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Poljot
Founded in 1930 under orders from Stalin, the First Moscow Watch Factory was the first Soviet watch and mechanical movement manufacturer. Via its USA based trading company Amtorg, the Soviet government bought the defunct Ansonia Clock Company of Brooklyn, New York in 1929 and the Dueber-Hampden Watch Company of Canton, Ohio. It moved twenty-eight freight trucks full of machinery and parts from the USA to Moscow in order to establish the factory. Twenty-one former Dueber-Hampden watchmakers, engravers and various other technicians helped to train the Russian workers in the art of watch making as part of the Soviet's first Five-Year Plan Interestingly, the movements of very-early FMWF products were still stamped "Dueber-Hampden, Canton, Ohio, USA" (examples of these watches are very collectible today).
After 1934 the factory was named after the murdered Soviet official Sergei Kirov. The name was awarded after Yuri Gagarin wore a Kirov First Moscow Watch Factory "Shturmanskie" "Navigator's") wristwatch during his historic first flight into space.
The Russian watch-and-clock-making industry uses western technology and know-how since over 75 years. Russian watches are high-quality, cost however only a fraction of their western "colleagues". Divide with us the joy in these marvellous collectors’ watches. Among fascinating Poljot chronographs there are mechanical alarm watches for the wrist and many models with manual wind or automatic, pocket watches, clocks, table clocks, ship chronometers
In America, Poljot mainly appealed to Russophiles and those desiring a "unique" conversation-piece. Worldwide, products of the First Moscow Watch Factory (FMWF) achieved a level of "cult status" among watch collectors. More than 75 years of experience in watch production created a unique industrial environment combining the best traditions of mechanical watch and movement manufacturing with modern technology. Watches and movements produced by the factory met extremely high quality requirements, because in addition to serving civil needs they were used to equip the Soviet armed forces.
The Soviet government authorized export of FMWF products beginning in 1959. During the Soviet era, Poljot watches were marketed in the United Kingdom under the brand "Sekonda ." Today's Sekonda company, a British distributor of ubiquitous fashion watches, has no connection to any Poljot products.
In 1994, a German company began selling upscale Poljot models under the name "Poljot International". These watches feature higher-quality materials and are assembled in Germany Poljot International uses Russian or Swiss-made movements in their watches.
At the turn of the 21st century, the First Moscow Watch Factory began reproducing many of their most famous models as limited edition commemorative pieces. Replicas were made of the famous 1960s Shturmanskie model worn by Yuri Gagarin, the 1940s Kirova fliegerchronograph, and the 1970s Ocean chronograph. All of the replicas found praise from watch aficionados, and became sought-after collectibles.
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