A couple years ago my mom was going through some stuff of hers and found this old watch and thought I might like it. I instantly liked it because it was a mechanical Watch in Russian with a red star, submarine and “Офицерские” on it. Forever I thought it was simply a soviet submariner watch. After watching this video I was able to look up the Raketa perpetual calendar and it turns out that it’s what I have. It’s a Raketa Perpetual Calendar 2628 that someone has taken apart and painted over the “Made in USSR” and “Ракета” and drawn a red star. I’m sad it isn’t a submariner watch, however I am glad that it is s genuine soviet made watch.
0:57 Yuri Gagarins watch was not the first watch in space. The acctual first watch in space was a 1953 Pobeda 34-K that belonged to Dr. Abraham Genin. It was sent to space on Chernushka's paw and made one orbit on board the Sputnik-4 on 9th of March 1961.
He meant Vostok spacecraft, or in simple terms the rocket Tovarishch Gagarin flew in to space : ) The watch he used was most likely a Kirovskie K-43, but it wasn't proven altough that's the most likely option.
2609 movement is a superb workhorse of a movement 18000bph and highly practical construction easy to service lowly beat rate = very low friction= very little wear a watch with this movement will last you a very long time without issues.
I've been watching a ton of watch collecting videos recently, and have really been enjoying myself even though the thought of spending thousands of dollars on a watch is just an absurdity. So I started looking at vintage Timex watches to buy, and somehow discovered Russian watches. It's amazing! There are hundreds if not thousands of Russian watch models, many of them with very unique and even stunning design elements. Because they were mostly made for Soviet citizens, they weren't very expensive when new and vintage examples are thankfully still very cheap to buy. I just jump started my collection with a Wostok, a Raketa and a Luch. If I like what I see when they arrive I'll probably pic up a Raketa City World Time like the one shown in this video as well.It's not something I would ever wear, but as a piece of industrial design it is very striking, indeed!
Vintage Timex might SOUND good but.... they were made to be disposable. They all have ZERO jewels and I think they run the cogs on like hardened sharp pin ends or something like that. They're also like only 3 or 4 screws and A FEW RIVETS holding the layers together. The "servicing" is a basic disassemble, throw it in the ultrasonic, dry it out and squirt with WD-40. Or PRETTY MUCH like that because theyre basically NOT serviceable. No watch enthusiasts take them that seriously as a result. Yes they were very strong NEW but..... There's a reason you will get them cheap. Because nobody wants them. And when problems START, they're just scrapmetal.
Some models can be shut off if press the righthand above button for 3 seconds. Did you know that?? Awesome feature....its cool to save battery without having to take it out.
Raketa 2609ha is a reliable movement and easy to service. I also like the Sekonda 2209 23 jewels slim movement watch. I have a Vostok Volna Precision with the Volna 2809 movement. I have 2 Raketa day dates with the 2628h handwind movements. One is the first one you showed, the blue Cities watch. I am wearing another 2628h watch on a beads of rice style bracelet with a dark chocolate coloured dial and a domed acrylic crystal. 18000bph movements will run for a very long time and the 2628h movement is built with rough handling and tough environments in mind. My watchmender here in the UK is happy to work on them.
There are a lot of genuine parts NOS in Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia and other former socialistic countries which had a good trade connections with a former USSR. They can offer incredibly good watches for not more than $100. If the old dial is replaced with the same new dial it is not a Frankenstein watch.
I got rectangular wind-up late 60's or early 70's Wostok 18 jewels watch and I bought a steel mesh bracelet band for it. It's all scratched and has some rust around the dial inside, but it looks and works great.
Soviet watches are built like tanks, even the digital one does not use integrated circuits but rather proper old school wiring LOL. Its low tech but extremely reliable, Soviet used to build electronics for tanks, aircrafts, ships and even spacecrafts without integrated circuits because it was too unreliable at the time, even NASA used a very robust integrated design during these times. Obviously integrated circuits are far superior than what they used to be, but interesting to see, Soviet always go for reliability and simplicity of service before complexity but when they do go complex, oh boy do they never have a limit....
I have a WYMPEL windup slim dress watch. I wear it only on special occasions as Weddings or so. Bought a long time ago in Hungary second hand. Mint condition, restored and serviced
Reading and understanding is very different tho))) You can learn to read Korean in an hour, but what's the point if you don't know any word ))) I did that mistake on my trip to South Korea, ability to read the menu didn't help at all))) Same with this worldtimer, I have no idea where half of the cities are located. And why they are all cities, except Samoa is an island and Alaska is a state?
