, design and characteristics of these watches were personally approved by Stalin himself.

1949 - The First Moscow Watch Company began production of the Shturmanskie watch. These watches were produced for the air force and were not available for the open market.

1957 - The Sputnik watch was produced, in honour of the launch of the first Soviet satellite. This watch was produced in two versions: with a central second hand and with a transparent disk with a mark in the form of a satellite instead of a second hand. In the same year, by special request, the watch Antarktida (Antarctica) with a twenty-four-hour scale, was designed. This watch was intended for the participants of the first Soviet expedition to the South Pole. Both Antarktida and Sputnik are today a collection rarity, due to the fact that both models were only in production for one year.

1959 - The first Soviet mechanical watch with an alarm function, Signal, was developed. The manufacturing of the watch-chronograph Strela with a one-hand stopwatch and 45-min minute counter commenced. Its dial had extra telemeteric and tachometric scales. Strela watches were not available for open sale, as they were specifically developed for the commanding officers of the air force.

1960 - The First Moscow Watch Factory produced the first watch under the Poljot brand.

1961 - The first ever flight into space in the history of mankind took place. Yuriy Gagarin took the watch of the First Moscow Watch Factory into space with him.

1962 - The "Vostok" watch was awarded a gold medal at the Leipzig international fair. Production of "Komandirskie" watches began at the Chistopol Watch Factory. The factory becomes the official supplier of these watches to the Ministry of Defence of the USSR.

1963 - The Vimpel watch produced at The First Moscow Watch Factory won a Diploma and gold medal at the international exhibition-fair in Leipzig.

1964 - The manufacturing of the watch Orbita with an automatic winding system and 29 rubies was mastered. From this year on the watches of The First Moscow Watch Factory are marked with the trademark Poljot.

1965 - Cosmonaut Andrey Leonov took the Strela watch on the first ever space walk. In the same year the USSR Council of Ministers passed the decree wherein The First Moscow Watch Factory was appointed as the head enterprise in the exportation of mens wrist watches. The watches were exported to 70 countries: USA, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, Federative Republic of Germany, Hong Kong, Greece, etc. Vostok was appointed an official supplier of watches for the Defense Department of the Soviet Union.

1966 - For successfully developing the national watch industry The First Moscow Watch Factory is awarded with the highest Soviet award the Order of Lenin by the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

1969 - All watches manufactured by Chistopol Watch Factory now use the Vostok brand.

1972 - Vostok exports watches to 54 countries of the world.

1972 - The First Moscow Watch Factory increased the volume of production of mechanical wristwatches to 2.7 million. 70% of what the factory produced was sold abroad. Among the new designs was the water-tight watch Amphibia, capable of working under water at a depth of up to 200 meters.

1976 - The First Moscow Watch Factory commenced the production of a the 3133 model. For this development the association of the designers of the The First Moscow Watch Factory was rewarded with the USSR State Prize. Since these watches were intended for the needs of the army and navy, they were produced in limited editions and were not available for open sale. The cosmonauts of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany took these watches with them into space, and together with V. V. Polyakov, this chronograph set the record for the duration of a space flight.

1992 -The administration of the Russian president selects Poljot to be the rewarding watch "From the President of the Russian Federation".  

2000 - Volmax is formed by ex-Poljot employees.

2004 - Vostok-Europe is created.
=================================================================================
Few people love Russian watches as much as Mark Gordon does. In fact, Mark is perhaps the foremost authority on Russian watches with a personal collection of more than 1,200 Russian timepieces, each meticulously photographed, catalogued and displayed at has website, USSR Time.

Most of the watches in Mark's incredible collection are vintage watches manufactured during the Soviet era, though he also owns a number of contemporary Russian timepieces.

Russian Watch Guide asked Mark to share some of his knowledge with our readers and he kindly obliged. You can read the interview below.
=================================================================================
What movement do you think is the best or most reliable?

From the very first Russian watch production in the 1930s right through to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992, Soviet watch designers concentrated on producing movements that were practical, reliable, and easy to repair – in short, Russian watchmakers tried to make timepieces that conformed to the socialist ideal. Almost every movement they produced met these criteria, at least on paper. Those movements that did not were quickly taken out of production or never produced at all (like the 1960s 1.85 mm thick Poljot 2200, one of the world's thinnest mechanical watch movements, that was judged to be too prone to breakdown, so it was discontinued after a very limited test run – No. 0628 on my website).

So, the question of reliability doesn't hinge so much on the design of the movement as on the quality of manufacturing… and, Russian manufacturing quality has varied wildly over the years.

Actually, the manufacturing quality of both movements and cases was superb in the 1950s and 1960s. I have many 40 and 50 year-old watches that have never been serviced, which start right up when I wind them.

