Russian Watches anyone

[BondandBigM]

Last week I bought a CCCP sort of diver type automatic watch, for no other reason than it caught my eye like a couple of others I have I didn't know anything about it until after I bought it and checked the internet. It was one of those "stick in the bag please" impulse buys simply because I liked the look of it.

Two things surprised me, the quality of it and the price, looks really well made and finished and all for a few hundred pounds. I was well pleased. It led me to have a troll around and it apears that there are a lot of Russian brands finding there way into Europe with some interesting looking watches at all prices from low to high end.

Anybody here know what is good or bad ????

Cheers
Bond

[davor]

hey lets see some pics,please...

[BondandBigM]

I am working on it but only have a phone so the pics were poor. I have to say I was genuinely surprised by the fit and finish for the money. I will try and get a few pictures soon.

Cheers
Bond

[davor]

well mr.bond we will be waiting...

[padi56]

Dont know much about the other Russian brands but the Poljot Chronograph P3133 is based on the fine Swiss Valjoux 7734 movement,they bought the old tooling machines and rights.The Valjoux 7734 was in production from 1969-78 less than 2 million were made.Now the Russian Poljot firm modified the Val 7734 into the Cal P3133. They improved it by changing it from the 18000 BPS to 21600BPS.And changing it from 17 jewels to 23 jewels and a much better power reserve.But a lot of Poljot watches were let down, by at the time very poor quality control.If you got a good one it would run for ever.Get a bad one and it was feked,but now quality control has much improved and for the money now quite good watches.They make a few nice pilot style watches and alarm watches based on a AS 1475 swiss movement,and now in many of there watches the movements are Swiss, like the ETA 2824 range,below is a picture of my Aviator had it now a few years keeps good time,always liked blue watch hands.

[Alcan]

The first two pix are my Russian diver from the mid 1960's, basically a pocket watch movement. Note the seconds subdial at 9:00 position. The case for it would just about stop a cruise missile., it's heavy!

The middle pic is my Zlatoust stop watch in the condition I receieved it, with a broken balance and broken crystal. I just got it back from my watchmaker with a new balance, dial cleaned, and new crystal.

The bottom pic is my 1917 Russian Moser watch, also just overhauled. I chose to leave the original enamel dial with the hairline cracks to keep it authentic.

[astcell]

Aviator...jewels....watch factory....

All non-Russian words. Are you sure these are not tourist attractions?

[Alcan]

Originally Posted by astcell

Aviator...jewels....watch factory....

All non-Russian words. Are you sure these are not tourist attractions?

Nope, all verified as Russian watches by my watchmaker, an older eastern European guy.

Andrew Vorontsov in St. Petersburg, Russia scrounged up the parts for the Zlatoust stop watch and mailed them to me. Check out his website if you want to see some of his work. Amazing skeletonized watches and clocks:

http://www.andrewvorontsov.com/works.html

[montecristo]

Al. thats a sweet looking watch you got there. That first one reminds me of a cartier pasha c.

[BondandBigM]

The CCCP watch I bought is very similar to the first one in your post Alcan, like you say feels like it would survive a direct hit !!!

Bond

[davor]

nice conversation starters....long loooong conversations