Watches

That Tissot Seastar again! They're making them again, according to Watchuseek. I hope they do the 24-hour dial variant, as I'd save up for it. (A lot of saving up to do, but still.)

A quite interesting (though a little to complicated looking IMO) Tissot World Time 24-hour watch from the 1950s. Also... that case looks suspiciously new compared to the dial. Odd.

A watch for athletes ("Sportivnie"), from 1957. It has a hacking mechanism (i.e., you can flick the second hand back to 12 for easy timing). Nice face, good story.

The return of this beautiful Raketa watch to eBay. Is it the same one I saw months ago... or is it a different one? Stylish; vaguely deco... I am sorely tempted. r.ebay.com/Q0Imiz

5 likes  1 comment  

Alan Macdougall (The earlier one was here: http://pinterest.com/pin/24... )

$54.00

This Raketa watch celebrates the Russian moon mission Lunokhod-1 (Луноход = "moon walker"). I like the face, though it seems a little too heavily painted. I wonder if it's genuine New Old Stock, or just New. Sold for US $54 here: r.ebay.com/HSajUY

1 like  

£75.00

A beautiful gold Vostok Komandirskie (Командирские= commander) military watch. Plus! It has a hacking mechanism - remember all those old films where the commandos synchronised their watches? £75 at r.ebay.com/EboS8j

$450.00

A watch with history: a Vostok Soviet-Chinese Friendship watch from late 1959. US $450 at http://r....

£70.00

A rather nice 1980s Slava ("Cлава" = "Glory") watch - and automatic, too. £70.

$155.00

Another Vostok Megapolis - I don't like the face colour, but one would expect there are options. US $155

$123.90

I've just discovered this, one of a new range of automatic Vostok watches. Love the case, and the face, though it's likely to be too big for me. US $123.90

A commemorative watch for the 50th anniversary (in 1992) of the "Novosibirsk Metal Works named after Kuzmin" (Anatoly Kuzman was the engineer-hero who founded the metal works during the war). It does seem like a fitting design for a retired steelworker. Here: r.ebay.com/TN6osC

I'm guessing by the chain fastened at the bottom, this little Chaika was made for nurses: r.ebay.com/AmEdMg

Very clean and pretty Raketa; no papers, New Old Stock apparently made in 1992. (It seems a lot of watches were made in 1992, one of the last years of the original Raketa...) here: r.ebay.com/EINXXh

This is the flip side of that sliderule. I really think this is a cool object. Here: r.ebay.com/PJNP8V

1 repin  

Not actually a watch, but a circular slide rule. Here: r.ebay.com/PJNP8V

2 repins  

$99.00

Nice colours in this Raketa, though I normally dislike gold watches. Currently US $99.

Breitling watch commissioned for the Canadian Royal Air Force

1 like  2 repins  

$100.00

Having come across these Tissots in my hunt for the perfect 24hour watch, I find myself attracted to the shape of their cases. This is a ladies variant, pleasingly smaller; US $100 at r.ebay.com/qP6tSM

$90.00

And this watch is very similar, and with the additional "attraction" of gold. The 1970s, just like every decade, had moments of excess. Passed in at US $90 at r.ebay.com/jeIMK8

$75.00

This Raketa is huge. And ugly. It would fit on my ankle and still be loose. US $75

$20.00

One for the ladies: a tiny чайка (Chaika="Seagull") brand watch on a bracelet. This is kind of an odd-looking thing, isn't it. Currently US $20.

2 likes  

$23.00

Another Raketa, an early one apparently, which might explain the Pobeda-like positioning of the second hand. Note the rocket above the name: «Ракета» = "Rocket". Currently US $23 r.ebay.com/kEDAVM

2 comments  

David Winter You know, I would not have thought of myself becoming a watch enthusiast in a thousand years. But I really find myself drawn to the clean/clear designs of these, especially the Raketas and Vostoks... I'll know who to blame if this becomes an expensive fascination!

Alan Macdougall I felt the same. But once I took my first punt on buying something from Russia on eBay… so nice, fully mechanical, with great value!

£135.00

Strongly shaped Breitling Sicura (we assume) jump hour watch. I like the way the bottom of it curves around the wearer's wrist... though it would not work for me. Currently £135

1 repin  

$12.00

A very pretty (one assumes authentic) Bell and Ross Jump hour automatic watch. I like the face, and I'm a sucker for that powermeter at the 6pm position. Currently US $12,900 at r.ebay.com/VJPi4b

$19.00

Interesting: this jump hour watch has a sort of automotive flavour. I've never heard of this brand though - perhaps it is Chinese? Currently US $19.

