Let us go back to mid-January 2022... I had just received the weekly news from Molnija announcing that a new watch — the Tank model with the 3603 movement — was available for preorder.
The Tank had been launched about half a year earlier, but the first version was powered by the Miyota 8205 automatic movement. I didn’t like that combination, so I passed on it. (To be fair, I do have one Molnija with a Miyota movement — the Baikal — but that’s more than enough. And even though it’s a nice watch, I’m selling it.)
But the announcement of the revised model with the in-house 3603 movement was far more intriguing. I contacted their sales representative, managed to negotiate a small discount (based on my collection of Molnija watches), and even got the chance to choose the serial number. And then — the complications began.
Firstly, the price published in Molnija’s weekly newsletter was valid only for the domestic market. For non-Russian customers, the price was 20% higher. Why? Because Molnija had changed its pricing policy as of January 2022. I wasn’t willing to pay that much, so I almost canceled my preorder — until I had a brilliant idea.
My watchmaker, who is also a friend, has a good horological contact in Russia. I asked for help, and received a positive answer. So I preordered the watch using this Russian friend’s shipping address.
But that wasn’t the end of the complications. I wasn’t able to pay in advance! The only available shipping method within Russia was cash on delivery. So I had to ask my new friend for another favor — to accept the money from me and pay for the watch when it arrived.
After all these complications, on February 20, 2022, I received an email confirming that the watch had been assembled and was ready to ship. Two days later, it was collected by my new friend. Since he was also preparing a package of watches for my watchmaker, we agreed that he would send everything together within a week.
What a mistake! Two days later, Russia attacked Ukraine. Total confusion followed. Russia was suddenly isolated by the international community, and we weren’t even sure if the postal service was still functioning. Since our Russian friend wanted to leave the country as soon as possible, we had no other option but to take a risk. He prepared the package and shipped it using Russian Post.
To our surprise — the watch arrived sooner than expected, and even faster than during normal times!
Unfortunately, the watch arrived in poor condition. The winding was extremely stiff, pulling the crown was difficult, and worst of all — the watch didn’t work. It only ran when turned upside down.
Returning it to Russia was, of course, out of the question, so once again, my watchmaker friend was my only hope. He managed to repair the movement (he said the damage was likely caused by shipping), but the crown issue remained. The problem wasn’t with the movement, but with the stem — or more precisely, the hole in the case. The hole was drilled slightly smaller than the stem itself. Whether this is a common issue with all Tank models or just a flaw on mine, I honestly don’t know.
Frustrated by the Russian invasion, the fact that the watch celebrates the aggressor’s T-72 tank, and the mechanical issues it had, I packed the watch back in its box and never put it on my wrist. To be honest, I almost forgot about it entirely — until last week.
I was rearranging my closet where I keep my watch boxes, and suddenly the Tank appeared in front of me.
In the meantime, I had read in the news that Ukraine received quite a number of old T-72 tanks from the reserves of several former Yugoslav countries. Apparently, the largest shipment came from North Macedonia, and Slovenia also contributed some.
So, suddenly, this watch now represents Ukraine’s fight for freedom. What a paradox.
Putting aside the political issues, I decided to give the watch a chance — to wear it, use it, and finally write the review I had originally planned. So here it is at last — the review of the watch...
The basic idea behind the Tank watch was to pay tribute to a special timepiece — or rather, a clock — the 127-CHS (127-ČS), which was integrated into the cockpit of the T-72 tank.
The fact that I already own a 127-ČS was the main reason I decided to purchase the Tank watch as well.
I don’t have the case for the 127-ČS — in fact, I’m not even sure if one ever existed, or if the clock was simply mounted directly into the cockpit.
It is operated similarly to some very old pocket watches. Specifically, there is no crown — the hands are set directly by moving them with your fingers. Winding is done from the front side using a key. There is no second hand.
Back to the Tank watch. As mentioned earlier, the first Tank model was launched in mid-2021 as a limited edition of 500 pieces: 250 in a steel case and 250 in a black PVD-coated steel case.
When I first saw the watch, I wanted to buy it. But then I noticed that Molnija had chosen to install an automatic Miyota 8205 movement inside. A Japanese automatic movement in a watch meant to pay tribute to a hand-wound Russian military clock? That was a total deal-breaker for me. I just couldn’t accept it.
However, the new release — now powered by the hand-wound, standard Molnija 3603 movement — was a different story. That was the right choice.
This updated version was again limited to 500 pieces (250 in each case style). My review is therefore strictly limited to the 3603 version!
Let me first compare the appearance of both timepieces. I’ll start with the best part — the hands. The hands on the Tank are an excellent reproduction of those on the 127-ČS. The shape, the color, the lume — even the tiny detail where the minute hand's lume is split into two parts — has been faithfully replicated. Excellent work.
The lume itself is very, very good. It lasts through the whole night and only begins to fade after 6–8 hours. The original isn’t any worse, despite its age. I believe the 127-ČS still uses radium for luminescence, so its brightness after all these years makes sense.
The dial is black, just like the original. Unfortunately, the numerals haven’t been replicated as faithfully as the hands. For example, the number 1 is shaped differently than on the original. A pity.
But the biggest mistake, in my opinion, was the inclusion of the small second hand. The watch would function perfectly well without it, and it’s not difficult to build a movement where the seconds are either omitted or hidden. In this case, that would have been the logical approach — and it would have made this tribute watch a true homage.
