A naval tradition
Located in Saint-Petersburg on the shores of the Baltic Sea, the Raketa Watch Factory always had a tradition of making watches for Soviet seamen and submariners. Living underwater for many months, Soviet submarine crews needed a sturdy watch with a robust 24-hour movement to allow them to distinguish day from night. To this day, Raketa continues the tradition of producing specialised watches for submariners.
This is the ultimate watch for Russian submariners. Its bezel is made from titanium of the Russian submarine “Kashalot”. The hands are inspired by the design of the hands in the submarines’ control panels. These hands are powered by a Raketa 24 hour automatic movement to allow submariners to distinguish day from night during their long underwater missions.
When the Akula class nuclear powered submarines (their soviet designation was Shchuka-B) first entered service in the Soviet Navy in 1984, the western world was shocked to discover that they could rival their American counterparts in quietness and survivability. To this day these silent submarines still plough the oceans. Each Akula Class submarine has its own name: the titanium used in the Raketa “Sonar Kashalot” model comes from the submarine K-322 “Kashalot”.
The bezel of this watch is made from titanium of the submarine K-322 “Kashalot” (project 971) laid down in the Soviet Union in 1986. The metal was obtained during the submarine’s deconstruction at the Amur Shipbuilding Plant and was officially given to the Raketa Watch Factory. Each watch has a certificate of metal origin.
The Raketa “Sonar” model is a submariner’s watch by design and functionality:
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