Poljot Sturmanskie 31659

Russia 1990-92, brand Poljot, material metal, cm 4,2x4,5x1,3

Poljot Sturmanskie (o Sthurmanskie) ШТУРМАНСКИЕ - “round case” or “bald” model.
This is the specially rare Sturmanskie Chronograph with Poljot 31659 caliber - this caliber is fitted with a second stop - if you pull the crown, the second stops and you can set the time exactly on the second. This caliber is extremely rare.
Stop-second function is working! The watch is working.
The case is made of chromed brass, the case back is snap-on.
The chronometer seconds hand is black, while the minute hand is red.
Like all Sturmanskies, the dial bears the words ШТУРМАНСКИЕ and the Oremberg logo, which are also engraved on the caseback.
They started production at the end of 1990 and continued until 1992. Then they switched to 3133 movement, and from that point on, these “bald” Sturmanskie watches were was issued to the Russian Air Force (VVS).

Production of Sturmanskie watches began at the First Moscow Watch Factory (1st MChZ), built in central Moscow in 1930. After World War II, there was a great need for watches for military pilots. Thus, Sturmanskie watches were born in 1949.
These watches were not intended for sale to the public, and were issued only to military flight school students and military pilots.
In 1957, Yuri Gagarin, a student at the Orenburg Military Flight School, received one of these watches. On April 12, 1961, during the first manned flight into space, Gagarin wore the Sturmanskie watch on his wrist, making it the first watch in space.
Subsequent generations of Soviet watches produced by the First Moscow Watch Factory also achieved new milestones, and their history is inextricably linked to space: the first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, and the first man to step into outer space, Alexei Leonov, wore these watches during their space missions.
The factory is also famous for its watches produced for the Navy. Connoisseurs around the world are familiar with the 3133 caliber and the Okean chronograph, produced in the 1970s and reserved exclusively for Navy officers.
Many Soviet cosmonauts and foreign astronauts have used Sturmanskie watches, which remain popular even among participants in current space expeditions. The last space flight with a modern Sturmanskie watch took place in 2004!

WA-02-0011 - available