Each country after some time has its own attribute-symbols. The Soviet Union had a lot of them, because the country was huge. One of such symbols is the “Rocket” watch, the production of which was a small revolution in the history of a great country.
Historical excursion
The USSR began to produce Rocket watches back in 1962. Then Yuri Gagarin just returned from space. To perpetuate this most significant event, they launched the release of this watch.
By the way, it is noteworthy that the factory itself, where the legend was made, was opened by Peter the Great in the year of the foundation of St. Petersburg. Today, the production of watches is located in the city on the Neva, but the capital is engaged in design. The museum of these watches also works in St. Petersburg, which presents sketches of models that were later handed over to many famous people, for example, Andrei Mironov, for example (this watch earned its minute of fame in The Diamond Hand), and the watch itself, which has no analogues.
Special models
The USSR “Rocket” was very fond of watches. He loved so much that they, and not some foreign model, were in Mikhail Gorbachev’s arm. Especially for him, the plant, which often created special models, offered a watch in which the number 12 was replaced by 0, symbolizing that now life begins from scratch, since there is perestroika in the yard.
Other unusual watch models include a variation with a Geiger counter, a device that records the level of radiation, the creators of which were clearly inspired by the likelihood of a nuclear war. There are also these Soviet watches designed for polar explorers, therefore, withstanding minimum temperatures and surviving immersion in water. Traditionally, the plant produces various measuring instruments for the navy, and from the middle of the twentieth century, it also fell on its shoulders to provide the Baltic and Pacific fleets with watches.
Present day
The enterprise that produced these truly legendary Soviet watches is still working today; moreover, it continues to create more and more new models. It is noteworthy that, despite the running of time, the Rocket watch retains some of its features that were characteristic of the very first models, thereby emphasizing the great past. One of the new products, for example, “Sailor”.
The dial design repeats the “Rocket” clock of the USSR-ov era: as early as 1969, the dial was offered, which is not 12, but 24 hours, because at sea it is not always clear, day overboard or night. In addition, the markings are marked on the dial, marking the time of the shift, not only Russian, but also British and Scandinavian. Ingenious watches can also predict the ebb and flow times, and thanks to the built-in miniature compass, they will also help to monitor the course. Well, the last characteristic, which will give a complete idea of them: they can withstand immersion in water to a depth of 50 meters.
Yes, it may be wrong to judge a real enterprise using only one model. Natalya Vodyanova also collaborated with Rocket, who developed her own watch here. But it is noteworthy that the USSR “Rocket” with its collapse was not completely affected: they survived perestroika, and now they are pretty confident in the colorful world of watch concerns, each of which strives to become the best.
Can I buy?
For lovers of antiquity there is always the opportunity to purchase this rarity. Everything, of course, depends on the condition of the watch: the degree of safety, working capacity and other factors. For example, a model that turns forty this year, and it is still in progress (today it remains only to marvel at such performance), can be bought for 8.5 thousand rubles. There is still a “Rocket” watch (USSR), the cost of which ranges from 20 to 30 dollars, but these will have to be delivered from neighboring countries. Today, the plant reports that it is releasing another instance of the legendary Oligarch series - a watch made of Siberian pink gold.
Only 300 units will roll off the assembly line. The price of this exclusive - 770 thousand rubles, not unlike the example of the Soviet classics. Their creation is attended by Jean-Claude Rene, a former Director of Production Rolex. As for the rather fun name of the line, at first these exclusive watches were called by production workers, and then, when the name had taken root, they decided not to change it, demonstrating for whom these things were created.
Instead of a conclusion
What is the past made up of? Exactly from gizmos like the Rocket watch. Once many people owned them, once they were considered a mandatory part of the existence of a decent Soviet citizen, and now they are supplanted by mobile phones, which make it easier to look at time than to understand arrows and numbers, or foreign analogues. But at the same time, as long as there are people who remember this watch, who remember their history, the people will live. And tirelessly go forward, like "Rocket."