Raketa

Raketa

At top: the logo written with the Latin alphabet. Below, with the Cyrillic alphabet
1985 Model "Petrodvorets Classic"
Owner	Petrodvorets Watch Factory
Country	Russia
Introduced	1961
Website	http://www.raketa.com

Raketa (Russian: Paкéтa; IPA: [rɐˈkʲɛtə], "rocket") watches, sometimes marketed as Sekonda, have been manufactured since 1961 by the Petrodvorets Watch Factory in Saint Petersburg. The Petrodvorets Watch Factory is Russia's oldest factory and was founded by Peter the Great in 1721. Raketa watches were produced for the Red Army, the Soviet Navy, for North Pole expeditions, as well as for civilians. As of today Raketa is one of the rare watch brands in the world producing its mouvements from A to Z.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Origin

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin made the first manned flight in outer space on the rocket Vostok 1. In honor of this, the Petrodvorets Watch Factory named its watches "rocket", or Raketa in Russian. At the height of the Cold War, however, the name "Raketa" was perceived negatively in the West, as the word was associated with the latest generation of Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles, the R-16. During Soviet times it became one of the most produced watch brand in the world. In the 1970s the factory produced about 5 million mechanical watches per year.^[6][7]

Luxury "Made in Russia"

In 2014 a new high-end Raketa collection based on the new in-house Raketa-Avtomat movement is released including:

• "Petrodvorets Classic Avtomat";
• "Amphibia";
• "Polar";
• "Zvezda";
• "Pilot";
• "Balerina"

With price ranges similar to Swiss luxury brands, quality and finishing of the Raketa time pieces have seriously improved since the USSR of the 60's. Since "Raketa" is one of the rare manufacturers producing fully its movements, including hairspring and escapements, the factory has started to supply some Swiss watch brands having difficulties getting supplied Swiss movements.^[8][9]

A unique "know-how"

Raketa Mechanical Movements

Over the years, the Petrodvorets Watch Factory produced more than two dozen versions Raketa movements. Some were equipped with features such as automatic winding, calendars, 24-hour models for polar explorers, anti-magnetic watches (for use in case of a nuclear attack), as well as watches for the military. Mechanical Raketa watches produced in Petrodvorets were exported to many Eastern Bloc and communist countries and are considered one of the most durable and reliable movements in the world and by the 1980s Raketa was producing 5 million watches a year.

The Petrodvorets Watchmaking School

Being one of the rare watch brands in the world producing its own movements, the factory has created its own watchmaker school: The Petrodvorets Watchmaking School. This to ensure the transmission of watch making know-how to future generations.^[10][11][12] the only one left in The schooling program has been established in collaboration with the Saint Petersburg Technical institute.^[13]

Hairspring and Escapement

The Petrodvorets Watch factory Raketa, is one of the 5 watch brands in the world producing themselves their movements from A to Z including hairspring and escapement. Most watch brands in the world do not produce their own hairspring, they generally order it from Nivarox a subsidiary of Swatch Group. This enables the Russian military industry to be independent from western suppliers, especially for producing hairsprings needed in the military-plane-industry.^[2]

Raketa Monumental Clock

Built in 2014 on the Lubyanka square in the main atrium of Detsky Mir, the Raketa Monumental Clock is the world's largest clock movement. 5 tons, 13 meters high, 8meters large. Built and assembled in a record 6 months it has rapidly become a major tourist attraction in Moscow.The Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin inaugurated the clock in January 2015.^[14][15]

The Petrodvorets Watch Factory

Raketa is one of the brands of the Petrodvorets Watch Factory and Raketa is probably the most famous of the factory's brands. But Other brands include Pobeda, Talberg and more. Before the Russian revolution, the factory also produced objects made of precious and semi-precious stones for the Tsar and his family. Later, it began to produce goods for military manufacturers as well as jewels" for the watch industry. In 1949 the factory released the first watches under the names Zvezda ("Звезда", star) and Pobeda ("Победа", victory). The factory's own watches, sold under the brand name Raketa, first appeared in 1961.

Awards

• Gold medal at the World Leipzig Fair for the watch «Raketa Record» (1965);
• Gold medal at the World Fair at Leipzig (1966);
• Grand Prix World Exhibition Expo 67 in Montreal (1967);
• Soviet Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1971).

Ambassadors and Swiss specialists

In 2009, the Petrodvorets Watch Factory employed 3 high ranked Swiss watchmakers to help the factory to adapt the production to modern standards. These watchmakers have been previously working for Rolex, Breguet and Hautlence. In 2011 the Petrodvorets Watch Factory announced that the super model Natalia Vodianova offered to design a new model. Vodianova’s model is based on an old Raketa design from 1974. The sales of this “Raketa by Vodianova” will be partly paid to Vodianova’s Naked Heart Foundation.^[16] In 2012 Jean-Claude Quenet, earlier director at Rolex of the escapement department and of the production at Franck Muller, joined the Russian factory.^[17] Also, in 2013 Prince Rostislav Rostislavovich Romanov is advisor to the creative department of the factory and member of the board of directors. He created a new special design of watches for 400 year jubilee of Romanov dynasty.^[18] in 2014 a Swiss mechanical Engineer, Florian Schlumpf was appointed head of engineering and construction of monumental clocks.

Further reading

• Fersman A.E., Vlodavec N.I.: State Peterhof Lapidary Works in past, present, future. Published: USSR 1922
• Sukhorukova AE: Watchmaker: The Story of one Factory. Published: USSR 1983. - 108 p.
• Tyutenkova AG: Checking Time. Published: Lenizdat, 1986. - 181 p.

References

External links

• Raketa official site
• Russian State TV documentary 2003 about the 300 years of History of the factory
• Snob Mag. About Vodianova working for Raketa