In the 1970s, some factories were able to maintain high standards, while the quality at others began to slip. Quality at the First Moscow Watch Factory and the Petrodworzowy factory was world-class in those days.

In the 1980s, when things really began to fall part in the Soviet Union, the quality at even the most respected factories became iffy at best. Workers sometimes weren't paid for months at a time and when they did get paid the value of the money in their pay envelope was insufficient for food and rent. At the same time, the factories experienced delays and shortages of parts, which were sometimes produced from substandard materials. You can imagine how manufacturing quality and reliability suffered.

In the Post-Soviet period, some companies like Vostok Europe, Poljot International and Volmax have painstakingly regained control of their manufacturing quality, while the manufacturing quality of some of the other producers, including some who manufacture movements for the others, is still not up to international standards.

=================================================================================
The Russian watch industry experienced an upheaval following the collapse of the Soviet Union. How would you characterize the current state of the Russian watch industry? Has quality improved or deteriorated?

The Russian watch industry, which in the 1970s was the second largest producer in the world after Switzerland, was hit by a triple whammy at the end of the 20th century.

First came the rapid technological shift to quartz in the 1970s and 80s. Then came the breakdown of the Soviet empire in the 1980s that resulted in the loss of traditional domestic and foreign markets. Third, was the complete lack of vision and investment in the years following the post-Soviet shift to capitalism that was necessary for the industry to remain competitive in international markets.

In the last decade, Russia has needlessly lost some very important watch manufacturers. The First Moscow Watch Factory, which produced Poljot. The Petrodworzowy Factory, which produced Raketa. The Second Moscow Watch Factory, which produced Slava. And, most recently, the Tscheljabinsky Factory, which produced Molnija.

The Russian watch industry, which once produced millions of mechanical watches every year, now produces only a few thousand per year and a great pool of horological talent has disappeared and probably can never be reassembled.

Russian producers today are struggling to find their place in the world market. Faced with dwindling and unreliable Russian suppliers, they are turning to Switzerland, China and Japan for parts. Faced with a world market driven by fast-moving trends and fickle buyers, they are abandoning hallmark Soviet design principles for watches with a flashier more 'international' look.

I can understand why Russian producers are doing these things, but I'm not sure this is a sustainable model for them. Eliminate the Russian movement and the Russian design and these watches become a commodity. If there is no longer any difference between Russian watches and the watches produced in Shenzhen, Tokyo and Le Locle, then customers will choose solely on the basis of price. This is not good because Russia is not a low-cost manufacturing centre.

Having said that, I am optimistic that at least the 'Big 3' – Poljot International, Volmax and Vostok Europe -- will find their footing and survive. I can only hope that in the process they don't lose the core Soviet-era values of utility, reliability and ease of repair that differentiate the look and feel of Russian watches from those produced elsewhere.
=================================================================================
How do you think new Russian watches (Volmax, Vostok-Europe, etc) compare to vintage models? For example, is the quality of modern Raketa watches as good as Soviet-era Raketas?

The quality of the watches produced by Volmax, Vostok Europe and Poljot International is generally superior to the quality of similar watches produced in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Not only the movements, but the cases, too. And, the quality continues to get better all the time.

Unfortunately, I can't say this about all newly made Russian watches. There are still big quality problems with Russian watches like the 'domestic' Vostoks produced at the Tschistopolsky factory and the endless stream of brand new 'vintage' Raketas being produced who-knows-where. Even worse, are the today's Slavas, which are slap-dash designs that contain inexpensive Chinese movements, and the exploitively branded Soyuz watches, which are Russian in name only.
=================================================================================
What tips or advice would you offer to anyone who is thinking about buying their very first Russian watch?

First, if you intend to wear it, don't buy a vintage piece. Like any vintage mechanical timepiece, old Russian watches require a lot of TLC.

Second, if you are going to buy a new Russian watch, buy one from an established bricks-and-mortar or on-line seller who is respected by knowledgeable buyers. Choose a reputable seller who has a record of good service and who stands behind the watches he or she sells.

Third, do your homework. Learn about the different calibers and models before you make a choice. Find one that best suites your needs. If you are going to wear the watch when you play football, choose one with a robust movement that is housed in a rugged case. If you are going to frequently use it to measure short time intervals in a kitchen or recording studio, choose a chronograph that has easy-to-use buttons and an easy-to-read scale. Visit the manufacturers' websites, read specialist blogs and visit Russian watch forums to find out which movements and models perform best for their owners.

Fourth, don't just shop for the lowest price. A cheap price suddenly becomes very expensive if the watch needs servicing and the seller won't provide it. A reputable seller checks and adjusts each watch before it is sold or shipped, and provides a warrantee against defects and damage in transit. This kind of service comes with a price and it is a price well worth paying.