This year, the Poljot International group is celebrating its 30th anniversary. If you’re not familiar with the group, here is a very brief history. The company was established on the foundation of the USSR Poljot’s German branch office by Alexander Shorokhoff. The first brand was Poljot International, followed by Basilika, and then Alexander Shorokhoff. The Basilika brand was discontinued a few years ago, but the name remains active as a product line within the Poljot International brand.
Let’s stop here with the history—you can find more details on my website here: Poljot international group or on the company’s official site at poljot-international.com/history.
The company took its anniversary very seriously, and this year they have already released numerous novelties dedicated to the occasion. The main focus has been on the Alexander Shorokhoff brand. They have issued several watches limited to 30 pieces each (two of which are in preparation for review, and one I have pre-ordered). The most interesting initiative is the launch of the UNIQUE30 series. On thirty consecutive Thursdays at 12:00, they release a unique, one-of-a-kind watch based on one of their existing models. Most of these watches have a special dial, sometimes a different case, but the essence of the watch remains true to the original line. So far, 25 watches have been launched, and almost all sold out within minutes of release.
For the Poljot International brand itself, the anniversary is marked with fewer releases. To date, only two watches have been issued as anniversary dedications—the Jubilee XIX and the Jubilee XIX 2. By “two watches” I mean literally one piece each!
Both watches are very similar; the only difference is that the first model features a yellow gold-plated dial, while the second has a rose gold-plated dial. I don’t know if a third model will follow, but if it does, it will likely be different from the first two.
For the main picture in this review, I used the photo of the watch from the Poljot International website. The reason is simple: I just couldn’t take such a good picture myself, plus it’s actually a photo of my own watch, not some generic model.
You’re probably wondering how I managed to get a watch that’s limited to just one piece. Well, it was quite simple. As a fan of the Poljot International group (which you can see from my collection and the number of reviews I’ve dedicated to their watches), I wanted to own something truly unique. I was frustrated that every unique watch I liked had already sold out before I could even click “Buy” on their website. So, in desperation, I contacted Mrs. Kuhn, their sales manager, to ask if there was any chance to pre-book one of the unique watches. She kindly responded quickly and, seeing my collection of their watches, offered me one Alexander Shorokhoff Unique30 watch and the Poljot International Jubilee XIX 2, both not yet available for sale at that time. I checked both and reserved the PI Jubilee XIX 2, since the AS Unique30 that was available then didn’t interest me much (by the way, that model was the Unique Avantgarde 4 - AS.UNIQUE.25, which sold instantly).
So, what kind of watch is this Jubilee? Well—as the name suggests—it features a tourbillon movement. Of course, Poljot International is not a brand known for using high-end movements (that distinction belongs to the Alexander Shorokhoff brand), so it’s quite clear that this tourbillon is produced by a Hong Kong company called PTS. Poljot International states that the hand-wound caliber 3340 from PTS is used, which is refined, revised, and adjusted by their in-house watchmakers.
I checked the PTS website but couldn’t find a movement labeled 3340; the closest I found was the 3320. It’s possible that the base movement is the 3320, but after revisions and adjustments, it was renamed 3340. You can take a look at PTS tourbillon movements here: https://www.ptsresources.com/?page_id=658
In fact, the Jubilee isn’t the only—or even the first—tourbillon watch from Poljot International. Several other tourbillon models are part of their regular collection. What’s interesting is that those other regular-production tourbillons use the PTS 3360 (or possibly 3361) skeleton movements. So this exact 3320/3340 movement is exclusive to the XIX and XIX 2 watches.
If I recall correctly, the very first tourbillon models from Poljot International—now discontinued—were not skeleton watches and might have used the 3340 movement as well.
Even though the 3340 and 3360 movements look quite similar, there are some important differences to note.
While both movements feature a day/night indicator at 3:00, the complication at 9:00 differs. The 3340 movement includes a power reserve indicator, whereas the 3361 movement has a GMT complication instead.
Another important difference is the power reserve: the 3340 offers 80 hours, while the 3361 provides just 40 hours—a significant gap.
Although this is a tourbillon—where the rotation of the balance wheel is meant to reduce the effect of gravity—the 3340 movement is not exactly state-of-the-art in terms of accuracy. The declared daily accuracy is ±25 seconds per day. From the factory, I received measurements ranging from +6 to +20 seconds per day, depending on the watch’s position. In my everyday wear, the watch tends to run closer to +20 seconds per day than +6.
In general, I don’t like skeleton watches, and I really dislike open-heart dials. The only exception where an open heart is somewhat tolerated is in tourbillon watches. After all, the open heart is essentially the main attraction of a tourbillon watch, right? Even so, I’m still very demanding when it comes to the overall look of a tourbillon with an open heart. I believe PI has done a marvelous job with this watch in that regard. The red gold-plated engraved dial is stunning, and what I particularly like is that the 12 o’clock area is left clear—without engravings. This not only emphasizes the detailed engravings around it but also ensures better legibility of the time. The blued hands, combined with the red gold dial, create an extraordinary contrast. Of course, there’s no lume here...
