# Need help identifying Soviet pocket watch



## JuliusF (Jan 8, 2017)

Hello!

Need help identifying this old Soviet pocket watch. Bought it cheap from a guy in the streets of Kiev. Any information is helpful, cheers!


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## Julian Latham (Jul 25, 2005)

Hi

The movement is a Molnia 3602. It is one of a number of items bought by the Soviet Union to kick start their shattered economy after World War 2. Production began in Moscow Watch Factory Number (One or Two - take your pick, there is argument to support both) and was pretty much an exact replica of the Cortebert. In 1947 a second factory came on line in Chelyabinsk in the Urals as part of a complex dedicated to the needs of the Soviet armed forces The region was closed to foreigners until 1992.

At some point the Moscow factory ceased production. In the1960's there were various changes to the movement and jewel count was upped to 18. The practise of date stamping movement - e.g. 55/3 is third quarter 1955. - ceased. New case designs, 50mm open face and hunter, appear in 1965.

Your watch is 18 jewel, the finish is plain and the case is small. I would hazard a guess that this puts your watch mid sixties. To my mind the case style looks unfinished - the snap fit case back looks like a dust cover with space for a 'proper' case back.

Something that needs to be taken into account is that the Ukraine is the heartland of cobbled together Molnija's.


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## JuliusF (Jan 8, 2017)

Thank you very much! That was very helpful


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## Julian Latham (Jul 25, 2005)

This site is a good source of information about Molnija pocket watches :

http://tuxgraphics.org/~guido/molnija-pocket-watch/


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## Galimbe (Nov 20, 2016)

This is one of the Soviet watch factories. Mechanism - some copy Cortebert 616.
18 -j mechanism manufactured after 1960. (before - 15j).
This model is likely to 197x-...


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