r/SovietTime

Felt like wearing something vintage today.

IMO, the best watch ever made in the USSR. A timeless classic.

Just finished a complete overhaul on this Raketa 2628.Н and thought some of you might appreciate the result.

This is one of the late Soviet / early Russian Raketa models collectors usually nickname the “Star Wars” because of the sharp octagonal case architecture and exposed bezel screws. The design is pure 1980s–90s Soviet industrial futurism.

The movement was fully stripped down to the last screw, cleaned in an ultrasonic bath, inspected, lubricated with fresh oils, reassembled, and regulated. The calendar mechanism was also serviced since these 2628 movements often develop stiffness in the day-date works after decades without maintenance.

What I particularly like about this example is the combination of textures and shapes:

• silver grained dial
• applied gold-tone markers
• matte black hands
• faceted crystal
• geometric multi-angle case construction

The watch still carries light signs of honest wear, but I intentionally avoided polishing the case too aggressively. On watches like this, preserving the original edges and factory geometry matters much more than making everything look artificially new.

It’s also fitted with a period-correct NOS ZIM bracelet which suits the case surprisingly well.

Mechanically, these Raketa calibers are very straightforward and robust when properly serviced. No luxury finishing, no unnecessary complications — just practical engineering built to run for decades.

Always satisfying bringing one of these unusual Raketas back to life.

inally finished servicing this 1980s Soviet Poljot alarm watch today.
These old USSR alarm movements are always fun to work on — this one uses the mechanical Poljot 2612.1 caliber with that classic loud buzzing alarm instead of anything electronic.

The watch came in pretty tired internally: old dried oils, weak amplitude, alarm mechanism slightly out of adjustment. After a full disassembly, cleaning, lubrication and regulation, it’s now running properly again and the alarm works exactly how it should.

I really like the design on this one too. Grey dial, Roman numerals, simple Soviet styling without trying too hard. These Poljot alarm watches have a lot of character on the wrist, especially compared to modern watches that all start looking the same.

Always satisfying bringing one of these Soviet mechanical pieces back to life instead of letting it sit forgotten in a drawer for another 20 years.

⌚ USSR Poljot Alarm
⌚ First Moscow Watch Factory
⌚ Cal. 2612.1
⌚ 18 jewels
⌚ Mechanical alarm complication

Would love to hear who else here collects Soviet alarm watches.

Finally finished restoring my vintage Slava 2427 automatic from the late USSR era, and I’m honestly impressed by how much character these old Soviet watches have.

This one runs the famous 27-jewel dual-barrel automatic movement with day/date in Cyrillic — a weirdly overengineered little machine from the 2nd Moscow Watch Factory.

The watch was in rough shape when I got it:

• dirty movement
• dried oils
• weak amplitude
• scratched acrylic crystal
• noisy rotor
• worn gasket

After a full teardown, ultrasonic cleaning, lubrication, regulation, and crystal polishing, it’s now running beautifully again. The quickset date works perfectly and the automatic winding finally feels smooth.

What I love most is that unmistakable Soviet design language — practical but somehow stylish at the same time. The black dial with gold accents and the Cyrillic day wheel give it a vibe modern watches just don’t have.

The Slava 2427 is also mechanically interesting because of its twin mainspring barrels, something you usually don’t expect in affordable vintage watches. It feels like Soviet engineers tried to solve problems in their own unique way instead of copying Swiss designs directly.

A lot of surviving examples today are “frankenwatches” with swapped parts or aftermarket dials, so restoring an original one feels especially satisfying.

Would love to hear what other people think about Soviet horology — underrated history or pure chaos engineering? 😄