# Kama Watch



## Bert Fever

Hi all,

I'm interested in finding out about this watch. I'm sure someone on this forum could shed some light on it.

All I know is it has the numbers 27886 on the inside (also 17 Kamhen, which i presume is 17 crystals)

Here is a pic...










Thanks


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## Russ Cook

Hello Bert Fever,

That is a lovely waffle dialed Kama,it would have been produced in the 50`s in The Tatarstan Republic at the Christapol watch factory by the River Kama.The factory was moved there during the war.

The christapol factory used quite a few brands,but the by far the most famous is Vostok.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Russ Cook.


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## mel

Kama is also used for trucks, although the two companies are not connected - the Kama is a HEAVY Russian Truck company. The name comes from the River Kama, this is a tributary of the River Volga.

Nice Dial on the watch!


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## pg tips

I thought the truck company was KamaZ


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## pg tips

Looks like adding the z is a sort of nick name? From Kanaz.net, love the translation

A little bit of history

In mid 60-ths, in ex-USSR the problem of haulage of goods by vehicles became quite acute. The country needed a heavy-duty truck that would ensure increasing of labor cost efficiency and would by 10 times increase turnover of goods within a very tough period. None of the companies or enterprises could hit that target. There was need in a brand new truck, that would be comfortable, heavy-duty, universal, able to operate effectively under any climate or haulage conditions; trucks that could fill in the niche of vehicles with carrying capacity from 6 to 20 ton. The regional center of Tatarstan - Naberzhnye Chelny - was chosen for building of complex of plants for truck manufacture. Thus was born KAMA Heavy-Duty Truck Production Plant, or just "KAMAZ".


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## mel

Google Kama and you also come up with an electric car made in China, possibly by a subsidiary, they sell the trucks as well









Looks like a weedy Smart Car made from even cheaper plastic









Think you're right *pg*, the Kamaz is like us saying it's a "Landy" for Land Rover. I do like the B I G Kamaz (6 x 6 I think) trucks though, seen film of them in the Paris-Dakaar coming over the top of sand dunes in mid-air - scary that is! The trucks look like the Stonehill on steroids in this version!


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## Bert Fever

Wow, great. Thanks for the info folks. Great forum...


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## mach 0.0013137

> Looks like adding the z is a sort of nick name?


The `Z` could be for `Zavoda` which roughly translates as the `Plant`, `Factory` or `Works`, I had seen similar when I was doing research for a book on the Soviet motorcycle industry


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## Russ Cook

Along the same theme,i have just taken delivery of a Dnepr K750 Military motorcycle came via a bit of a journey Lithuania,Poland and Belgium,G.B!

After some repairs hope to get it M.O.T,D enabling me to register it and ride it,i have wanted one for some time but have had to wait for the right price.



Pictures thanks to seller,i have been working on it today,mainly forks.

Russ.


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## chris l

Here's one of mine...



I've got some more somewhere... I like Russians from this period, mid/late '50's.

Love the Dnieper... horizontal twin/shaft drive does it for me! But then I have a battered '76 R75 in the garage.

That pillion seat is scary!


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## Russ Cook

Lovely Kama Chris, Yes everything about the dnepr is a bit scary..had a quick ride around the block on it ,and it seemed to want to go violently to the left,which is most commendable idealogicaly...but when i got off i had to rapidly change my underpants.









Congratulations on your good taste on having the R75 A peach of a bike.

Here is my Kama.



Regards,

Russ.


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## mach 0.0013137

Russ Cook said:


> Along the same theme,i have just taken delivery of a Dnepr K750 Military motorcycle came via a bit of a journey Lithuania,Poland and Belgium,G.B!
> 
> After some repairs hope to get it M.O.T,D enabling me to register it and ride it,i have wanted one for some time but have had to wait for the right price.
> 
> 
> 
> Pictures thanks to seller,i have been working on it today,mainly forks.
> 
> Russ.


Love it Russ, I really wanted to get either one of those or an M72 in the `80`s but it was near impossible at the time and my arthritis wouldn`t allow me to now


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## Russ Cook

Many Thanks mach,Its taken me awhile to find one thats original as well as the right price,once i get it on the road i will post some better pictures,[that photo makes it appear in better condition than it is]but i am still very pleased with it.