$19.00

Perhaps clichéd now for me; yet another clean-faced Raketa. This one is quartz, so not for me... but what a face! Currently US $19 at r.ebay.com/H5NpXH

I like the concept of this watch - it only shows the current time, and in a quite understated way (colour excepted). (via @locknessie )

1 like  1 repin  

This Raketa has classic slim hands, and a large and an interesting, slightly exotic-looking numeral typeface, both of which I've seen once or twice before. It would be great to track down this typeface!

£14.00

Super-clean Raketa face–they can't be made cleaner and clearer than this. Currently £14 at r.ebay.com/9TRieM

$75.00

I am guessing this watch commemorates the Russian navy built by Peter the Great; the ship is printed on the inside of the glass. Currently US $75 at r.ebay.com/4dIC9U.

$45.00

A textile-looking face and striped canvas strap give this Raketa watch a sort of sporty yet interesting look. Currently US $45 at r.ebay.com/Z02dX4.

(So this is an example of the new Raketa version of that earlier pin. I am not entirely convinced by this watch. See www.raketa.com for more.)

$39.00

High-vis, zero at the top: this is an iconic Raketa design that they've recently started remaking. This one is a lot cheaper than the new ones though: US $39 at r.ebay.com/q4vOJN

1 repin  

$39.00

The (vaguely) interesting thing about this watch is not the Hammer & Sickle (fairly common on post-Soviet nostalgia watches) but the angled numbers for ease of reading when on your wrist. I assume. Starting at US $39 at r.ebay.com/kyiQC5

£50.00

Clean face, spiragraph style Raketa watch. Very nice. Passed in at £50 at r.ebay.com/JIQ1Wu

1 repin  

$39.00

So, tacky commemorative Raketa watches? Try this one. Garish colours; poorly painted dial; the best thing about this is the mechanism. There are actually classy cosmonaut watches; this isn't one. US $39 on eBay.

This sort of watch bothers the heck out of me. I know that Raketa in particular makes lots of commemorative watches, but I find it hard to believe that patriotic Russians would be happy with this one commemorating a Nazi aeroplane. There are a lot of these for sale on eBay though; I hope they're not legit Raketas.

1 repin  

$70.00

Yes, it's a 70's TV dial watch; yes, it's another Raketa. Lovely colour though. Passed in on eBay at US $70.

1 repin  

$400.00

A beautiful mint Soviet-era LED (i.e., you have to press and hold a button to see the time) digital watch. Very cool... and don't you love that name: "Elektronika". Currently US $400 at r.ebay.com/NGpOO4

$202.00

Another Tissot Seastar 24 hr. One day, one of these will be miiiiine...! Currently US $202 at r.ebay.com/TXP8kC

“Zoomin Watch by Gennady Martynov & Emre Cetinkoprulu.” —Very very cool.

5 repins  

$560.00

This Glycine Airman variant is far too big a watch for me; and it's not automatic. But the Regulateur single-hand style is pretty cool. Currently AU $560 at r.ebay.com/YFsV0O

1 repin  

£7.50

Interesting Raketa watch with three sub dials. I really like the face. Currently at £7.50 at r.ebay.com/4eup6J

1 like  1 repin  

$302.00

Once again, a little too chunky for me... but a lovely red dialed auto with some interesting details. US $302

$305.00

Incredible 1935 Omega with a hugely interesting face. I am in love. Currently US $305 at r.ebay.com/qYbI3a

2 repins  

$40.00

Hard to tell from this photo, but this watch has a nice shape. Not sure about the spiragraph face which does reduce legibility somewhat though. Starting at US $40 at r.ebay.com/3WNBdt

$50.00

Another variant of the Misha and Raisa (Gorbachev) / Sun and Moon watch, like mine (though mine is black). Nice. US $50 at r.ebay.com/1hgWUp

$75.00

I like the textured face of this (see the close-up). It's a small watch, with that 70's leather strap. US $75 at r.ebay.com/IhDqtA

$47.00

Workers of the World, Unite! (Though I suspect this was not made in Soviet times, there are still a lot of propaganda watches out there on eBay, and Raketa have started remaking their iconic zero at the top styles.) Starting at US $47 at r.ebay.com/bf5Qnf

$1,300.00

Although it's too large for me, I like the simple dial on this Glycine Automatic, complicated only by the slightly gimmicky but very cool reserve power meter. Clearly though, if you are wearing this every day and not managing to power it up, there's something wrong. Check your pulse. Starting at US $1300 here: r.ebay.com/Rb45nb