I recently began collecting watches. I did some research where to start, and in my opinion, you can't beat vintage mechanical Raketa/Sekonda/Slava. They're regularly under $50, manual winding, reliable for me so far, and a simple but bold design. I never see them mentioned anywhere though? Is there a stigma about them that I'm unaware of?
They are a little bit of an obscurity and you need some inside knowledge. Many people don´t like vintage watches at all and prefer to buy cheap new mechanical watches (or quartz).
@@panoramacircle3281 Hi could you help with some Information.I've just ordered a Soviet era Vladivostok k9 military watch. Are they legit or a copy of Vostock watches ? It looks from the 70's. I've seen 2 others for sale from different but can't find any imformation on them
I do have a Slava Mockba 80 as it happens, sadly the dial is toasty bad but the movement is excellent albeit lacking a second hand. I did get stung a bit on my last Amphibia, yet I have had some abs steals like a set of three Vostoks one of them a Admiralskie, the other border guards regiment with a paratroopers as the third, all three movements were working after a little love and wear the star shaped chrome admiralskie a lot.
Have the nicest Poljot coming in from all the way in Belarus! Has a tropical dial like no other I’m so excited but it’s gonna take a while more to get here to the US :(
I nearly always tend to go for mechanical and LIKE some wear on them. Because it's not a replica, but REALLY because the thing has had A LIFE of real use in the USSR. And also go for the TOTALLY russisn text ones. Because then I know it was used IN the USSR, not some thing made for foreign markets. Genuine stuff made for locals.
I got PLENTY of 1980 Olympic ones coming. Also one of those "UFO" or "puck" type ones in red. Getting a WW2 40th anniversary one too. For some reason the paint is always cracking on the dial of those. Someone cheaped out. Got one of those slava "tank" ones with the proper bracelet in OK condition coming soon too.
I got myself a 1980s Vostok Komandirskie tankist watch (the wind up is on 2 instead of 3, so doesn't stab my wrist.) I bought it from a 'contact' for 25€, best watch I've ever had.
@@Wlad_Zepesch as far as I know it was used by a former tankist, also has a tank picture. The tank looks kinda like a T-62 to me. But its just what my contact who I buy Russian and Soviet surplus from told me.
@@piewithmoustachepwm if so, then that piece is not from 1960s, but from 1980s, when Komandirskie became a really popular and mass-produced brand among soviet people
@@Wlad_Zepesch as far as I know it was an issued watch, given to the original owner during his time in the army. But there are no years or serial numbers (at least on the outside, I haven't opened it and checked the insides.) I think Vostok watches have been issued military watches since like 1965 or something?
@@piewithmoustachepwm yeah, the Komandirskie began to produce in 1965 by order of USSR Ministry of Defence. But until late 1980s they were without any symbolic on their dials except the red star below. And in late 1980 they began producing massively watches with different images of tanks, fighters, ships and so on. Also, only some of these pieces have inscription "Заказ MO CCCP" (which means "Ordered by USSR MD"), usually their inscription says just "Сделано В СССР" ("Made in USSR), because they were produced more like as souvenirs
I had such a watch when I was 9-10 years old. Then I gave them to my grandmother, because there are big numbers there. Last year, my grandmother died, I saw this video, called my mother and asked if this watch was still there. Yes. She will send them to me soon
Hi there, I have a question. I really want to buy a vintage Vostok kommandirskie from the USSR. I found a seller who sells one for a price of 70 usd. The watch looks pretty good. It only had a few light scratches from normal use. Do you think the watch is worth 70 usd or is that price way too high?
Has anyone heard of the Luch's Intelligentsia’s dream? I got one on soviet watch store for about $140. Looks in pretty new condition, and claims to have 2209 movement.
I bought Poljot on ebay I really like, but Ive never seen another one like it. A search of the model number on the internet just points me back to the expired ebay ad. Could it be the only one in the world? I wonder.
Try asking here forums.watchuseek.com, there are many people having poliot watches. You can also try to see videos here ru-vid.com/show-UCYQ39jSbiznNW2qfq-5KSiwfeatured this guy has a lot of Russian watches. I recall a video about poljots.
I just noticed that I kind of got duped. I ended up buying so called vintage Raketa which I suspect has a new dial due to of how scratchless the watch is. Oh welp, the watch is on a ship, I just hope I received it in a working order. As long as it ticks, it is worth my 26 dollars, I guess?
Please, give me a tip. Raketa Goroda is offered to me. There is name Raketa and Made in USSR written in English, while days are written in Russian language. Is it possible to be an original or is it Frenkenstein? Thnx in advance if anyone has good advice.
