Caveman's Watch Forum

'Classic' >>

Posted By: Ricky Lee McBroom
Date: Thursday, 23 March 2006, at 12:20 p.m.

This is the watch I initially had my eye on back when I bought my Raketa KGB:

seller's s

The classicly-styled case and the clean, simple dial appealed to me. And the specs looked good:

• Russian 24-hours mechanical watch
  
• Made in USSR, Limited Edition
  
• Raketa 2623H movement
  
• 19 ruby jewels
  
• Central sweep seconds hand
  
• 24-hours dial
  
• Case - stainless alloy neusilber with chrome coating
  
• Comes with black leather band and box
  

What did have me a little worried were the allegations that Cyrillic-branded Raketas would be confiscated by customs. An excerpt from the earlier thread:

One seller with a large Raketa stock, who was also careful to point out that the factory was closed (and his wares were thus 'very collectible') also had this to say "I brought them into the country several years ago. The signs 'Made in CCCP' and 'Made in Russia' written in Cyrillic make them an illegal product here now. US import law demands all signs on watches, which are imported in the USA, to have all signs only in Latin alphabet. If found at the custom, they will be returned to the country of origin." Can this be true? Should I be worried about buying one of the 'NOS' Raketas so marked from an overseas seller? Anyone?

But, in the end, I decided that this fellows claims were best taken with a grain of salt. After all, his prices are a good 50% higher than Russian sellers, even factoring in overseas shipping, and I suspect that this story was fabricated to justify his prices.

So after some wrestling over the dial color, I pulled the trigger on a black one. Hey, for $33 shipped, I'll take the chance! And, to my relief, twelve days later it showed up in my mailbox. Still not absolutely certain this fellow's story is bogus, of couse.. perhaps my watch just 'slipped through' Customs. In any case, here it is on the OEM strap:

24-hour 'Classic'

..which was, naturally, way, way too short. Ah well, I've come to expect it.

I was, however a bit taken aback by the dimensions of the watch. My actual measurements are 34.1mm case dia x 39mm across the lugs, 10.2mm thick measured to the top of the crystal, and it takes an 18mm strap. The crown is proportionate, at 4.75mm dia x 2.5mm wide. This is not a big watch! I was expecting something more along the lines of 38mm.

Still, I like smaller watches alright, so it's not a problem. But I do demand that the strap actually encircle my wrist, so the OEM black unit had to go. And no great loss, as it is a very low quality strap. Not even sure it's leather, actually.. it lacks the ubiquitous 'Genuine Leather' brand, certainly. Indeed, it is totally sterile, with no markings at all. I swapped on a Twist-O-Flex, as 'twas the only suitable spare I had:

But I'm not a big fan of stretch bracelets and, in any case this one was too small for comfort. When I started to lose circulation in my hand (!) I swapped on an 18mm Bond NATO:

Ahhhh! That's Mo' Bettah!

Even though it does mean that my Marathon is temporarily strap-less..

So, what do I really think of the watch, you say? Would I recommend it to my fellow WIS? Well, yes and no. One main caveat is the "little" aspect. If you're the sort that likes 44mm and up, and consider 38mm to be a Girly Watch , then this obviously is not the watch for you!

The other caveat is that, unless you've owned or other modestly-priced watches, and understand that your brand-new watch will exhibit wabi to some extent, then it's probably not for you.

This little guy definitely displays wabi. First there's the case. Dunno what "stainless alloy neusilber" is, exactly, but I can vouch for the "chrome coating" part, since there's a spot near the crown where the coating has been scraped off. Or perhaps was never coated to begin with. It's not a showstopper, mind, as it's only about the size of a pinhead - I didn't even notice it until I got the loupe out. I can tell you that "neusilber" looks a lot like brass.

Inspection with the loupe also revealed myriad tiny scratches on the case. Since the brassy color of "neusilber" does not show through any, I conclude that the case was given a lackadaisacal buffing prior to chroming. IOW, the chrome coating was applied over the scratches...

I've already mentioned the OEM strap which, and I'm being charitable here, left a lot to be desired. Beyond these things, though, I can find no further fault with the watch. The dial is quite crisp, as are the hands, and unless you're peering at it through a loupe, the case flaws aren't readily apparent. On the wrist, it's really quite handsome:

It's been running about -8 seconds a day which, while I'd prefer that it was fast instead of slow, is still acceptable. All in all, a most pleasant little watch!

-Ricky

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This has come full circle.

Posted By: Ricky Lee McBroom
Date: Sunday, 19 November 2006, at 9:15 p.m.

It came from the factory on a black leather strap, which was not only too short for me, but decidedly lacking in quality. Not that I demand top-tier straps, especially on such a modest watch. But this one fairly screamed "Cut-rate!". So I've been wearing it on a skunk NATO.

While I liked that combo just fine, I've lately come to feel that I've got too many watches on that strap. They're nice straps, mind you, but I'm trying to make sure I don't fall back into that rut! So when I found this Timex strap in a long (wonder of wonders!) on sale for $7.87, I just couldn't resist.

Few of my watches are on leather, since it's so hard to find straps that are long enough. So this is something of a treat for me.

I'm really diggin' it!

-Ricky

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