# Yuri Gagarin Limited Edition - Collectors?



## ENY55V (Mar 17, 2006)

Probably around 2002 the Yuri Gagarin Limited Edition (999) came to the market.

Bought one from a UK dealer to find out that it was a fake and later bought the original one from Germany with all papers and certificate. Cost was around Â£750 - I think I paid around Â£400 for it.

The watch has always been in the safe. Should I keep it or should I sell it? Can't really say that it is a love and affection situation about this watch. Will it be worth Â£400 or more or less?

Please give me your views.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Never understood the rationale behind this "commemorative" watch - except as a money making exercise. Most historical evidence points to Gagarin wearing a "Rodina" (and a pretty standard one at that) during the mission. I suppose it would be worth what you paid for it, but not from me, sorry. As a signed LE it's maybe right, all you could do is put it up and see - what about a reserve on the bay?


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## ENY55V (Mar 17, 2006)

mel said:


> Never understood the rationale behind this "commemorative" watch - except as a money making exercise. Most historical evidence points to Gagarin wearing a "Rodina" (and a pretty standard one at that) during the mission. I suppose it would be worth what you paid for it, but not from me, sorry. As a signed LE it's maybe right, all you could do is put it up and see - what about a reserve on the bay?


Ok! Basically worth F.all and might just as well keep it in the safe for my grand children........


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## Russ Cook (Feb 12, 2006)

mel said:


> Never understood the rationale behind this "commemorative" watch - except as a money making exercise. Most historical evidence points to Gagarin wearing a "Rodina" (and a pretty standard one at that) during the mission. I suppose it would be worth what you paid for it, but not from me, sorry. As a signed LE it's maybe right, all you could do is put it up and see - what about a reserve on the bay?


Mel,

He did not wear a rodina,[as per levenbergs book,a good starter book,but some of the information contained therein is incorrect]

It is generally acknowledged that Gagarin wore a Sturmanskie,either a 15 jewel or a later 17 jewel.

The original 15 jewel,one of mine pictured, were given to flight officers once they had passed out of flight school.

If my memory is correct Gagarin passed out of Orionberg flight school.

Regards,

Russ


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Russ,

I bow to any superior knowledge :notworthy:, my main point being he definitely didn't wear anything that special, the Sturmanskie is also a pretty standard watch and not made specially for the trip if that is indeed what he wore. My daughter works at Edinburgh University - one of the professors/lecturers there swears JL is right, it was a Rodina, and my mate Brian, a Senior Professor at King's Buildings Electronics Dept swears just as steadfastly that he was known to have worn a 24 hour dialled watch similar to the Raketa Artika ones. h34r:

Who knows? The man himself (Yuri) I suppose? JL suggests the 24 hour dialled watches were battery operated and quotes 1965 for same, but that would make them pre-quartz one would think - don't know if Paul (Silver Hawk) would have an input on that one. :blink:

Since he didn't wear a "special", surely a repro of whatever he did wear would have been more appropriate - but less profitable do you think?









Cynical ? *Moi*! ? :grin:


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## Russ Cook (Feb 12, 2006)

mel said:


> Russ,
> 
> I bow to any superior knowledge :notworthy:, my main point being he definitely didn't wear anything that special, the Sturmanskie is also a pretty standard watch and not made specially for the trip if that is indeed what he wore. My daughter works at Edinburgh University - one of the professors/lecturers there swears JL is right, it was a Rodina, and my mate Brian, a Senior Professor at King's Buildings Electronics Dept swears just as steadfastly that he was known to have worn a 24 hour dialled watch similar to the Raketa Artika ones. h34r:
> 
> ...


What an illustrious circle you move in Mel,all i can say is my friend dave,who is an organic dairy mobile / opperative with public interface [Milkman] swears he wore an Sturmanskie.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Russ, it would be great if we actually* KNEW* for sure all these things that there are "conspiracy theories" about? I mean, did Slava *ever* license out to Chinesian makers, what watch did Yuri wear, were the Slatoutski Divers ever actually used by real divers, are the current repros of the Slatoutski's for real, and how many of the current offerings in turn are real, rather than made up from what's lying about different workshops in the former SU? :yes:

Who really knows? So called authorities seem to offer wildly differing viewpoints and explanations, I've seen two different explanations from the same Director of Slava about what happened with the Chinesian connection. h34r:

Maybe the net gives us *TOO* much info, I dunno', maybe I'm just too gullible! :grin: My two illustrious mates are both fellow Ham Radio operators, and as such, both interested in early satellite/space missions by the Russians. The discussion came about as they both had monitored the early space missions from the University. One of them is a clone for the TEFAL adverts, a right boffin of the old eccentric school, the other is a born again hippie :lol: (Hope they're not reading this :lol


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## Russ Cook (Feb 12, 2006)

Mel you are of course correct,[i was just being facetious].I have yet to see any evidence of the famed Sturmanskie watch worn on the spaceflight,given by Gagarin to the poljot museum that is always quoted by the experts,but i for one have never seen a picture of it,or indeed the Poljot museum.

Regards,

Russ.


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## RogerR (Aug 12, 2009)

ENY55V said:


> Probably around 2002 the Yuri Gagarin Limited Edition (999) came to the market.
> 
> Bought one from a UK dealer to find out that it was a fake and later bought the original one from Germany with all papers and certificate. Cost was around Â£750 - I think I paid around Â£400 for it.
> 
> ...


Can you post a picture of your watch ?

I have always fancied one of these.


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Unfortunately there appears to be any number of these alleged limited edition Russian space watches. I bought a Russian diver from a shop that specialised in Russian watches and it was full of various watches connected to Russia's space exploits. My diver is supposed to be a LE No 27 but of how many who knows as I saw others advertised and the only difference was a different colour on the face otherwise it was identical and was another lot of 500 or a 1000 :blink:

Here's one they emailed me about a while back.


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## RogerR (Aug 12, 2009)

I have been watching several Gagarins on ebay, they seem extremely popular and fetch good prices.

They really are lovely watches, I am going to give in and try and buy one sooner or later.


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## Guest (Sep 24, 2009)

Any chance of posting some pics?

I have a Gagarin with SN 2... I didn't know there were fakes of these. I'm starting to wonder if my #2 is too good to be true...


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

rooster said:


> Any chance of posting some pics?
> 
> I have a Gagarin with SN 2... I didn't know there were fakes of these. I'm starting to wonder if my #2 is too good to be true...


Doubt if it is always a fake just the way they do it. Maybe a slight change of detail here and there and bingo another few hundred of what is essentially the same watch. It's not just the Russians that do it even some of the more up market brands are the same.


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