Pocket Watch Molnija, with an ornament on the caseback, by Chelyabinsk Watch Factory, circa 1970s - early 1980s.
In nickel-plated brass case measuring approx. 45 mm in diameter. The dial features Arabic numerals and small seconds, the signature is in Russian, indicating designation for the internal markets but the movement shows "SU" in English which suggests that the movement was also meant for export abroad. The movement is 3603. The crystal is acrylic. The caseback is decorated with an ornament.
In excellent condition in terms of appearance. The nickel plating is intact and shows very little wear. The crystal appears to be original but is very clean, showing only barely perceptible scuffi
In nickel-plated brass case measuring approx. 45 mm in diameter. The dial features Arabic numerals and small seconds, the signature is in Russian, indicating designation for the internal markets but the movement shows "SU" in English which suggests that the movement was also meant for export abroad. The movement is 3603. The crystal is acrylic. The caseback is decorated with an ornament.
In excellent condition in terms of appearance. The nickel plating is intact and shows very little wear. The crystal appears to be original but is very clean, showing only barely perceptible scuffing and a couple of tiny scratches, not easily noticeable. In our 24-hour movement test, the watch stopped after running for approx. eight hours but showed good precision while it ran. A maintenance and cleaning service may fix that issue.
The history of the Molnija ("Lightning") Chelyabinsk Watch Factory goes back to Decree #8151s of the State Committee of Defense of the USSR "About increasing production and improving quality of pocket and wrist watches". Among other things, this decree ordered building factory #834 in Chelyabinsk, near the southern end of the Ural Mountains. Much of Soviet heavy industry had been evacuated and built there from the ground up during WW2. The need for quality timepieces was extremely high.
On 17 November 1947 the first production line of the factory began its work using the first version of the 3600 caliber. This date is considered the birthday of the Molnija Chelyabinsk Watch Factory.
$90.00 Add to cart