Pobeda ({{langx, ru, Победа, ''Victory'') is a Russian brand of wrist-watches owned by the

Petrodvorets Watch Factory The Petrodvorets Watch Factory () is one of the oldest factories in Russia. Founded by Peter the Great in 1721 as the Peterhof Lapidary Works, to make hardstone carvings, since 1945 the factory manufactures the Soviet Pobeda (watch), Pobeda watc ...

Raketa Raketa ( rus, Ракета, p=rɐˈkʲɛtə, "Rocket") is a brand of wristwatches that have been manufactured since 1961 by the Petrodvorets Watch Factory in Saint Petersburg. The Petrodvorets Watch Factory is Russia's oldest factory, founded by ...

". The brand name was chosen by Stalin himself in April 1945,Ussr Life
/ref> when he gave the order that the first watches be ready for the 1st year of Victory celebration. The first prototype came out of the Penza factory by the end of 1945, and the first model for the public came out of the Kirov Watch Factory in March 1946.

History of the Watch Movement "Pobeda"

Based on a French design, the Pobeda's simple, 15-jewel movement was cost-effective, reliable, and easy to manufacture and maintain. Prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, during a period of rapid

industrialization in the Soviet Union Industrialization in the Soviet Union was a process of accelerated building-up of the industrial potential of the Soviet Union to reduce the economy's lag behind the developed capitalist states, which was carried out from May 1929 to June 1941. ...

, the

Soviet government The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the executive and administrative organ of the highest body of state authority, the All-Union Supreme Soviet. It was formed on 30 December 1922 and abolished on 26 December 199 ...

sought international funding and expertise in developing a domestic industry for timepieces. Eventually the French watch manufacturer

LIP The lips are a horizontal pair of soft appendages attached to the jaws and are the most visible part of the mouth of many animals, including humans. Mammal lips are soft, movable and serve to facilitate the ingestion of food (e.g. sucklin ...

was chosen; they established a new watch factory in

Penza Penza (, ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Penza Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Sura (river), Sura River, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Russian census, 2010 Census, Penza had ...

and licensed several movement designs to the new establishment. One design dating from 1908, the R-26 movement, was further developed and renamed the K-26, with significant alterations to the original design. World War II temporarily disrupted these plans, but after the Allied victory, this watch design was quickly finished at Penza, and full-scale production commenced at the First Moscow Watch Factory.

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

chose the name ''Pobeda'' (''Victory'') to celebrate the end of the war.

Factories

Pobeda watches before and after the fall of Soviet Union

In the Soviet Union era, Pobeda watches were produced at following plants: *Penza Watch Factory (''Пензенский Часовой Завод''): for a few years from 1945 * First Moscow Watch Factory (''Первый Московский Часовой Завод''): 1946 to 1953 *

(''Петродворцовый Часовой Завод''): 1946 to today *Chistopol Watch Factory (''Чистопольский часовой завод''): 1949 to the c.1950 *Second Moscow Watch Factory (''Второй московский часовой завод''): 1953 to 1964 *Maslennikov Factory (''Завод имени Масленникова''): c.1951 to 2004 In post-Soviet Russia, Pobeda watches are made solely at the

in Saint Petersburg. The factory is also developing other fashion accessories under this brand.

Other Brands that have used the "Pobeda" Movement

While the basic K-26 design was shared by these manufacturers, some of them carried on building watches using movements of the same fundamental design under various names, incorporating further refinements and alterations, such as shockproofing, and automatic day/date indicators. For instance, Petrodvorets used brand names including Lotos, Majak ("Маяк", ''Lighthouse''), Neva ("Нева", the

Neva River The Neva ( , ; , ) is a river in northwestern Russia flowing from Lake Ladoga through the western part of Leningrad Oblast (historical region of Ingria) to the Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland. Despite its modest length of , it is the fourth-l ...

), Start ("Старт"), Svet ("Свет", ''Light''), and

(Ракета, ''Rocket''), which eventually became the firm's single brand name from 1962. The Chistopol plant produced Chaika ("Чайка", ''

Seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the subfamily Larinae. They are most closely related to terns and skimmers, distantly related to auks, and even more distantly related to waders. Until the 21st century, most gulls were placed ...

''), Druzhba ("Дружба", ''Friendship''), Jantar ("Янтарь", ''

Amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

''), Kama ("Кама", '' River Kama''), Kolos ("Колос", ''Spike''), Raduga ("Радуга", ''

Rainbow A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...

''), Rubin ("Рубин"), Saturn ("Сатурн"), Uran ("Уран"), and Vostok, which became the standard brand for the company. First Moscow Watch Factory further developed a centre-second variant of this movement and it was not only made under the Pobeda name, but also became the basis of a generation of watches including the Sportivnie ("Спортивные", for sportsman), Sturmanskie ("Штурманские", for navigator), etc. A lasting legacy of the Pobeda can be seen in the

2609-series movements: while still in production, they are dimensionally fully compatible with the K-26. Pobeda watches were sold across the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and many other

Warsaw Pact The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...

nations, and today they are ubiquitous in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Many Pobeda watches were created to commemorate special occasions, such as victories in battle, Party congresses, or space flights. These commemorative watches were often given as gifts.

References

Russian brands Soviet watch brands