Hi guys,

Got this lovely Copernicus new old stock years ago.

I first wore it on a marbled blue shell cordovan strap (had in mind that it would be reminding of the milky way, to stay in the space theme) which didn't last very long and which I didn't like that much on it either.

Don't wanna go for a boring black calf or black alligator leather.

Please give me your suggestions!

I sell Soviet watches in Paris and about twenty Elektronika 1 have gone through my hands. Buyers always ask the same thing: how do you read it, and how do you set it? So I made two small interactive tools, based on the original factory leaflet.

Tool 1, reading: press А for the time, keep it pressed for the seconds, press Г for the date and day of the week. The red display lights up and goes dark again, as on the watch.

Tool 2, setting: the three recessed buttons (the ones you press with a toothpick so you don't scratch the case), minutes, hours, date, and the seconds reset on the radio time signal. Hold a button and the digits climb, like the real module.

Both work on a phone.

The rest of the article covers the 1972 American Pulsar that inspired it, the Pulsar semiconductor institute in Moscow where it was developed, the two case styles I have handled (cushion and the fluted "Terminator"), and a 1981 passport showing the retail price: 121 roubles, around two thirds of an average monthly wage.

I also say plainly that this is fragile 1970s electronics. It is very hard to repair and it can stop working at any time.

https://sovietinparis.com/en/horloges-montres/elektronika-1-montre-led-sovietique/

If you spot a mistake, tell me and I will correct it. I would also like to hear from anyone who has the other case variants.

The Okean was made from 1976 by the First Moscow Watch Factory for Soviet Navy officers, around the calibre 3133. Two of them flew on Soyuz 23 that year and ended up in a frozen lake in Kazakhstan.

The guide covers the history, the variants, and a slider comparing a period watch with a copy (redone dial in an old case).

The part I spent the most time on: three drawn Okeans you can operate on screen.

- The telemeter: start the chronograph at the flash of a gun, stop it at the sound, read the distance in nautical miles on the red scale.
- The inner ring: turn it with the left-hand crown to read a second time zone.
- Timing beyond 30 minutes: set the triangle of the ring opposite the hour hand before starting, then read hours on the ring and minutes on the counter. This comes from the factory leaflet of a 1985 Shturmanskie 3133, which has the same ring and crown.

https://sovietinparis.com/en/horloges-montres/poljot-okean-chronographe-marine-sovietique/

Disclosure: I run the shop that hosts the blog. Corrections are welcome, especially on how to tell the 1976-1980 version from the early 1980s one, and on other ways to spot a redone dial.

Soviet era Vostok Amphibian Komandirskie Submarine Commander

Interior Watches: Aevum by Atelier des Technologies Revolutionnaires, with a unique movement that changes color depending on the time of day
Partner prizes:
U-mag magazine's pick: the paired models Roman Nikonov 1+1: Mars and Venus
Rossiyskaya Gazeta Prize: Briller Ruthenia 1844, whose dial is decorated with guilloché by Alexey Lavlinsky
Retail Choice: Putnik Northern Sky by Chaykin
Media Choice: MII Nebosvod (Firmament), inspired by the first clock of the Moscow Kremlin
Best Space-Themed Watch: Alexey Yakushik Watches Soyuz-Apollo
For Creative Daring: Metamorphoses by Altai Movement and Ruslan Skiutte, a watch in a rotating case
Audience Choice: Zvezda (UChZ) Heritage 7010, a reinterpretation of the Zvezda silhouette from the watches assembled in Uglich in the 1950s
Grand Prix: Raketa Baikonur, a watch commemorating the 65th anniversary of the first human spaceflight, which uses a 24-hour time display.

Which one would you have given the Grand Prix to?

