Raketa - History, Models and Owners' Reviews

This antique men's watch (small size 22mm in diameter for the dial and the 28x28mm case) has a dial all in stone, in green jasper. It exudes elegance and simplicity. Indeed there is only an inscription indicating the brand and the 23 rubies, but on my model the white paint is almost gone, only the first "a" of Raketa remains. There are no indexes on the dial only on the imitation bezel. The brass dial looks good, it allows to enlarge the watch a little and to combine the circular shape with the square. The hands refer to the brass and the square of the dial, while contrasting well with the green of the stone. The design is a real invitation to travel because of its very simple appearance, it combines opposing elements. The natural patterns of the stone are also reminiscent of a lively landscape with the dark upper part and the green lower part and including a spot centered at six o'clock. We can also see a rough sea and a central island. The movement is a bit special, it is a Record-2209 with 23 jewels, it is one of the rare unreliable and difficult to repair movements of the Petrodvoretz factory, it was developed informally in the late 50s and early 60s by engineers of the factory, Starkov and Kisselev, starting from a blank sheet and without copying Western models. It is equipped with an anti-shock axis device. The steel case back also bears the mark of the globe with the inscription anti-shock. The stone quadrants have a particular importance, even if they are not common, for this factory because historically it is a factory of cut stones then of mechanism rubies. This watch reminds me of Paul Lay's album Odyssey released in the fall of 2024. If the stone with its natural patterns represents Ulysses' journey, the stain is the island of Ithaca, this haunting and unattainable central point. Paul Lay's Album lets us hear with his trio (Piano, Double Bass, Drums) Ulysses' journey with so many twists and turns to his native country, and his inner journey from the moment he says he is "nobody" in front of the Cyclops until he finds himself and appeases Poseidon's anger. Adjectives: mineral, simple, original, traveling, epic, dreamy, oneiric

Commemorative watches were not uncommon in the USSR. Celebrating the glorious past and recalling it on a watch dial was even customary and yet this watch stands out. Because it is not about celebrating an anniversary of the coup d'état of November 17, or that of the end of the hot war in 1945, no it is about celebrating the anniversary of the watch factory which finds its history in the cut stone factory in Petergof (finally Petrodvoretz at that time). In addition to the factory, it is the imperial past that is evoked. The factory and the imperial palace, this little Versailles overlooking the Gulf of Finland. Which has also become the symbol of "the window open on Europe", this forced modernization of Russia and its opening to European civilization. The golden case and bracelet further reinforce the imperial side. The guilloche (and gold) dial brings a real luxurious aspect in a Soviet Union that was really drawing to a close. Because 270 years after 1721, this brings us to 1991, the moment when the wind of change was blowing over Europe. A time when we were looking for other tutelary figures than the founding fathers of Marxism and real Socialism. I am not a big fan of gold watches, but I think it suits him very well, there are much more sober versions of the same commemoration, Dmitri Brodnikovsky presents a whole bunch of them on his YouTube channel, but ultimately, it is always the same 2609 NA movement, the same case (if not the gold plating), the same black hands, the same organic glass, the same steel case back as there are for millions of other watches that came out of the Factory. Luxury in sobriety, grandeur in decadence, this watch expresses in my eyes all the strength of this era of great change and historical continuity. The following anniversaries have produced remarkable watches, for the 290th anniversary, 2011, the commemorative watch of Gagarin's flight and the magnificent space watches that followed, for the 300th anniversary, 2021, the impressive “Imperial Peterhof Factory” line making a stone ring the central element of the wristwatch and unfortunately also becoming the symbol of the imperialist bloodbath that followed in 2022. And then 2021, it's the spotlight on the Gelendzhik Palace, the Peterhof of today's empire, which is nothing more than a sad murder hole open to Europe. For the 310th anniversary, we don't know yet, 2031 is still a long way off. In short, you will have understood that commemorative watches are invitations to compare different eras, to innovate while being part of a long tradition to imagine a more serene future. But if the watch can become the symbol of its era, it is not it that builds history, it is rather the one who wears it, for better or for worse. The adjectives that describe it are contradictory because this watch is an oxymoron, it is sumptuous and simple.

Its name may be scary, Raketa Sniper (or Military or Aviator depending on the context), Raketa means missile or rocket in Russian and Sniper, sniper in English, we can still imagine a new precision ballistic missile, or an ultra-precise cruise missile capable of destroying a children's hospital thousands of kilometers away without a hitch. But don't be alarmed, it's a watch from the 80s, a time when Raketa was mainly for civilian use. In reality, the name refers to the dial's sight which resembles that of a sniper's scope. It is not a watch specifically designed for snipers, just like Yema's Superman is essentially sold to normal human beings, not immigrants from Krypton. It uses the codes of diving watches, like those of the Superman, but it is not one, there is no bezel, it is not waterproof. It has the luminescent coating and the indexes in the shape of a sight, but its case is for the surface. It is an excellent compromise for everyday life, where you do not need to dive and withstand enormous pressure, but where readability is appreciable. We therefore have a completely classic 511 case. It is a model dating from 1981 which combines the 511 case in 38mm diameter in chromed brass with the hands of the Amphibia model. The back is in stainless steel with a serial number. It is one of the rare models in a military style from the Petrodvoretz factory of that time. The caliber is a classic 2609NA (its power reserve 36 to 42 hours). It is a robust and reliable mechanism very widespread, easily repairable. It is not so common and yet very endearing. Adjectives: Readable, efficient, light, military, sporty, adapted, civil