April 12, 1961. What a day! One of the most important days for the human race, the day when the first man reached the stars! And what an important day for watch lovers! Hey, that man wore a watch on his wrist!
We all know who the man was – Yuri (Jurij) Gagarin, of course. Even though we know almost everything about his flight, and we have many photos of him wearing a spacesuit, we can still only guess which watch he was wearing during the flight into space.
It was definitely one of the Sturmanskie watches (Sturmanskie means "Navigator" in Russian), made in 1MCHZ (Pervij Moskovskij časovoj zavod – First Moscow Watch Factory), later renamed Poljot. But the problem remains: which version of this watch was it? There are two obvious candidates, and among watch collectors, there are plenty of arguments both for and against each. It’s not my intention to reopen that debate, but for readers who may not be familiar with these two watches, let’s first spend a few lines and show a few pictures of them.
The first candidate is the Sturmanskie with a Pobeda-based movement, but with a central seconds hand instead of a small seconds subdial, and with a hacking seconds (stop-second) function. The movement has 15 jewels. This watch is known as the Sturmanskie Type 1.
The Type 1 has a very distinctive cone-shaped crown. The caseback is a simple push/snap-on type. The hands are straight, with just a small pointer section at the ends. The watch diameter is 33 mm, making it very small by today’s standards.
The second one is a later edition of the Sturmanskie watch, known as Type II, where the movement was upgraded to 17 jewels. There are some obvious differences between Type I and Type II, which are easily noticeable. The hands are more pointed and end in a needle-like tip, the crown is standard, the caseback is screw-in, and the markings on the movement are different. The size of the watch remains the same – 33 mm.
However, from the pictures of Gagarin wearing the watch on his wrist, these differences cannot be clearly identified. Since these watches were awarded to pilots upon graduation from flight school, and since Gagarin graduated when Type II was already in use, many believe that Type II is the one. But in the Museum of Technical Achievements in Moscow, Type I is presented as the one.
And now, let me reveal to you a lesser-known fun fact. Neither of the two candidates is the right one! The first watch in space was actually worn by a doll or a little dog named Chernushka, on the final test flight two months before Gagarin's mission. The doll was ejected from the landing capsule and made a safe parachute landing, while the dog remained inside the capsule and survived the landing as well. And so did the watch.
Most likely, the watch in question was just a simple Pobeda, probably made by 1MCHZ—but that is purely speculative (Pobeda watches were produced by all major watch manufacturers). So, something similar to the one shown here.
To conclude, the Sturmanskie was merely the first watch worn by a man in space—not the first watch in space overall.
The Soviet watch industry celebrated Gagarin and his flight extensively. His picture, or images of various details from the mission, appeared on numerous watch models. 1MCHZ renamed itself to Poljot ("flight"), PCHZ became Raketa ("rocket"), and CHCHZ was renamed Vostok (after the name of the spacecraft). The entire nation was immensely proud of Gagarin and the achievements of the Soviet space program.
And yet, surprisingly little attention was given to the watch itself. Just think of the Omega Moonwatch—all the marketing, all the different editions. In contrast, the Sturmanskie remained almost unknown and forgotten for a long time. Even worse, the name “Sturmanskie” was later used for a line of pilot military 3133 chronographs, which are well known to USSR watch collectors.
As far as I know, the first reissue attempt of the Sturmanskie was done by Poljot only at the beginning of the 1990s. I call this watch the “30th anniversary watch,” although I have no proof that it was actually released for that occasion. Since Pobeda movements were no longer in production, Poljot used the 2609 hand-wound movement, which, of course, does not feature a hacking (stop-second) complication. The diameter of this watch is 38 mm.
What’s interesting is that it’s quite obvious that the Type I watch was reissued!
But as you can see from the pictures, there is nothing specific on the watch that would suggest it is a reissue of the Gagarin Sturmanskie. As a result, the watch was not a big success.
Ten years later, Poljot approached the reissue differently. This time, they used the Type II as the model for the reissue (note the shape of the hands, the standard crown, and the screw-in caseback). The watch was again downsized to just 33 mm, and the caseback clearly stated what the watch was about: “Yuri Gagarin, First Man in Space, 1961–2001” and “Poehali” (“Let’s go!” – Gagarin’s famous words at the moment of launch). It was even paired with a pilot-style leather strap!
At the same time, Poljot also released a commemorative Sturmanskie Gagarin chronograph with the 31681 movement, but it is not relevant to our story about Gagarin watches.
