The Amphibia 0252 - My Opinion Is Fact

The best tool watch so far from Raketa -

Courtesy of Raketa

Welcome to today's "My Opinion Is Fact", as I state unequivocally that the Amphibia 0252 is the best of Raketa's "Tool" collection.

Courtesy of Raketa

Now the naming conventions that Raketa have adopted can be a touch confusing, but to put this in the correct order: the Amphibia's ultimate designation is (when you land on the final link) listed as "Navy" watch. This is a sub category of "Sea" and "In Love With The Sea", which is a sub-category of "Tool".  Well, part of the "Freemium" coverage here at Tempus Fugit is to try and give you the information you really need, without making you leap through a payment fire wall, and without requiring a brand to pass 3 pieces of silver across my palm in exchange for coverage ; ) 

The other pieces making up the "Tool"  collection are thoughtfully decorated, but perhaps a wee-bit too much so. A tool watch is meant to be just that. Basic, efficient, offering only what is really needed.

Under the hood is Raketa's 2615 -

Courtesy of Raketa

Per Raketa -

MOVEMENT 2615

3 hand movement with avtomat complication (inside the Raketa Classic BIG ZERO)

Number of jewels:	27
Testing positions:	4
Average rate (s/d):	-10+20
Average running time (h):	40
Frequency/hour:	18.000 / 2.5Hz
Bi-directional automatic winding:	Yes
Stopper of self-winding unit activated during manual winding:	Yes

The case is of stainless steel and measures 43 mm in diameter, and is rated to be water resistant to a depth of 40 ATM (1355.98) according to Kyle's Converter

The other thing that makes this the best of the Raketa Tool collection is the price - €950 including the VAT.

So, if you are hankering for a Russian tool watch, the Amphibia 0252 is the best one out there.  And that is My Opinion Is Fact for today.

Enjoy your watches!

The Avant-garde 0279

 From Raketa -

Courtesy of Raketa

A limited edition of 300 pieces, priced at 1350€

The case measures 40.5 mm in diameter and is pvd treated stainless steel.

The movement is Raketa's 2615 which is self-winding (automatic) boasting 40 hours of power reserve.  Sapphire crystal front, mineral crystal back.

Raketa Avant-garde 0279

Raketa - If I Had To Pick Only One

Now as a quick point of clarification, I did do some freelance work for Raketa previously and as such felt that it was not appropriate to post anything other than "just the facts".  But as they are now a former client, I can finally opine sincerely about my personal feelings. And spoiler alert - they are all positive! 

I did purchase one of the Polar anniversary watches last year, and spoiler alert number 2?  I paid full price. I do like this anniversary take on the Polar very, very much and I truly enjoy wearing it, and it will definitely remain in the Henki personal collection. But the one that I now have my eye on now that I am a "civilian" would be this one -

Courtesy of Raketa

Now a perhaps not so well known Henki factoid - I was obsessed with the Soviet Union for years (late 70s right up until 91/92). And not obsessed in a "spy vs spy"/us vs them dynamic. No, I simply found the differences rather intriguing. I often wondered, what were Soviets really like? I watched Gorky Park endlessly and was gutted when I found out that a lot of it was filmed in Helsinki, Finland. I had unwittingly walked past what stood in for the Moscow Militia headquarters on more than one class break between teaching at the Finnish Parliament building and Nokia ; )  

As a Northern Youth growing up in a tiny, fairly provincial Ohio town, I often imagined traveling to the USSR, and possibly Poland, and other Warsaw Pact countries.  I was perhaps the counter to the main protagonist from Gorky Park - Chief Inspector Arkady Renko:

"I always wanted to meet an American. You are so, so different. Forgive me for staring."

At any rate, I sometimes wonder what watch might Renko have worn?

Courtesy of Raketa

I suspect it might have been this one, the Big Zero.

Hours, minutes and seconds - unapologetically basic, but not simple. 

As most readers will know, Raketa makes their own movements, making them a manufacturer. And when we get down to bang for the buck (or Ruble), it represents a very great value for a (comparatively) very reasonable price. More than that, I honestly think that this is one of the few brands that takes the charm of the past, and successfully reanimates it in a modern, high quality timekeeper.  

I do not think that there is a Raketa retail partner yet in North America, but you can order direct from the source in St. Petersburg. And this, my personal favorite Raketa retails for 750€ within the EU, and 625€ for those of us in North America.

MANUFACTURE 

Manufacture 

Raketa Watch Factory (Saint-Petersburg) 

Brand 

Raketa 

MOVEMENT 

Calibre 

2615 

Functions 

Automatic 

Number of jewels 

24 

Testing positions 

4 

Average rate (s/d) 

-10+20 

Average running time (h) 

40 

Frequency/hour 

18.000 / 2.5Hz 

Stopper of self-winding unit activated during manual winding 

Yes 

Decoration 

Laser engraving 

CASE 

Material 

Stainless steel 

Size 

38,8 mm 

Front glass 

Sapphire 

Back glass 

Mineral 

Rotating bezel 

No 

Water resistance 

10 ATM 

Brand 

Raketa 

Gender 

Unisex 

STRAP 

Material 

Genuine leather 

Width 

20 mm

An Early Preview of the Raketa “Polar” 0270

So an important note, I work as an independent consultant to Raketa in North America.  Therefore tis is not a review, but rather a preview.  Raketa did not pay for this content.

The folks in Saint Petersburg have sent a pre-release sample to be reviewed by the press here in North America.  As I am "connected" to Raketa, I am only going to supply some of my own (not-so-sexy) images and the specs.  But rest assured, this sample piece is making the rounds and you will be able to read first-hand reviews shortly.

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

Water-resistant

Hands

Superluminova

Dial

Sunray Superluminova

Brand

Raketa

Gender

Unisex

Strap

Material

Genuine leather + additional textile strap included with watch

Width

18 mm

Raketa “Polar” 0270

Reference: W-09-11-10-0270

€1.400 €1.120

The full retail will be 1,400 Euros, those who pre-order can get a discounted price of 1,220 Euros.

More information can be found here -

https://raketa.com/w/en/product/raketa-poljarnye-0270#tab-fields/

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