The good thing is it is now easy to get spares from Ukraine/Russia very cheaply and i have been buying on e.bay mainly bearings and carbs,cables etc,i am just awaiting there arrival.It is great fun doing the repairs.

Regards,

Russ.


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## mel

Now you see, that's just an old green motorbike to me!









Fell off the back of a mate's Vespa at 15 mph in 1957, never been on anything with less than four wheels since! Last three vehicles owned, Mitsubishi Pajero, (1 SWB, 2 LWB), great for mowing down (Ooops! overtaking and passing) cyclists. Forby with comfort, the Pajero! {and yes, I do know what Pajero means, that's why it's called the Montero in Spanish speaking countries}










Current vehicle, the Toyota Lucida MPV people carrier, nearly as good for taking out un-insured wheeled pedestrians, eight bodies in relative comfort, 40 mpg diesel driven sensibly - taxi work done on 't side


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## chris l

Russ Cook said:


> ...everything about the dnepr is a bit scary..had a quick ride around the block on it ,and it seemed to want to go violently to the left,which is most commendable idealogicaly...but when i got off i had to rapidly change my underpants.


Pulling to the left? Any chance it's an ex-sidecar bike? My old BSA A10 had been split from a chair and I still have forearm muscles gained through keeping it pointed straight! In the end I bought a sidecar for it...

As you say, it may just be a good Communist machine.

This Svet is impossible to photograph properly

...


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## Russ Cook

Yes your right Chris it would have originaly had a sidecar with a driven wheel,so in effect 2 wheel drive.i have just tightened up the stearing/ forks and put some new solo tyres on and that has improved the handling.Lovely Svet.

Regards,

Russ.


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## chris l

mach 0.0013137 said:


> Russ Cook said:
> 
> 
> 
> Along the same theme,i have just taken delivery of a Dnepr K750 Military motorcycle came via a bit of a journey Lithuania,Poland and Belgium,G.B!
> 
> After some repairs hope to get it M.O.T,D enabling me to register it and ride it,i have wanted one for some time but have had to wait for the right price.
> 
> 
> 
> Pictures thanks to seller,i have been working on it today,mainly forks.
> 
> Russ.
> 
> 
> 
> Love it Russ, I really wanted to get either one of those or an M72 in the `80`s but it was near impossible at the time and my arthritis wouldn`t allow me to now
Click to expand...

I assume/hope we're talking

yes
























and not

no


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## mach 0.0013137

chris l said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
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> Russ Cook said:
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> 
> Along the same theme,i have just taken delivery of a Dnepr K750 Military motorcycle came via a bit of a journey Lithuania,Poland and Belgium,G.B!
> 
> After some repairs hope to get it M.O.T,D enabling me to register it and ride it,i have wanted one for some time but have had to wait for the right price.
> 
> 
> 
> Pictures thanks to seller,i have been working on it today,mainly forks.
> 
> Russ.
> 
> 
> 
> Love it Russ, I really wanted to get either one of those or an M72 in the `80`s but it was near impossible at the time and my arthritis wouldn`t allow me to now
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> Click to expand...
> 
> I assume/hope we're talking
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> yes
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> and not
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> no
Click to expand...

Definitely yes



















BTW the M72 was built from 1939 to 1956,it was manufactured in six Soviet factories including Irbit, Moscow, Kiev & Gorky. Based on the pre-WWII BMW R71. The engine was also fitted to the later Ukrainian Dnepr K-750. Final production of the motorcycle with this engine was in Kiev Motor Works (Ukraine) as the Dnepr MT-12 in 1984.

I used to have a Russian book which had detailed complete plan drawings on the M72 as well as various other Russian motorcycles.

This has interesting details of the history of the M72..The IMZ - URal story

In 1957 China acquired the plans and possibly plant equipment for production of the M72 from the Russians. The Chinese went on to produce the motorcycle in various factories and it is still in production arguably today, if you consider production of the BMW R71 began in 1938, making it the longest produced motorcycle in history.

BTW parts from the Chang Jiang still fit the BMW R71.

Chinese Chang Jiang


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## chris l




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## Russ Cook

Thanks Mach and Chris for the excellent info`.

Regards,

Russ.


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