Part ship & part plane, unlike anything else in the world, the Ekranoplan Lun was built in the early 80s by the Soviet Union as an experimental coastal defence vehicle. It can claim to be one of the most extraordinary machines ever built by mankind.
It combined the best characteristics of a ship and of a plane: it could carry as much cargo as a ship and fly as fast as an airplane at speeds of up to 500 km/h. It flew over distances of up to 2,000 km using lift generated by the "ground effect" acting on its large wings when about 4 metres above the surface of the water. This enabled the Ekranoplan to fly undetected by radars.
The name "Lun" was chosen because it comes from the Russian word for “harrier”, a bird which characteristically hunts by flying silently low over open ground.
When the sea trials were completed in the early 90s, the Lun-Ekranoplan was transferred to the Soviet navy in the Caspian Sea. However, because the country went through very difficult economic times, it was never used for its intended purpose and was decommissioned in the late 90s.
The only Lun-class Ekranoplan ever built lies today on a beach of the Caspian sea near the city of Derbent (Russia) as a lonely reminder of past achievements. With its gigantic size, unique hybrid characteristics and quirky design, the Ekranoplan is a testimony to the incredible originality of Soviet-era engineering. Even now, after almost half a century, it looks incredibly futuristic.
The Raketa Watch Factory has always been inspired by incredible human and technical achievements. It has therefore designed and manufactured a tool watch in testimony to the Ekranoplan. Raketa hopes this will attract more attention to the Ekranoplan, and thus contribute to saving it.
- The insert of the rotating bezel is made from a piece of metal from the Lun-class Ekranoplan, officially given by the city of Derbent which is in charge of safeguarding the Ekranoplan.
- An embossed image of the Ekranoplan is printed on the dial.
- The design of the compass markings on the bezel is directly inspired by the design of the compass on the control panel in the cockpit of the Ekranoplan.
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