As far as I know, this reissue was not a great success—the chronograph was much better received by the market. I suppose the 33 mm case size was simply a mistake for the year 2001; by then, that size was already too small for everyday wear. And there was another issue. These two watches (the chronograph and the reissue) were practically the last models launched by Poljot before the company went bankrupt. There was no marketing push behind them—Poljot had far more serious problems at the time.
One of Poljot’s successful successors was a company called Volmax, which took over the rights to three of Poljot’s watch lines: Buran, Aviator, and Sturmanskie. Initially, these were just brand lines under the Volmax umbrella, but over time, they developed into three separate watch companies. Buran was the first to move to Switzerland, followed later by Aviator. Today, only Sturmanskie remains a Russian brand. But back in 2011, when the 50th anniversary was celebrated, Sturmanskie was still under the Volmax name.
By 2011, another important shift had occurred—eBay had opened up to the former Eastern Bloc countries. As a result, eBay was suddenly flooded with Ukrainian and Russian sellers offering a huge number of vintage USSR watches to the global market. Sadly, many of these were “franken” watches. The Gagarin watch became one of the most popular targets for this kind of modification: it had an interesting story, an attractive price, no clear reference standard for what the “real” one should look like, and an abundance of cheap spare parts to create all kinds of fake or cobbled-together Gagarin watches.
What worked in Volmax’s favor was that all the hype on eBay surrounding the Gagarin watch actually boosted demand for official reissues. So, in 2011, Volmax launched a 50th anniversary edition with three dial versions, three versions of the Sturmanskie Gagarin chronograph, and Poljot International released two additional chronographs as well. All were sold out quickly.
The Volmax edition of the 2011 Gagarin watch is this watch:
It seems they couldn’t quite decide which watch should serve as the base for the reissue model. The hands are more in line with the Type II design, while the crown resembles the Type I, and the caseback is once again a simple snap-on type. The design and inscription on the caseback are a direct copy from Poljot’s model released ten years earlier.
The movement remained the same—Poljot 2609. The case diameter was increased to 38 mm, which made the watch much more suitable for everyday wear.
As mentioned, the dial was produced in three colors. I bought the white one, which is historically the closest to the original. Unfortunately, I don’t own the other two versions, so I can’t show them here.
However, Volmax didn’t stop there. Shortly afterward, they also released a quartz version, although it was not a “true” commemorative watch.
Please note that “1MCHZ Kirova” is missing from the dial, replaced simply by “Gagarin.” The caseback does not mention the 50th anniversary either; it only refers to Gagarin. The case size increased to 40 mm, and as you can see, a basic Miyota quartz movement was used.
The final decision to base the design on Type I is clearly visible here. The hands now follow the Type I style, and the crown has a slight conical shape as well. This watch effectively marked the beginning of the “Gagarin Heritage” line, which followed the 50th anniversary reissue.
Shortly after 2011, Volmax transformed Sturmanskie from a brand into a standalone company. The “new” company decided to capitalize on the success of the Gagarin watch, and over the last decade, a whole range of different Gagarin Heritage watches has been released—with varying degrees of historical accuracy. I haven’t kept track of all the combinations of dials, designs, casebacks, movements, and materials. You can find white, black, and brown dials; steel, titanium, and bronze cases; hand-wound 2609 movements, quartz versions, and even automatic watches with Vostok (!!) movements. And all sorts of combinations of these elements. Just to give you a feel for it—this is my only “Heritage” watch. It’s a fabulously good-looking piece, but for a purist, a heartbreaking franken: a Sturmanskie with a Vostok automatic movement.
As you can see, Type I once again serves as the base model for this watch—and in fact, for the entire Heritage collection. The caseback is no longer a simple snap-on; it is now secured with four small screws. I would like to point out that the text on the caseback has changed significantly. It now reads “Pervye chasy v kosmose”—“First watch in space”! As mentioned at the beginning, this is historically incorrect. The Gagarin Heritage collection is, therefore, more of a tribute to the Gagarin watch than a faithful historical reproduction.
And here we are—60 years have now passed. After all the commemorative editions and the vast array of Heritage watches, I was genuinely curious whether Sturmanskie would release a 60th anniversary model at all—and if so, what could possibly set it apart from everything we’ve already seen.
And the answer is—YES, they did issue a special 60th anniversary watch. To be precise, they released two versions: one with a titanium case and one with a bronze case, both made from the best materials that Sturmanskie uses in the higher end of its standard Heritage line. So, nothing new in that regard.