The language on the dial should match the language on the case back, right? I saw on Ebay a great original Vostok Precision Class Cyrillic Dial but it had an English back. Most likely, the back was authentic but it was not the orignal casebook, correct?
Hi. I just ordered a Vladivostok k9 military/Submarine quartz watch from the soviet era. Just waiting on it to be delivered. Is it a legit Soviet brand or a soviet copy of a Vostock watch ? I've found 2 for sale but can't find any imformation on them. I know it's legitimately from the soviet era. It has worn down bezal, slightly faded white dial face with the red star
I noticed like one ebay seller in Kazakhstan, a few in russia and PLENTY in Ukraine. I think all but one of my soviet watches is coming from Ukraine. There's SO MANY OBVIOUS replicas, especially when it ships from china. They ALL SAY "pre-owned"..... yeah, pre-owned by a warehouse...
In August 1971 the U.S. Dept. Of defense paid $2.000.000.00 to Hamilton watch comp. for precision watchmaking equipment. This equipment was used in fabricating bomb and artillery shell fuses, aircraft timing gear, pinions and similar military components. Most Soviet watch manufacturing equipment has been supplied from the United States and Switzerland. In some cases the Soviets used copies of these foreign machines. Book reference: National Suicide by Antony C. Sutton.
While you're right in that the Soviet watchmaking industry got started with foreign equipment, it's not like they exclusively used that. Plenty of movements were developed independently, such as the Poljot 2209 and the Slava 2414. Also, the copies you mention tended to actually be license-built instead of reverse-engineered. An example of this would be the LIP R-26 that would be supplied to the USSR along with the rights, technical drawings, equipment, and training to make it as the ZiM 2602.
@@jakekaywell5972 Thanks for the reply. The entire foundation not only of the watch industry but the industry producing military output was based on American Capitalist efforts. The history of Russia doesn't allow a people who were decapitated (bolsheviks eliminating the Russian intelligentsia) to develop nothing more than a slave population. The peasants and workers were slowly enslaved to die by the millions after the educated class was killed. Not even food would be produced enough because they focused on Military build up (build up through American firms). The Stalingrad tractor plant was completely build in the USA and shipped to Stalingrad. Germany provided in the early 1920's and later on under the National Socialists in the 1930's military assistance to the Soviets. All Soviet truck technology and large parts of Soviet truck manufacturing equipment has come from the West, mainly from the U.S.A. While some elementary transfer lines and individual machines for vehicle production are made in the Soviet Union, these are copies of Western machines and therefore are always obsolete in design. Many major U.S. Companies have been prominent in building up the Soviet truck industry (truck industry means also tank industry as both are produced in these factories). These Companies were: Ford Motor Company. A.J. Brandt. Austin Comp. General Electric and others. All supplied the technical assistance design work and equipment for the original Plants. The Gorki Plant build by Ford and Austin Company and equipped by numerous other U.S. companies, is today - and always has been - a major producer of Soviet Army vehicles and weapons carriers. Your country is still controlled by the same Goldberg's that were called prior Communists. Under the last Tsar (Romanoffs) Russia produced and successfully flew the worlds first four engine Bomber. Ilja Mourometz. Wingspan 100 ft. 21 inches less than the B-17 Flying Fortress. Standard Oil Company of New York supplied the Soviets with technical information, Plant designs, and a pilot manufacturing Plant for sulfuric acid alkylation for producing of 100 - octane gasoline, and voltolization of fatty oils for production of aviation lubricating oils. Henry Wallace, after his visit to the important KOMSOMOLSK aircraft Plant, commented as following during ww2: " The aircraft factory in Komsomolsk where Stormovik Bombers were built, owed both it's existence and it's production to the United States. All the machine tools and all the aluminum came from America...it looks like the old Boeing Plant at Seattle". By acquiring rights to manufacture foreign engines under license and with Western technical assistance, the Soviet Union was able to acquire a sizable engine producing capacity for high quality engines at low cost. All Soviet aircraft engines were foreign models produced under license. 1972: Soviets had the largest Iron Steel Plant in the world. It was built by McKee Corp. It is a copy of the U.S. Steel Plant in Gary, Indiana. The Bolsheviks destroyed all academics that they could get their hands on. The commies wondered why nothing worked in Russia. Alexander Solzhenitsyn mentioned in one of the Gulag Archipelago books:" The Concentration Camp system was the only thing that worked in Soviet Russia". All was otherwise DYSFUNCTIONAL to the extent that starvation was all the time a part of Soviet Russia until the 1950's. Now the next thing would be to figure out "who" the Bolsheviks were. What communism is. Then you'll find out what Capitalism is. Thus, the U.S. still supports Russia. Book Reference: The Red Network by Whitney.--- The Octopus by Elizabeth Dilling.