A nice but barely visible detail is the small crystals on the power reserve indicator dial—one crystal at the bottom and two at the top. When the shorter hand points toward the single crystal, the power reserve is full; when it points toward the two crystals, the watch needs winding.
As far as I understand, the day/night indicator image is predefined by the movement manufacturer. What PI added is a small bridge across the indicator with the "Basilika" inscription. Since there’s no "Poljot International" branding on the dial, as a longtime PI collector, I wondered if this might be a rebirth of the Basilika brand. However, as shown on PI’s website and mentioned earlier, Basilika is now just one of the production lines within the PI brand. Besides the XIX watches, the "Alexander the Great tourbillon" is also part of the Basilika line.
If you look at the "standard" 3320 movement, you’ll notice that PI has also redesigned the tourbillon cage. They cleverly used the cage to serve as the second hand, as you can see from the arrow at the end of one of the arches.
The very thin inner bezel—plain, without any engraving—is used to display a bunch of additional text. You’ll find “80h power reserve” between 10 and 12 o’clock, “Hand winding tourbillon” between 1 and 3 o’clock, “limited edition” at 8 o’clock, “27 jewels” at 6, and “Made in Germany” at 5 o’clock. It’s quite a lot of (unnecessary) text, but on the other hand, it’s presented so subtly that it’s hardly noticeable. You really have to focus—or even use a magnifying glass—to read all of it.
The dial is by far the most interesting and intriguing part of the watch. The case, on the other hand, is stainless steel and quite ordinary—nothing special, and honestly a bit boring for my personal taste. The crown has the familiar shape seen on other PI watches: fairly large, oval-shaped, and marked with the PI logo on top.
Speaking of the crown, a strange thing happened when the watch arrived. I tried to set the time, pulled out the crown, and it came off entirely along with the stem, as if the stem hadn’t been properly secured during assembly. It wasn’t a huge issue, though. I contacted PI, and Mrs. Kuhn kindly offered to arrange courier pickup for the watch immediately. However, my local watchmaker was able to reattach the crown within a minute and at no cost. Maybe the transport caused the screws to loosen—I’m not sure—but it was definitely an odd experience.
As expected for a watch of this type, the back plate is glass. Around the edge, it is marked as part of the Unique30 series, with 5 ATM water resistance, sapphire glass, and a stainless steel case. So, nothing particularly exciting here.
The movement, viewed from the back, looks quite plain—mostly just the main plate is visible. The text around the caseback is very classic, with only the Unique30 marking indicating that this is a truly special, one-of-a-kind watch.
For my taste, a watch marketed as one of a kind deserves a bit more emphasis on its uniqueness—whether through additional engravings or statements, either on the dial or the caseback.
The watch comes on a high-quality crocodile leather strap with a pin buckle. While I appreciate the classic pin buckle, a more prestigious clasp would better suit a Jubilee watch.
So, how does it wear on the wrist? The basic dimensions aren’t problematic — with a diameter of just 43mm, a height of 14mm, and 20mm lugs, it’s very wearable on an average wrist. I find it quite comfortable. That said, the watch does appear quite large on the wrist. It has a striking presence and definitely stands out. The main rotating tourbillon cage is huge, acting as the centerpiece and eye-catcher. Personally, I would have preferred a smaller cage, but that’s dictated by the movement’s design.
The strap is very soft and comfortable, with no issues there. The brown strap is a great choice, and the dark blue works well too — the blue hands and day/night indicator complement the dark blue strap nicely. However, the black strap doesn’t suit the watch at all, and neither does the stainless steel bracelet. I haven’t tried the rose gold bracelet, but I don’t think I would wear it.
The watch comes in a very standard PI box—the same one used for all other regular PI watches. The only difference is the booklet, which is branded Basilika rather than Poljot International. As I’ve mentioned before, a truly unique watch deserves a unique package.
What about the price? To be honest, even the price isn’t particularly unique. It’s listed at €3,333 including German tax—just about €400 more than other tourbillon watches from PI’s regular lineup. Considering the one-of-a-kind dial, the different movement used for only these two watches (which might even be old stock from previous tourbillon series), and the special engraving on the case back, the price seems more than reasonable.
Of course, for many watch buyers the key question might be: does a German watch powered by a Hong Kong-made tourbillon really justify this price? Chinese watches with Chinese tourbillon movements are available for much less. Can a horology enthusiast truly satisfy their desire with such a movement? Is a well-established German brand with a Chinese movement really that much better than an anonymous Chinese watch?
To be honest, I never asked myself those questions. I wasn’t after a tourbillon watch as an end goal—my primary aim was to own a unique, one-of-a-kind watch from a brand I admire, at a fair and reasonable price. The fact that it’s a tourbillon on top of that is just a bonus.
Finally, I want to extend my sincere thanks to Mrs. Kuhn for giving me the opportunity to acquire such a unique piece and for her continued support and quick responses. It is truly appreciated.
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