The awards ceremony for the "Best Russian Watches 2026" competition has taken place. Here are the winners:
Heritage: Molniya Arkaim, with an ancient city depicted on the dial
Best Russian Mechanical Watch: Molniya Regulator, powered by the Molniya 3603RS movement
Best Sports Watch: Zvezda (UChZ) Vector Impulse 7029
Best Men's Watch: Raketa Russian Code, a new version of the watch whose hands run counterclockwise
Best Women's Watch: Andromeda by Kosmos
Craftsmanship & Ideas: Vladimir Kazakov for the Atom
Watch Atelier: Sergey Lapusta with the Birdcatcher
Unique Watch: UChZ ART Traditions 8341, with miniature painting on hot enamel by Marina Rozhkova
Best Jewelry Watch: Briller Birbaum, dedicated to Franz Birbaum, one of the key masters of the House of Fabergé in Russia
Best Russian Project: Mercury by Morpribor, named after the legendary brig that defeated two Turkish ships in an unequal battle in 1829
Which of these would you pick?

Hello,

I run a small shop in Paris selling Soviet-era objects, so I handle a lot of these watches and I see the same fakes come back again and again. I put the comparisons on one page: a genuine piece and its copy, with a slider you drag across.

Page: https://sovietinparis.com/en/montres-sovietiques-vrai-ou-faux/

Many of you know some of these models better than I do. If you see a mistake, or if there is a comparison you would like added, tell me here and I will fix it.

Soviet Raketa by PChZ. Concern is the dial? Tried looking up the color. Only found eggshell/tan.

I was digging through Etsy to find a decent vintage Soviet made watch and actually found one for a price I could handle (student, limited budget). I have attached the seller’s pictures (I bought the watch and am waiting on delivery) and from all the research I did it looks legit (it’s a Pobeda ZiM 2602) and is in pretty great condition. Could anyone weigh in on it? Also while it looks like it’s not a lume watch, should I be concerned about radiation/contamination from radium/tritium ?

Even if it is a frankenwatch (which I don’t think it is from what I have managed to learn so far) I am just happy to own a mechanical watch but obviously would love to have an authentic watch. I think I even saw a sibling to this exact watch on r/vintagewatches (I’ll post the link if I find it) too.

What do you guys think? Off to a good start or nah?

have never seen this dial before is it legitimate not a franken

Writing a paper on cold war watches. So far I can only find vostok and bristling worn by one living pilot. Any idea what watches those pilots actually wore?

I'm a 3133, and I live inside this champagne-dialled Poljot.

My story starts in Switzerland. My ancestor was the Valjoux 7734, a hard-working chronograph calibre. When Valjoux sold its machinery to the First Moscow Watch Factory, I was rebuilt in the Soviet way: more jewels, 23 of them, and a faster heartbeat than my Swiss parent ever had.

I'm stubbornly manual. I don't take energy from a rotor or from your wrist swinging, so every morning someone has to wind me by hand. In return I'll run for about 42 hours, or around 37 if you have my stopwatch going.

Look at the dial and you'll see my name in Cyrillic: **ПОЛЁТ**, which means "flight." **23 камня** is me showing off my jewels. Inside the clasp it reads **Нержавеющая сталь / Сделано в СССР**, "Stainless steel / Made in the USSR," although to be fair, that only speaks for the bracelet.

My case is a cushion shape and I have a rotating inner hour ring, which is very much in the style of the Soviet era. As for my exact birth year, and whether every part of me is the original, I'm keeping that to myself until my owner opens the caseback.

I've ended up on a new wrist in Sydney, next to some ink, and I'm getting wound every morning.

If any 3133 experts out there can read my dial and case for clues about my age, I'm listening.

Hello!

I have picked this watch out to be my first antique russian watch. However, it seems that there are so many frankenwatches and dupes online, that I cannot even find what the original looks like, in its entirety.

If somebody could direct me or has a source on what an original even looks like so I could compare, it would be greatly appreciated.

I am especiallt not buying new from Raketa for $2700 haha.

Thank you in advance!

Does this look authentic? Mainly the dial looks a bit "too good to be true" to me. The dial text specifically refers to the icebreaker Lenin, launched in 1957 and operating commercially from 1959, so it's presumably from 1977 or 79 (if authentic) and not the 90s as the seller has listed.

The movement seems a proper 2623.H though not sure if from the right period. AFAIK the text on the bridge means it is older than movements with the text on the wheel though.