If Molnija’s designers really insisted on including a second hand, then at the very least they should have done so without adding a visible subdial, which completely ruins the clean, utilitarian look of the original 127-ČS.
I also miss the “127-ČS” marking on the dial. Personally, I would have replaced the "Molnija" and "3603" texts with it — or at the very least added “127-ČS” underneath the Molnija logo.
What about the rest of the watch?
In my view, the main tribute to the 127-ČS lies in the fact that both the 127-ČS and the Tank watch are — quite literally — integrated into a T-72 tank. The entire design of the Tank watch, including the case and straps, simulates various components of the tank itself.
With a bit of imagination, you can visualize the dial as being built into the tank’s structure. The main case replicates the shape of a tank's track gear wheel. The crown, once again, resembles a miniature version of that wheel. Both the leather and rubber straps are designed to represent tank tracks.
So essentially, the watch is a tank — hence the name “Tank” — and the dial represents the 127-ČS clock inside that tank.
As expected from a watch named “Tank,” it is a robust timepiece. A stainless steel case and sapphire crystal are essential features for a watch of this type.
What I still wonder, though, is whether the tight stem is simply a flaw or a deliberate design choice — perhaps intended to give the watch a more rugged, masculine feel.
Although the official diameter is “just” 42 mm, the watch appears significantly larger on the wrist. That’s because the 42 mm refers only to the smallest possible diameter — the bezel. The four prominent lugs give the case a more square and substantial appearance.
The "lug-to-lug" (or “horn to horn”) measurement is a full 53 mm! And on top of that, the large crown further enhances the oversized look.
The bezel is unidirectional with 120 clicks. I haven’t been able to find any meaningful connection between the bezel and the T-72 tank, and this is the one part of the watch that leaves me puzzled.
That said, the bezel itself functions well — it’s not too stiff, but it also doesn’t rotate too freely. Even if it has no symbolic link to the tank, I think it suits the overall design and contributes positively to the visual impression of the watch.
So, on the wrist, the watch definitely has presence. And yet, wearing it is not problematic. The lug-to-lug length is just 47 mm, and the lug width is a modest 20 mm.
The watch gets noticed easily — and comments are to be expected. Unfortunately, most of them tend to be negative. Neutral observers usually describe it as “strange” or even “ugly.”
Even my watchmaker said, “Oh my god, so much trouble for such an ugly watch with those awful green hands.”
The best you can realistically hope for is someone calling it “interesting.”
Still, the story behind it often sparks engaging conversations — about the watch, the T-72 tank, and even the broader political context.
Both straps are surprisingly good — in fact, I would even say the leather one is excellent. It's very soft and gentle on the wrist. I must give credit where it’s due: both straps come with their own quick-release pins and their own pin buckles, which makes switching between them quick and effortless.
Even though I would have preferred a display caseback — I always enjoy seeing the movement — I really can’t complain about the one used here. It features a nice silhouette of the T-72 tank. A fitting detail, wouldn’t you agree? As you can see, I chose a very special serial number: 127/500.
Without the background story, this might seem like an odd choice — but with everything explained, it becomes the most meaningful and desirable number possible.
The serial number was also the main reason I opted for the stainless steel case instead of the black PVD version, which I generally prefer. You see, the stainless steel cases are numbered from 1 to 250, while the PVD versions are numbered from 251 to 500 — so a PVD model with the 127 serial number simply doesn’t exist.
I already described the 3603 movement in one of my earlier reviews (see Molnija's New Watches with 3603 Movement) so I won’t go into too much detail here. Let me just say that in this watch, the movement is significantly more accurate — around –5 seconds per day over a full week of nonstop wear. That’s impressive for a manually wound movement in this price range.
It also seems that the case dampens the movement’s ticking sound. The watch is still audible, but nowhere near as loud as other Molnija watches I've tried.
As for the packaging — the box and papers are good, but nothing spectacular. However, as already mentioned, it’s definitely a plus that the watch comes standard with both a leather and a rubber strap.
The official price for the domestic Russian market in February was around 34,000 RUB, but I managed to get the watch for just over 30,000 RUB — approximately 330 EUR at the time. Plus import taxes, of course. Still, it’s a reasonable price, in line with other Molnija watches.
Interestingly, the prices for the 3603 and Miyota versions are almost identical — in fact, the Miyota version is slightly cheaper!
As mentioned earlier, the international price was 20% higher at the time, which — once you factor in import duties — made the watch significantly less affordable. Currently, the full price on Molnija’s official webshop is 38,000 RUB, but a 25% discount is offered on that amount.
Molnija has since removed the English-language version of their site and discontinued pricing in USD, so it appears they are no longer selling internationally.
Given the ongoing sanctions and the near impossibility of making payments to Russia from the Western world, this is hardly surprising.
So, if you want to buy this watch today and you're not in Russia — the price is the least of your problems.
P.S. Final important updates:
a) After wearing the watch daily for over two weeks, the crown stem is no longer as stiff.
Winding now feels almost normal. It seems the stem or the case edge has worn in slightly — possibly a matter of tight tolerances grinding in with use.
b) Even though my first impression of the watch wasn’t very positive, I find myself liking it more and more each day.
The Tank is clearly not one of those watches that wows you at first glance and then quickly becomes dull. It’s the opposite — it grows on you. I’m genuinely glad I gave it a second chance.
Add comment
Comments