Russian Wristwatches... With Swiss Movements
By James Grahame
Strange things abound in Russia, so it should come as no surprise that Poljot - known in Soviet times as the First Moscow Watch Factory - now offers Swiss movements in some of their higher-end timepieces. It seems to defeat the purpose of owning a "genuine" Russian watch if the guts are precision manufactured by Swiss elves in their cozy alpine caves. Still, one has to admit that Swiss mechanisms have a reputation for accuracy and quality, while their Russian counterparts tend to be considerably more, uh, rustic. But who really needs a reliable timepiece these days, when nearly everyone has a mobile phone tucked into their pocket?
Poljot Aviator Chronographs are available with Russian 25 jewel mechanical lever movements for $477, but they're only accurate to within -20/+40 seconds per day with a 42 hour power reserve. If you've got a slightly larger credit card limit, you can substitute a beautiful Swiss ETA 7750 automatic movement (as used in the Omega Seamaster and IWC Fliegerchronograph) starting at $1177. Or you could just drop by Wal-Mart to pick up a $10 Casio digital.


