Posted 10 years ago
geo26e
(154 items)
This 'Regulator' wristwatch was made by Iskra - Molnija Tscheljabinsky Watch Factory - in Russia. A 'regulator watch' is a watch that has all of it’s time registers separated. I have no idea when this timepiece was made, possibly in the late 50s or early 60s, as I suspect the movement is the same as the factory's pocket watches of the 1950s. The watch diameter is close to 50mm.
This watch dial is very interesting. Apart from the 'regulator' time set up, it has a map of the world and drawings 2 nude ladies, sun bathing by the beach?
Any comments on this timepiece will be most welcome and hope you have enjoyed this posting!
Great watch George! Awesome dial!
Beautiful!!!
Thank you pops, Sean, mike, walksoftly, Phil, Kerry and bratjdd! :-)
That watch face is a bit random George but appealingly so!
Thanks tom, Mani, racer44, moowoo, bhg, bobogal, Trey and hunter for stopping and loving the posts! :-)
The hills or mountains looks to be covered in snow. The images makes me think of wintertime and summertime ( bathing women). The 'nudity' thing isn't a big thing in some part of the world, might just be to illustrated that it's warm enough and summer. Wintertime versus summertime makes sence on a watch, doesn't it?
Thank you very much Elisabethan for your input and appreciation. Rather than random drawings as Racer44 has suggested, it makes perfectly good sense that it relates to Summer/Winter time on a watch dial.
Thank you Hunter for stopping by & the appreciation.
Love it!
Thank you Adam & Ted for the appreciation! :-)
Thanks snoopy! :-)
Thank you Ashlee & shanmu! Big cheers ! :-)
Thanks Mani! :-)
Cheers Petey!:-)
Thank you Jewels! :-)
I am so sorry to burst your bubble (as I've had this done to me countless times and know how rotten it feels), but I feel obligated to report that this watch is completely fake. The Soviets never made a "regulator" watch. Iskra (Russian for "Spark") only produced pocket watches; you can see their original form below:
http://mroatman.wixsite.com/watches-of-the-ussr/iskra?lightbox=i11e0h
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f10/salut-6-pocket-watch-2345034.html
The Iskra was special due to the larger case size and higher jewel count as compared to its Molnija and Salut siblings (17 versus 15 jewels, respectively).
Your watch has a modified movement, a new case, an aftermarket crown, hands from who-knows-where (though the second hand comes from a Molnija), and the dial is a modern fantasy dial. Those kinds of graphics never appeared on authentic Soviet watches (though many buyers, for whatever reason, seem to believe they did -- likely because eBay is littered with them).
I am sorry to say it, but when shoppers purchase these fakes, not only are they swindled out of their money, but it encourages the production of more knockoffs.
Wow, I am such a cynic!
-Dashiell
http://mroatman.wixsite.com/watches-of-the-ussr
Thank you Dashiell for the information! I know this is a pocket watch conversation due to the size of the watch at 50mm. I bought it because I like the graphics on the dial. :-)
You're a good sport, geo26e. I apologize if my comments came across as at all rude. My brother works for Collectors Weekly and knows I'm an avid Soviet watch collector, so he drew my attention to this interesting piece.
In no way did I mean to diminish the beauty of your regulator -- I only take issue with sellers who present them as originals. You found a lovely example, enjoy it!