Cosmonauts

I am, for better or worse, a romantic.  And while I will always revere the astronauts that came from the US, I have a deep rooted fascination for the cosmonauts from what used to be known as the Soviet Union.  And when I got the chance to buy an a Gagarin watch, well I couldn't say no!  I have had this watch in my own collection for a lot of years now.  It does not have a tourbillon.  It is not gold.  It does not give me stock prices.  And to be clear, it is not political.

But it makes me happy when I wear it.   And at a time where you don't need a watch, isn't it better when it makes you smile?

Enjoy your watches

Cosmonauts!

I am not ashamed to say that I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with the cosmonauts of the Soviet Union.  And none bigger than Yuri Gagarin.

Courtesy of Fortis

This is the Yuri Gagarin 50th Anniversary Limited Edition from Fortis.

Courtesy of Fortis

What most folks seem to forget is that Gagarin was in fact a pilot first and foremost.  And it was a pilot's style watch that he wore when he became the first man in space.  Not this one of course, but this harkens back to that idea.  And the second time zone is something he would have appreciated.

Wrapping up the Sturmanskie Gagarin 50th Anniversary

Okay- once again, it seems that I have lingered too long on  a review - this is the danger of forming an attachment.  This in turn brought on this whole internal discussion (with myself) about possessions, life's impermanence, etc.  Which in turn led me to think about the folly of desire... which in turn led me to -


you guessed it (okay, maybe not) Kung-Fu (the tv show):


Caine: Is it good to seek the past, Master Po? Does it not rob the present?
Master Po: If a man dwells on the past, then he robs the present. But if a man ignores the past, he may rob the future. The seeds of our destiny are nurtured by the roots of our past. 




And this in turn brings us full circle to the idea of "anniversary" or "tribute" watches.  I bet you thought I'd never get to the point!

There are a lot of companies out there, "reissuing" as if their very lives depended upon it.  And in all honestly, I do not know that there is anything wrong with that, but after a while, it almost gets to be too much.  The Speedmaster Professional - and it's seemingly hundreds of offspring to mark nearly every NASA mission - not once, but in some cases twice!  And for the hard-core Omega fan out there, that is good - even great.


In the case of the Sturmanskie Gagarin 50th Anniversary we are, in some ways, looking at a reissue.  But I'm okay with this one.  For one thing, it is a commemorative watch - commemorating the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's historic flight.  

It is a change from the previous version in that it is a bit bigger, at 38 mm.  And I really love this size.  It is big enough to be "present" but not at any point overwhelming.  And most importantly it is COMFORTABLE!!!  It really sits well on the wrist.


It is true to the original in its layout.  The dial, indices and hands are not crazy reinterpretations.  And while we are talking about the dial - the LUME is amazing on this watch!   One of the few watches I've had recently that you can actually read in the dark - not just see, but READ! 

The time keeping has been much better than I would have expected for a watch at this price point.  The deviations have been between +3 to +4 seconds per day.  This is FAR better than the "advertised" daily rate in the spec sheet.  And the power reserve is pretty remarkable as well.  Typically you might expect 36 hours, but the Sturmanskie went beyond - nearly 48 hours in my last "test".


The winding action is phenomenally smooth!   The crown is large enough and somewhat curved to allow for a better "handle".  I was able to wind this watch while it was on my wrist.  Something I can do with my Hanhart Pioneer and not too many others.  


The strap, while not top of the line is quite good and a very good balance for the watch.  A nice, basic buckle completes it, and in keeping with what was a Soviet design - nice and simple.

For those of you who love specs, here they are:

• Mechanical lever movement
• Manual winding
• Movement diameter: 26 mm
• Movement height: 4.3 mm
• 17 jewels
• Water resistant 5 ATM.
• Leather belt.
• Mineral glass.
• Shock protection
• Frequency: 21600 vph
• Daily rate from –20 to +40 s/day
• Power reserve minimum: 40 h
• Case size is 38mm

So to sum it up - this is a great watch for the money.  It offers you a nice mechanical 3-hand watch, with a good story behind it.  Even if you are not even remotely interested in the Gagarin/Cosmonaut/Star City angle, this is a great watch for what it offers.  

The Sturmanskie Gagarin 50th Anniversary - legibility

Something that is so easy to lose sight of - literally!  The face of your watch.  Is it clearly laid out?  Is it easy to read?  The Sturmanskie Gagarin 50th Anniversary is such a nice, refreshingly clear lay out and design.  Hours, minutes, seconds.   Bells, whistles, sub dials - they all have their place.  But sometimes you just want a watch.

And while we are on the subject of legibility - I have to mention the quality of the lume of this watch - it is truly impressive!  Not just the hands, but the numerals as well.  I am having to remind myself of the actual retail of this watch when I consider the wearing experience so far... it is underpriced.  I have tested quite a few watches at much higher price points that were not nearly as good.

The time keeping is still good - the past 72 hours we are at +4 seconds per day.

Stay tuned!

The 50th Anniversary Gagarin - a few days in

So I am now a few days in on my review of the Sturmanskie Gagarin 50th Anniversary model.  So far, so very, very good!  When you first put on a new watch, the first thing you do is set it and wind it.  This is where you can often tell pretty quickly how the watch might operate long term.  Is the crown stiff?  Difficult to wind?  Noisy when turning?

For the Gagarin - none of the above.  The crown engages very smoothly and the time sets neatly.  The winding action is about the smoothest I have felt since I tried a few new pieces at BaselWorld.  I have had this watch for several days, and to try and get a gauge of the power reserve, I let it go and got better than 48 hours!  So far, the timing is very impressive - we are currently 4 seconds fast per day.

More to come!