Gagarin’s watch wasn’t the only Russian timepiece to make space travel history. Indeed, the Russian watch industry is steeped in aviation and space exploration history.
Originally produced by Poljot, the Strela, which means “arrow” in Russian, is one of the most coveted watches in the world of Russian horology.
Introduced in 1959, the 3017 Strela became another legend in Soviet space history when worn on the wrist of Aleksei Leonov during the first walk in space in 1965. The original Strela featured a chronograph with a 45-minute counter and did not have a date function. Also exclusively designed for the officers of the Air Force, the early Strelas were not available to the public and were constructed to strict military specifications. The 3017 movement ceased production in the late 1970s and was replaced with the current 3133 model.
Today Sturmanskie carries that tradition forward with two 3133 chronograph commemorative editions of this watch. These also boast a 44 mm case size and, unlike the originals have an exhibition case back and decorated movement.
These editions are also much larger than the 40 mm originals and the current 31 Caliber series also offers a date complication. But, the design, styling and overall impact of these new models evoke the spirit of the originals.
The 50th anniversary of human space flight offers an historic opportunity to reflect on the advancements and, yes, tragedies that journey has brought forth. It also offers an opportunity to bridge that time with watches that commemorate the era and remind us of how the simple art of timekeeping is still practiced today.
Craig Hester is the founder and CEO of Russia2All, which distributes Russian-built wristwatches, including Aviatori Wostok, Volmax, Sturmanskie and Poljot.

When it comes to handling Icombat situations and grueling tours of duty, one needs to be able to rely on a timepiece that will perform with precision and accuracy. U.S. Agency Watch Company, under the direction of industry veteran Mike Gee, supplies timepieces for just these situations. For the past eight years he has developed watches for military teams, tactical units and law enforcement agencies such as the Los Angeles Police Department and U.S. Marshals.
“Many companies claim that they are suppliers to law enforcement when in fact they just slap on a name such as Special Forces on a watch (which any company can use) and claim they are tactical,” explains Gee. “This is not so with us. Exclusive worldwide rights were granted to allow us to manufacture watches bearing the Great Seal of The United States, Air Force One, Marine One, and more.” In addition, his firm has agency rights that include the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, CIA, NCIS, and LAPD.
U.S. Agency watches incorporate a variety of distinctive features, including the 4 mm anti-glare sapphire coated scratch-resistant crystals, black metal stainless steel cases coated with CVDD (chemical vapor diamond deposition), highly legible eight-hour “kryptolite” luminous dials for use in low-light situations, cross-welded protection crystal bars (on certain models), and Impact Gel-protected quartz movements – all at an affordable price point ($295-$550).

OCEAN 7
LM-4 Ceramic Limited Edition
Florida-based Ocean 7 brings a ceramic dimension to its Swiss-made, American-designed LM series with the LM-4 Ceramic Limited Edition, V2 Meteor verision 2. The timepiece is powered by a Swiss automatic movement and comes in a numbered 100-piece limited edition. It features a screw-down crown to enable 100-meter water resistance. The 44 mm watch has a matte ceramic case, steel inner case and titanium crown and caseback. The base piece is $999. A COSC version coasts an additional $399.

SKAGEN
817LBXC
The matte black ceramic watch ensures easy readability with a cool balck dial that boasts white hands and numerals and a date window at 6 o’clock. Equipped with a Japanese quartz movement, the watch comes on a black ceramic bracelet. Price:$225.

OFFICINE PANERAI
Radiomir 8 Days Ceramica
This oversized timepiece from Officine Panerai exudesbold masculinity with its 45mm black ceramic cse. Powered by an automatic movement with 8-day power reserve, the watch features a minimalist balck dial with luminous hands and markers, date window at 3, power reserve indicator at 6 and small seconds hand at 9. Fitted with a black leather strap, the watch comes with patented removable wire loop strap attachments and is water-resistant to 100 meters. Price:$15,500.

JAQUET DROZ
Grande Seconde Ceramic
With its sleek, avant-garde design, this automatic watch exudes contemporary elegance with its 44mm black ceramic case. The black opaline slate dial incorporates a hint of red into its figure eight design on the top of the seconds hand. The watch comes on a matching black rubber strap. Price:$13,900.

