Rare vintage 1970's USSR Raketa Perpetual and 50 similar items

This rare, Russian, USSR, Raketa College (Perpetual Calendar) men's vintage wristwatch would be an excellent and unique addition to your vintage watch collection!! It is one of the most interesting and sought-after designs by Raketa, on a par with the World Time or Big Zero! Manufactured in the 1970's, the chrome over base metal case measures a generous 40 mm across, excluding crown and lugs and surrounds a blue dial, with metallic sheen, that contrasts beautifully against gold hour, minute, and sweep second hands, raised gold markers white outer chapter, and both day and date windows at 3 o'clock with quick set feature. The manual wind cal 2628 H 19 jewel manual wind movement, considered a real workhorse, beats at 18,000 bph and has been recently professionally cleaned, oiled, and serviced. It sets and winds smoothly, is running strong, and keeping very good time. It is matched with a supple, new, man-made blue leather strap with stainless buckle. Please Note: All of my vintage Soviet watches are serviced and restored by professionals in The Ukraine. Their shops are now shuttered during the conflict there. We hope that peace is restored soon and that we can, once again, offer their products to you. About the Brand On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin made the first manned flight in outer space on the rocket, Vostok 1. In honor of this achievement, the Petrodvorets Watch Factory named its watches "Rocket"; 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 brands in the world. In the 1970s the factory produced about five million mechanical watches per year. Raketa Mechanical Movements Over the years, the Petrodvorets Watch Factory has produced more than two dozen versions of Raketa movements. Some have been equipped with features such as automatic winding, calendars, 24-hour models for polar explorers, anti-magnetic watches (for use in case of nuclear attack), as well as watches for the military. Mechanical Raketa watches were exported to many Eastern Bloc and communist countries and are considered one of the most durable and reliable movements in the world. By the 1980s Raketa was producing five million watches a year. Hairsprings and Escapements The Petrodvorets Watch Factory Raketa, is one of only five watch brands in the world producing their movements in-house from start to finish, including hairsprings and escapements. Most watch brands globally do not produce their own hairsprings, they generally order them 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 aviation industry. The Petrodvorets Watch Factory Raketa is only one of the brands produced by the Petrodvorets Watch Factory, albeit probably its most famous brand. Other Petrodvorets brands include Pobeda and Talberg among others. Before the Russian Revolution (1917), 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 wristwatches under the names Zvezda ("??????", star) and Pobeda ("??????", victory). The factory's own watches, sold under the brand name Raketa, first appeared in 1961. STOCK CODE: R-16 We offer free, first class domestic shipping and ship worldwide Priority Mail to insure safe, swift, and reliable shipping to our international customers for a flat fee of $34.00. (Canada may be slightly less) Please note, we offer our items on multiple sites and will not be removed from other sites until payment has been received and rarely may mean that your selection may be sold out prior to your payment has posted. We are Stonehenge Watch Company and have been selling vintage timepieces and new watches on the internet for over 14 years with hundreds of satisfied customers! Seller information stonehengewatchcompany (2847) We do our best to accurately describe items on our site and, if for any reason, you are disappointed in your purchase we will provide a swift and satisfactory resolution to your concern.