![gubelin watch any good gubelin watch any good](https://vintagetimes.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IMG_6013.jpg)
The Two Broke Watch Snobs ongoing series detailing the origins, golden age, and current status of Russian and Soviet Watches. Then concluding with a writeup about the current vague status of modern Russian watches. These pieces are designed to offer insight into Russian Watches before Soviet Watch Brands existed in addition to the history of some of the more popular Soviet watches brands. In pursuit of figuring out if Russian watches are any good, I've created an ongoing series detailing the history of Russian watches, which can be found above. This is probably why most people default to discussing Soviet Watch Brands when any discussion on Russian Watches comes up. The notion of a purely Russian watch brand didn't exists until the Soviet Union existed, where notable brands like Vostok, Raketa, Poljot, and Slava came to be. Arguably, the same factors that precipitated the creation of Marxism ultimately influenced how Russians under the Soviet Union created watches.īut the Russian Watches that existed before the revolution were mainly based in Swiss origin. There were watches and horlogical works in Russia before the Soviet Union and Russia’s economic, agricultural, social, and geopolitical history played a huge (emphasis on huge - “HUGE”) freaking role on Soviet watches.
![gubelin watch any good gubelin watch any good](https://assets.xupes.com/Images/Product/18593/SingleImages/Main/Vintage-Yellow-Gold-Unisex-3520.jpg)
However, jumping right into Soviet watches implies 2 different things: (1) Russian watches weren’t really a thing pre-soviet union and (2) There weren’t really any precipitous events that informed the creation, function, and implication of Russian watches worth noting. Most Russian watch discussions will immediately jump right into talking about Soviet Watch brands, which is understandable considering the Russian watch industry wasn’t really a competitive global factor until the Soviet Union got its hands on it. However, much like wine and stamp collecting, there are nuances to understand with Soviet watches and the overall horoligical history of Russia.ĭetermining if Soviet watches are any good starts with understanding the three phases of Russian watchmaking: Pre-Revolution (1300-1917), Post-Revolution/USSR (1917-1992), and the Modern era (1992 - Present). What I will say though is that Soviet watches are more than just good - they offer watch collectors of all types timepieces that are fun, intriguing, affordable, and offer incredible touchstones for history. It'd be unfair of me to say here that the answer is complicated.