Raketa Watch: Made in the USSR Details — WatchProSite Forum Digest

KMII · 2016-08-25T04:43:08Z

Explore the Raketa watch from the USSR, featuring a sunburst dial, in-house movement, and unique Soviet design. A detailed look at this vintage manufacture.

KMII

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

12 replies1556 views5 photos

KMII offers a detailed pictorial overview of a Raketa watch, providing a rare glimpse into Soviet-era horology. This post highlights the distinctive design and in-house manufacturing capabilities of a brand less frequently featured, drawing parallels with Glashütte Original while emphasizing its unique 'democratically approportioned' fit and finish. It serves as an excellent resource for collectors interested in the history and craftsmanship of watches beyond the mainstream Swiss and German brands.

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I have shown my Glashütte Original Senator Sixties semi-progenitor previously but that was before I acquired a macro lens

In the interests of equality amongst comrades, the fit and finish has been 'democratically approportioned', so not quite of the GO variety

Starting with an overview of the dial. This has a sunburst finish emanating from the centre and painted numerals (distinctive GUB Spezimatic / Raketa / GO design and font choice) for the even numbers, as well as gold accented hour markers for the odd ones. The dial is otherwise kept clean, with only the brand name and the jewel count being shown on the top of the dial. All three hands are simply executed metal coloured ones.

For some reason the picture uploader rotates some pictures differently than I'd like but here you can see the allegiance to the country of origin - nothing Swiss here - all built in house in Leningrad, hence a fully fledged manufacture watch

Here a side view, showing both the relatively slim case (not ultra thin but close

), the domed plexi (I guess - definitely not a saphire) and the unmarked crown. As there is no date there are only two positions - winding with the crown in and time adjustment in the crown out position. No screw down provision... The case finish is polished throughout.

The caseback is solid (a more cost effective design choice at the time, I guess) and proclaims the shock resistance of the watch, encased in a globe design.

Last but not least back to dial side and the hands. The minute and hour hands are batton shaped and the seconds one, well not sure if sword shaped is the right expression. The legibility is good in any case in spite of the low colour contrast between hands and dial, as long as ambient lighting is adequate.

So here we have it, a pictorial overview of a watch and manufacturer featured less often. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for viewing!

Key Points from the Discussion

The author notes that Raketa, despite its accessible price point, is a fully-fledged manufacture still in existence, producing all components in-house in Leningrad.
The dial features a sunburst finish, painted numerals for even numbers, and gold-accented hour markers for odd numbers, with a clean layout showing only the brand name and jewel count.
The watch features a relatively slim case, a domed plexi crystal, and an unmarked crown, with a solid caseback proclaiming its shock resistance within a globe design.
The legibility of the watch is deemed good despite the low color contrast between the hands and dial, provided there is adequate ambient lighting.
Another memorable Raketa watch, the 'Zero / Gorbatschov' watch, is mentioned and pictured, indicating other interesting models from the brand.
A contributor expresses interest in acquiring a Raketa watch, noting that it's an accessible topic to explore and that they are always on the lookout for something special from the USSR.

The Discussion

Luis6

Aug 25, 2016

It has the same charm as the GO sixties. [nt]

KMII

Aug 25, 2016

Thank you Luis!

It is surprisingly good fun (for the price) And much smaller than the GO, too...

Alkiro1

Aug 25, 2016

Thank you KMII for these pics and this nice watch. From my side, I am particularly attract by this one

I do not take the plunge (and with this one it is not a price question) as I would like a really nice one. Credit: Best wishes Alkiro

KMII

Aug 25, 2016

It is one of their more distinctive models, Alkiro

I will PM you where you can find an ample choice of very good ones - different sources for different watches As for other memorable ones, the Zero / Gorbatschov watch is another one... From: 'http://i.'

Alkiro1

Aug 25, 2016

Thank you my friend ;-)

Best wishes Alkiro

KMII

Aug 25, 2016

Should already be on its way :) [nt]

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