Poljot Watches

Poljot watch brand

The First Moscow Watch Factory is the owner of the Poljot trade mark.  The brand came to life at 1961 with the historic event of first human in space.

About The First Moscow Watch Factory

The First Moscow Watch Factory is first not only by name. Throughout its, more than 70-year history, it has been, and still is, the leader in developing and manufacturing highly accurate watch movements. These movements have been used in the army and aviation, in the navy and even in space technology.  In other words, anywhere where a high level of accuracy and reliability is essential.

A brief history of Poljot

1927 The Labour and Defense Council passed the decree "About the arrangement of watch production in the USSR".  The goal of the decree was to establish a watch industry that looked after the needs of Narkomat of Communications and of the Red Army.  The Soviet watches were to become accurate, reliable and not to be inferior in quality to their Western counterparts.  The equipment for the production of these watches was purchased from the USA.  The watch factory Duber Hampton, with an output of 200-250 thousand watches per year, was a turn-key purchase and became the foundation of the first Russian watch factory.

1930 the main building for watch manufacturing was built where the Krasnaya Zvezda ("Red Star") tobacco factory used to stand; the new American equipment was brought and installed.  The construction of the watch factory was shockingly quick and already in November of the same year the first 50 Russian made watches were presented at the ceremonial meeting in the Revolution Theatre (now known as the Bolshoi Theatre).

1932 the designers of The First Moscow Watch Factory create an onboard aviation watch, alongside specialized watches for pilots, with minute and second counters. The production of the first Soviet stopwatches commences.

1935 the All-Union elder Mikhail Kalinin signs the decree about awarding The First Moscow Watch Factory the name of S.M. Kirov. The production of navigation wristwatches with a stopwatch, mechanical and electro-winder watches for the automobile, sea chronometers and deck watches begins.

1939 the complete re-equipping of the factory is completed. The number of machinery in The First Moscow Watch Factory, compared to 1930, increases more than one and a half times.

1940 the commander watch of The First Moscow Watch Factory becomes a common belonging attributed to the officers of the Red Army. Watches with distinctive engravings are used by the army as forms of reward. In the ten years the factory had already produced 2.7 million pocket and wrist watches.

1941 After the beginning of the war The First Moscow Watch Factory was evacuated to the city of Zlatoust. Throughout the whole war the factory works for needs of the front, producing aircraft watches, sea and aviation chronometers.

1944 the production of automobile watches begins.

1946 the manufacturing of the watch Pobeda (Victory) with a side second hand is embarked on. The name, the design and the characteristics of these watches were personally approved by Stalin himself. The production of the watch Pobeda continues at The First Moscow Watch Factory until 1953.

1949 The manufacturing of the watch Shturmanskie with second hand stopping begins. These watches were especially produced for the air force and were never available for the open market. Following an order from the Defence Ministry the high-precision sea chronometer 6MKh is developed and put into production.

1956 the manufacturing of the first Soviet watch with an auto-winder and 22 rubies stats. The model is named Rodina (Motherland).

1957 In honour of the launch of the first Soviet satellite the manufacturing of the watch Sputnik begins. These watches are produced in two versions: with a central second hand and with a transparent disk with a mark in the form of a satellite instead of a second hand. In the same year, by special request, the watch Antarktida (Antarctica) with a twenty-four-hour scale, is designed. This watch is intended for the participants of the first Soviet expedition to the South Pole. Both Antarktida and Sputnik are today a collection rarity, due to the fact that both models were only in production for the duration of a year.

1959 The first Soviet mechanical watch with an alarm function Signal is developed. The manufacturing of the watch-chronograph Strela with a one-hand stopwatch and 45-min minute counter commences. Its dial had extra telemeteric and tachometric scales. Strela watches were not available for open sale, as they were specifically developed for the commanding officers of the air force. In 1965 cosmonaut Andrey Leonov took the Strela watch on the first in the history of man space walk. In the same year the USSR Council of Ministers passed the decree wherein The First Moscow Watch Factory was appointed as the head enterprise in the exportation of mens wrist watches. The watches were exported to 70 countries: USA, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, Federative Republic of Germany, Hong Kong, Greece, etc.

1960 - The First Moscow Watch Factory produces the first watch under the trademark of Poljot.

1961 the first ever flight into space in the history of mankind took place. Yuriy Gagarin took the watch of the First Moscow Watch Factory into space with him.

1963 The particularly flat watch Vimpel of 1st-class precision, produced at The First Moscow Watch Factory, are rewarded with a Diploma and gold medal at the international exhibition-fair in Leipzig.

1964 The manufacturing of the watch Orbita with an automatic winding system, on 29 rubies, is mastered. From this year on the watches of The First Moscow Watch Factory are marked with the trademark Poljot. Today these trademarks are registered in more than 90 countries and are recognised around the world.

1965 the manufacture of the super-flat watch Poljot is begun. The height of the case of the watch ranges, in accordance with performance, from 3.8 to 4.5 millimetres, while the height of the movement is but 1.85 millimetres. After the production of this model ceased, the watch swiftly became a rarity.

1966 for successfully developing the national watch industry The First Moscow Watch Factory is awarded with the highest Soviet award the Order of Lenin by the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

1972 - the factory increases the volume of production of mechanical wristwatches to 2,7 million. 70% of what the factory produces is sold abroad. Among the new designs - the water-tight watch Amphibia", capable of working under water at a depth of up to 200 meters.

1976 the factory commences the production of a new wristwatch that includes a stopwatch a chronograph of the 3133 model. For this development the association of the designers of the The First Moscow Watch Factory was rewarded with the USSR State Prize. Since these watches were intended for the needs of the army and navy, they were produced in limited editions and were not available for open sale. The cosmonauts of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany took these watches with them into space, and together with V. V. Polyakov, this chronograph set the record for the duration of a space flight.

1992 - the administration of the Russian president selected the watch model "POLJOT" to be the rewarding watch "From the President of the Russian Federation".

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