Is Rado defined more by its designs or by the unusual materials it uses in watchmaking?
Certainly both. Having won dozens of awards for its one-of-a-kind style, Rado is known for both its unique design aesthetic and use of high-tech materials. Again, the keyword for the brand over the last fifty years, and the one that will guide us over the next fifty, is innovation, specifically in the field of design and innovation in the use of materials.
What other materials might we see in Rado timepieces in the furture?
There is still so much to be done in the field of materials in watchmaking. We are very passionate about infusing diverse styles, colors and materials together to create fresh looks. This passion continues to result in ground-breaking designs. We will have a brand-new material to debut in Basel next year, but you’ll have to wait until then to see it!

Ceramic watches started appearing more than twenty-five years ago, with the Rodo Intregra, followed in 1990 by the Rado Intregra, followed in 1990 by the Rado Ceramic, with its full ceramic case. Today Rado features a vast assortment of high tech ceramic watches.
In 2000 Chanel joined the party with the J12, a white ceramic watch that remains a very hot look for the brand. Since this time, many brands have debuted ceramic models, including Diro, Technomarine, Wittnauer, Panerai and other luxury brands. More recently, ceramic models have been used by popularly priced brands like Swatch, Michael Kors, Skagen and Timex.

For all its seemingly modern affectrations, titanium was actuallly discovered in 1791! It is commonly mixed with iron; aluminum, vanadium and molybdenum to produce a variety of strong, lightweight alloys used in aerospace, medical devices and, of course, watch cases. It is corrosion resistant and has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metals. Some of the fifty grades of manufactured titanium can have a Vickers hardness greater than 300; it is also hypoallergenic, scratch and dent resistant.
Titanium can be colored and is used extensively in this capacity in the auto industry:think rainbow colored wheels and anodized engine parts. However this practice isn’t used in watch manufacturing because of the thinness of the finish.
Seiko was the first manufacturer of a fully titanium-cased watch, the 600M pro diver’s automatic in 1975. Shortly thereafter IWC developed the Porsche Design Titan Chronograph, released in 1980 as the wrold’s first production wristwatch with a titanium case and an integrated titanium bracelet. This metal’s strength and lightness ahve made it a natural for military, aviation and active sports category watches.

Grade 316L is the low-carbon version of Grade 316; its hallmarks are toughness and weldability. 904L has a little copper in the mix, along with nickel and molybdenum. It is highly resistant to pitting and corrosion but is an expensive steel to produce; manufactures now use duplex stainless steel 2205 (S31803 or S32205) , Which feature the same properties but at a lower cost.
Surgical stainless steels were developed for medical applications and are available in a variery of grades and are used by watch manufacturers because of their hardness, strength and perceived “coolness” factor, as in “my watch is made of surgical stainless, how about yours?”
Here’s a thumbnail Vickers guide ( H represents hardness): 316L stainless steel is 140H, 347L stainless steel is 180H and carbon steel ranges form 55H to 120H. The hardness number can be converted into units of Pascals and will occasionally appear as, for instance, 120MPa, with higher numbers representing a greater hardness value.

Hublot, which popularized the rubber strap as a luxury fitting, has ensured that this oversized timekeeper will suit occasions out of the deep.
Therefore, the watch comes with two tongue-and-buckle straps, identified as “Town” and “Diver.” Hublot used the more conventional buckle because it believes the method to be more secure than a folding clasp, and is also easier to handle and close when using gloves. The method of attaching the strap to the case is via two small push buttons built into each end of the case; this allows the strap to be changed instantly without the use of a screwdriver or any other accessory.
Hublot believes that the Oceanographic 4000 has been designed to meet the most demanding requirmentsof both professional divers and watch enthusiasts. Those able to examine it when first seen at Basel this past spring could sense that here was the diving watch equivalent of a Hummer H1.
Production will be limited to 1,000 pieces for the titanium version and 500 pieces for the All Black version in black carbon fiber. With numbers that restricted, collectors should expect this one to appear in auctions with prices the opposite of a dive: ever on the ascent.

Devising a watch worthy of the tag “Oceanographic” necessitated an approach suitable for a “genuine instrument with technology developed to the extreme, ergonomics for efficiency and case of handling.” For Hublot, the watch was “designed to push the limits of the possible.”
Hublot strated with a King Power case measuring 48 mm in diameter. Two options were produced, one in micro-blasted satin-finished titanium, the other in matte carbon fiber, with bezels in matching materials, attached with six H-shaped screws in black PVD-finished titanium. The watches’ sapphire crystals are treated with antireflective coatings, the case backs made of micro-blasted satin-finished titanium with black PVD as appropriate, with matching crowns in titanium with black rubber insert or black PVD titanium with black rubber insert.