Built to last. Restored to run. Wound to wear.
Soviet and Cold War era mechanical watches. Sourced, diagnosed, and documented honestly. Based in Antwerp
Finished vintage pieces
Raketa “Ракета” Polar - 2025 Franken Modified Cal. 2609H
This Raketa Polar was originally fitted with a 2623.H but these were scarce. So modern enthusiasts started modding them. Fitting regular 12hr movements with new gear trains to get the hour hand to complete one full rotation per day instead of two. It's a practical solution to a parts problem, and it works. The 24hr dial takes a moment to read but you get used to it fast.
Vostok “Восток”Komandirskie - 1992 Paratrooper Cal. 2414A
17 jewels. Red star. Parachute regiment dial.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the factories didn't stop overnight. Watches kept rolling off the lines at Chistopol, but the dials changed quietly. No more СДЕЛАНО В СССР. No more USSR
The same movement, the same case, the same hands. Just without the republic they were made in.
Vostok “Восток”Komandirskie-1981 Cal. 2414A Made in USSR
17 jewels. The dial has seen some life and developed a beautiful sunburst gold in the process. Four decades later it still runs like a charm on the unbreakable and notorious 2414A. A movement built in Chistopol during the Cold War, designed to work in conditions that would stop most Swiss calibres dead. Shock resistant, self-serviceable.
Chaika, “Чайка” - 1972 Russian for Seagull. Cal. 1601 Made in USSR
Not military. Not a tool watch. Just pure 1970s Soviet design doing completely its own thing. Olive gold granular dial, cushion case, red and orange indices that belong on a groovy space console as much as a wrist.
Came in scratched and cloudy. A few passes of Polywatch later and that dial opened up completely.
These are the watches I collect, wear, and work on. Soviet and Cold War era pieces. Each one a small window into a world of industrial watchmaking that ran parallel to the Swiss industry, largely unseen in the West.
They represent the range of what this niche holds. Military tool watches. Dress pieces. Quirky Soviet design experiments. Movements built to last decades without complaint.
Some may be available. If something catches your eye or you have a specific style in mind, get in touch. We can talk about what suits you.
Mechanical watches are small machines built to outlive their first owner.
Yet many end up forgotten in drawers, flea markets, or repair boxes.
Wound to Wear exists to bring those watches back into the world.
Each piece is selected for its character, restored where needed, and given a second life on the wrist, not as a museum object, but as something meant to be worn again.
To me, the best looking watches are the ones that have already lived a life.