@@bretbarnett6024 You're partially correct. The U.S. and the West at large were trading and building up the USSR's industry. We generally had friendly relations with them until the Cold War started. That's when the technological break (and thus independent development) occurred. While you could argue as well that Stalin's purges destroyed the intellectual class, Khrushchev and Brezhnev did their level best to restore it and they largely succeeded. Soviet universities in the 1960s-80s were among the best in the world, even today being highly regarded in areas such as maths, physics, chemistry, and optics. Also, using Solzhenitsyn's widely discredited "Gulag Archipelago" as a source is a mistake and makes me doubt the validity of your whole argument.
@@jakekaywell5972 My argument is stated as historical reference with the books i listed. The premises of my post, that i wrote here isn't depending on Alexander S. book. We can subtract this statement and my argument still stands. A Russian said to me a few months ago: "The nose people erased us in Russia". I met another Russian many years ago, who was proud of the achievements of Russia, having a strong Military. Yes, it looks good. But it has to be denied that the truth is not addressing pride. History isn't interested in emotional expressions of people. You mention that under Crustchev and Brezhnev the Soviet school system became one of the best in the world. Under the Cowboy Ronald Reagan, America produced such a huge "Deficit Spending" dept that this great country - America - was financial ruined. We stoped supporting Communism. So, it collapsed. It's hard for Americans to conceive that their country sold them out. Its hard for a Russian to understand, that Soviet Russia had absolutely nothing to do with Russia. it's people have no correct history. Why would the Heads of Russia, Cruchev and Brezhnev create such wonderful schools for hiding Russian history. Your entire education system was financed by us. Why do you think in our great nation America, if someone wants to find out something about history, he never subjects himself taking school courses, going to a library, or simply buying a book in the book store? All go and try to find the truth online. Only the naive go the old skool way and go to these facilities that have these hard copy books on their shelves. This should be for you easy to figure out. Your government~ sold you out, after murdering mostly kids and old people that were unarmed. They told us in America our education system is good. It was even below yours. Your education worked wonderfully by having Vietnamese, Chinese and Africans going to your Universities. All of these individuals went back to their respective countries after being indoctrinated and produced in Asia and Africa little Soviet Unions. Tens of millions dead. These little Russias have names like: China, North Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Angola. How great your schools had been, i show here: 1977 United States Foreign Policy - Senators Monahain and Jawitz of New York (both of course magic noses), threatened if the Soviet government tried Anatoli Shiharanzki grain shipments would stop. You have to understand that your country was not Russian. Why would our great country America, make secret deals behind the back of Americans, with their enemies - Soviet Russia - to arm you, meanwhile it pretends via our great school system that you're our enemy. Only a lousy school system puts that in the heads of children and their parents. Your country was a third world country. Our country became a third world country. Like in israel. Nothing was produced in your country without American financing. If the Tsar would have lived on and had been replaced with a confident and reliable successor, Russia would be the center of the world. Tsarist Russia was prior to ww1 the only country in the world, that was free of the nose peoples banking system. As it vanished, the Russian soul vanished. Dr. Gregor said as he was alive - If you look at a Russian, you see a tartar. Today one can say: If you look at a Russian, you see a Bolshevik. You know who these parasites are right? They didn't give the Germans a great school system because they hated them, as they hated you. Why would the Bolshevik presidents give you a wonderful education? How is this possible after murdering woman and children by the millions. All the best. I wish you well.
@@bretbarnett6024 The Tsardom was an agarian backwater, known for refusing to modernise and reform. It deserved to fall. Industrial projects and incentives were often proposed in Tsarist Russia - but they were rarely embraced, often because they threatened the financial interests of conservative landowners. Russia did have some heavy industry - mining, steel production and oil drilling - but its industrial sector was small compared to its rivals, Britain, France and Germany. They had nothing to fear from Tsarist Russia on that front. The USSR was a big improvement in all areas. Art, industry, science, you name it. Combined with your overt anti-Semitism, and I don't believe I should take much stock in your last point. Thanks for the discussion and goodbye.
Nah. Most Soviet watches are actually better-built than lower-tier Swiss brands such as Tissot for their respective time periods, so Seiko doesn't have a chance.
