F
FLIGHT TIME
Sturmanskie watches, based in Moscow, holds
the distinction of being the first watch in space
on the wrist of Yuri Gagarin. As a result, it’s not
surprising to discover that the company has a
long history of providing watches to the Russian
military and space programs.
As any recruit will tell you -- or those who
work in the medical field or in casinos -- the
military runs on a 24-hour clock and not the 12/12
clock most of us are used to. As a result, to this
day, Sturmanskie still builds watches that are true
24-hour military timepieces, meaning the hour
hand only goes around once every 24 hours. And
the ones they build use an automatic, mechanical
movement built by the Vostok Watch and Clock
Company of Chistopol, Russia.
Any search for mechanical, 24-hour watches,
particularly automatics, will quickly show they are
a rare breed. Not many companies still make this
type of watch. Let’s face it, most people don’t
have a need for a watch that only tells the time in
GMT 24-hour mode. There are quartz offerings out
there, but to find what Sturmanskie is offering you
really have to hunt or be willing to pay a lot more
than they are charging.
The line includes several models, some with
very simple dials. But the most interesting are
from the Open Space collection, which honors
Alexi Leonov, another Russian space pioneer who
made the first extravehicular journey. At 42mm,
these are modestly sized by today’s standards.
But the dials are rather striking and etched
casebacks offer some Soviet-era inspired art
that you won’t find on other brands. Crystals are
mineral and water resistance acceptable at 10
ATM. There is a date with a magnifier and all come
on a leather strap.
If you are an aficionado of true military
timepieces, these are worth checking out. They
run just under $600. Sturmanskie is represented
by the Detente Watch Group in North America.