Poljot and Sturmanskie

"On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin made history by becoming the first cosmonaut who circled the Earth in a space shuttle called “Vostok” (East). This earmarked the success of the Soviet’s advanced development in space exploration, well ahead of its American counterpart.

It was a historical moment for 1st MWF as well with its “Sturmanskie” watch strapped around Gagarin’s arm throughout the space journey." This Russian watch factory has gone from being the first state watch factory in 1930 to the First Moscow Watch Factory in 1945 and then developing the trademark 'Poljot' (which means Flight) in 1964. While the watches were marketed under different brands or lines, the movements were produced by Poljot, notably the 3133 and 31681. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin, wore a Sturmanskie (Navigator) line watch, produced then only for military aviation and not available to the public. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of space flight, Sturmanskie produced 999 pieces of a limited edition timepiece to commemorate this event. I have heard of Russian watches and the brand, but did not know much prior to this trip and the research of the watch. I was fortunate to have chanced upon a shop selling this line and the one that stood out was this beautiful piece. Not only did it have a good look, it was full of significance and a limited edition as well. After much consideration and haggling, the price was settled at 12500 roubles, about SGD 750.

CASE:	SOLID STAINLESS STEEL 39 mm
CRYSTAL:	MINERAL GLASS
CROWNS:	STEEL, ENLARGED FOR EASY WINDING
MOVEMENT:	POLJOT CHRONOGRAPH CAL. 31681 OF RUSSIAN ORIGIN/MANUAL WOUND
FUNCTIONS:	SECONDS, DATE CALENDAR, 24 HOURS DIAL, STOP WATCH WITH SUMMING UP ACTION
JEWELS:	25 BEARING RUBY JEWELS
STRAP:	GENUINE LEATHER
BUCKLE:	STAINLESS STEEL
BACKCASE:	STAINLESS STEEL-SECURED BY A SCREW-IN RING
DIAL:	BLACK, ARABIC NUMERALS
HANDS:	SWEEP-TYPE SECONDS HAND, LUMINOUS
ACCURACY:	-20 TO +40 SEC/DAY
WATER-RESISTANCE:	Up to 30 meters/100 ft or 3ATM