A Blast from the Arctic Past - The Polar 0270

From Raketa -

Courtesy of Raketa

Full disclosure, I currently do some freelance consulting work for Raketa here in North America.  This mostly has to do with marketing and communication.  Now that that's out of the way, onto the post -

This is a new limited edition "re-edition" that Raketa has been quietly working on.    It is currently in "pre-order" status and is anticipated to begin delivery in February of next year - roughly 2 months from now!

Courtesy of Raketa

It has been 50 years since the Polar was released, and this year Raketa has dipped into its archives from the Soviet era and brought the original back to life.

Courtesy of Raketa

The first Polar was what could really be called a tool watch.  Antartica is an unusual place.  Not just in terms of temperature.  Antarctica has two very distinct seasons in terms of daylight and night time.  It enjoys six months of daylight in its summer "season" and six months of darkness in the winter. These two seasons of light and dark are created by the tilt of the Earth's axis in relation to the sun.  And this created a challenge for the Raketa designers.  They had to create a watch that could provide the time in a 24 hour scale so that the explorers could know if it was day or night.

Courtesy of Raketa

This re-edition is true to the original in design, but it is important to understand that this is a modern watch.  This is a truly unique piece and I realize that it might not be for everyone.  And as I write this I realize that I am biased in my opinion, but I quite like it.  I am someone who loves old designs, but hates "old performance".  Antique watches are great, but they are also a monumental pain in the ass to not only restore, but keep running correctly. So for me, this is the ideal marriage of looks and performance.

The design might be "polarizing" (sorry, couldn't help myself), but something tells me that Raketa will not have too much difficulty in selling all 200 pieces.  

Courtesy of Raketa

Here are the pertinents -

Manufacture

Manufacture

Raketa Watch Factory (Saint-Petersburg)

Brand

Raketa

Movement

Calibre

2623

Functions

Manual winding 24 hours

Number of jewels

16

Testing positions

4

Average rate (s/d)

-10+20

Average running time (h)

42

Frequency/hour

18.000 / 2.5Hz

Case

Material

Stainless steel

Size

35 mm

Front glass

Organic

Water resistance

3 ATM

Hands

Superluminova

Dial

Sunray Superluminova

Brand

Raketa

Gender

Unisex

Strap

Material

Genuine leather + additional textile NATO strap included with watch