A REALLY BIG Announcement from Raketa

So I got the news this morning, as I assume most other bloggers got, but although press releases from Raketa tend to have a "look and feel" all their own, I decided to wade in so that I could share the news.

Now, they provided this image, but according to the press release, production is not scheduled until December of this year (2014), so my best guess is that this is a rendering...

Courtesy of Raketa

Raketa announced that they would be producing the world's largest "clock work", and frankly, it is just nutty enough to share with you, so in their own words, here's the scoop:

"Raketa" produces the largest clockwork in the world!

The oldest factory in Russia, Petrodvorets Watch Factory "Raketa", founded by Peter the Great in 1721, producing watches under the brand "Raketa" in honor of Yuri Gagarin since 1961 has become an unusual order to produce a monumental clocks for “Central Detsky Magazin” on the Lubyanka square, in front of the FSB (KGB) building.

This gigantic “ Raketa” will join the top 5 biggest mechanical clocks in the world, such as Big Ben, the Kremlin clock, Prague and Ganzhou. the construction is scheduled for December 2014. The movement itself will be the biggest in the world. Its size 6 by 7,5 meters with a 13 meters pendelum.

The total weight of the movement will be about 5 tons and will be made ​​of aluminum, steel, copper and brass. There are no working clocks in the world with the gears of that size, up to 4 meters diameter.

 

This clock is to become on of the main attractions to tourists in Moscow.

Jacques von Polier, creative director of the Petrodvorets Watch Factory "Raketa", said: "For us it is a very important order and a very demanding work. We are really glad that "Hals-Development" has applied to our historical factory! Our entire team is proud of this project. We hope very much  that this watch go down into history. "