# A Little Help, Guys?



## cassidy (May 10, 2008)

Hi from Canada. I haven't been on the forum for quite a long time, but used to post fairly regularly, usually "A little help?" types of messages. I was one of the very few women on the forum. I only collect older manual wind ladies' watches, the nice old cocktail type ones from the 1930s or thereabouts. But occasionally, in order to put my hands on one, i have to buy a bag of watches. as happened tonight, and sometimes another watch catches my eye.

So...I'm sitting here in an Internet cafe with a Russian man's watch which was included in tonight's "bag o' watches" purchase, and I'm curious: Does anyone know anything about a Russian watch brand that appears to be, if I'm reading the script properly, "Zum" or something similar? It's a manual wind, running well, as far as I can tell (i've only had it a couple of hours). Has a seconds subdial at 6 o'clock, and what I assume means "made in" CCCP below. The crystal is lightly cracked, so I wondered if it was worth having it replaced.(I'll try to post an image this weekend. I haven't made it home yet after purchasing the watch.)

Any takers?


----------



## diddy (Jun 18, 2007)

i'm sure there was a thread on the forum which gave a list of all the russian manufacturers but can i find it? :thumbsdown:

hopefully someone who contributed to the thread will see this post and respond.


----------



## Smart Stig (Mar 27, 2010)

I read the same thread and bookmarked it - Google for "ussr watches" and it is the <dot>info site.

Andrew

(Coincidentally looking up a Sekonda from a box of assorted watches as well...)


----------



## cassidy (May 10, 2008)

Smart Stig said:


> I read the same thread and bookmarked it - Google for "ussr watches" and it is the <dot>info site.
> 
> Andrew
> 
> (Coincidentally looking up a Sekonda from a box of assorted watches as well...)


----------



## cassidy (May 10, 2008)

cassidy said:


> Smart Stig said:
> 
> 
> > I read the same thread and bookmarked it - Google for "ussr watches" and it is the <dot>info site.
> ...


Thanks, all. I'll try that.


----------



## cassidy (May 10, 2008)

cassidy said:


> cassidy said:
> 
> 
> > Smart Stig said:
> ...


Thanks again. Found it! You folks are good. (Apparently, it's Zim, a rather poor-quality Russian watch no longer in production. Extremely helpful direction from the forum, and I found the USSR watches site really easy to navigate and use in identifying the watch.)


----------



## Smart Stig (Mar 27, 2010)

2MWF (2nd Moscow Watch Factory) for the ladies watch I was looking up. Pretty basic but still running unlike lots of the movements in the box of (mostly) cr*p I'm sorting through. Some nice ones in there though.

Andrew


----------



## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Hi Cass,

Whiley since we heard from you right enough. Zim was possibly made by two factories, you need to check the movement to narrow this down. If it has a "stylised" logo of 2MWF (423 inside a gear wheel) then it's one of the better quality ones made at the Second Moscow Watch Factory (= 2MWF) :yes:

The other one would be (ISTR) "3NM" - with the letter N backwards - as a stylised logo - this is the Maslennikova factory and reputedly produced lower quality items. Both were intended largely for the Russian domestic marketplace, and not to be exported - but of course examples escaped to the west. The script signatures on the dials often look a bit like ZyM and this can be confusing. HTH a bit :lol:


----------



## cassidy (May 10, 2008)

mel said:


> Hi Cass,
> 
> Whiley since we heard from you right enough. Zim was possibly made by two factories, you need to check the movement to narrow this down. If it has a "stylised" logo of 2MWF (423 inside a gear wheel) then it's one of the better quality ones made at the Second Moscow Watch Factory (= 2MWF) :yes:
> 
> The other one would be (ISTR) "3NM" - with the letter N backwards - as a stylised logo - this is the Maslennikova factory and reputedly produced lower quality items. Both were intended largely for the Russian domestic marketplace, and not to be exported - but of course examples escaped to the west. The script signatures on the dials often look a bit like ZyM and this can be confusing. HTH a bit :lol:


Hi, Mel! It's nice to be back, and I was especially hoping to hear from you. Hope you and your wife are well.

I will have a look at the movement to see what I've got. The info is really helpful and most appreciated.


----------