The movement is once again the Poljot 2609—again, nothing new here either.
However, what makes the 60th anniversary edition stand out is its extremely limited production. Each version was released in just 60 pieces—so only 120 watches in total. I think it’s quite clear why the number was limited to 60, right?
I bought the bronze version of the watch:
Disappointed? Nothing special? At first glance, that’s certainly the impression. But—be patient.
Let’s start with the dial. It’s not just any dial—it’s made of pure 925 sterling silver. If you look closely, you’ll see that the serial number is printed directly on the dial, not just on the caseback. You have to admit, an individually numbered silver dial is something special, right?
As you can see, the caseback is different—the image of Gagarin is PVD-plated, as is the pin buckle on the original strap. The engraving on the caseback again reads: “First WATCH in space, 1961–2021, 60 years of the Vostok-1 flight.” So the inscription is indeed dedicated to the 60th anniversary and not just a standard design—but at least that much could be expected.
The hands and dial are shaped in the Type I style. There is some fluorescent Luminova applied, though it’s quite weak—hardly worth mentioning. I forgot to say: the 50th anniversary model has excellent Luminova, as does the quartz version, while the automatic is, in this regard, about the same as this one.
The movement is once again the hand-wound Poljot 2609—so, no surprises there either.
What truly stands out, however, is the enormous box—more of a suitcase really—measuring 27 × 22 × 16 cm (excluding the handles), and it comes with several extras.
You receive an additional leather strap with a steel buckle. I really can’t understand—if the company puts so much effort into packaging and exclusivity, why can’t it also take care of the small details, like matching the pin buckles? Is it really so hard to include a bronze buckle on both straps? Or at least a suitably colored gilded one? The steel buckle just doesn’t feel right here.
You also get a tool for changing straps (the lugs are standard, so it’s just a regular lug remover). Personally, I would have preferred quick-release lugs that you can remove with your fingernail. If the buyer is expected to change straps often, that’s a far better option. With this lug remover, even a small slip can leave scratches on the case. But, OK—not a big deal.
The most attractive and unique part of the set is the Vostok-1 model. It’s an interesting gift—though, to be quite honest, not a very practical one. I have no idea what to do with it. Still, it fits nicely into the overall package and the story behind the watch. And that’s really what we’re buying here, right? The story.
The watch, with its 40 mm diameter, fits very nicely on the wrist. What I particularly like is the large dial—thanks to the bezel-less construction, the watch appears even bigger on the wrist. The strap is extremely soft—excellent quality. As mentioned, the original one comes with a gilded pin buckle. But, as pointed out earlier, all of this has already been seen in the latest models of the Heritage line, so for someone familiar with the collection, there’s nothing especially new or exciting here. That said, this is not a criticism of the watch—it’s actually a compliment to the entire collection.
Since the entire Heritage line is based on Type I, so is this watch. I do regret, however, that Sturmanskie didn’t put a bit more effort into distinguishing the design of this commemorative version by adding some more recognizable Type I (or Type II) features. For example, a more distinctive cone-shaped crown would have been a great touch.
I can't say the cone is not present—it’s just not as dominant as it should be. Including a stop-second movement would have been a prestigious touch. Hacking the second hand is one of the most recognizable features of the original Gagarin watch. Installing a refurbished original Pobeda movement with a stop-second complication would be priceless! Am I asking too much? I know these movements haven’t been in production for a long time, but I’m quite confident it wouldn't be too difficult to find 120 old watches with this movement on the market. It may be hard to find Sturmanskie models, but the same movement was used in the civilian version called Sportivnie—and those watches are easy to get. Refurbish those movements and install them in the anniversary edition. Ask the Ukrainian franken masters! They do this kind of work daily—for a living!
What about the price? The titanium version costs around 1000 EUR, and the bronze one about 1200 EUR. That’s less than double the price of comparable models in the standard Heritage line (the bronze model with a 2609 movement goes up to 800 EUR, and the standard titanium to 500 EUR). In my opinion, that’s a reasonable difference. The exclusivity in the dial, the packaging, the limited edition—all of that justifies the price. Of course, the big question is whether the standard Heritage line isn’t already overpriced. But the market gives a clear answer—NO. The Gagarin Heritage line is a very successful one.
So, to conclude: All in all, this is a very interesting, well-designed watch with attractive packaging and a reasonable price. Without doubt, the best Gagarin anniversary watch so far!
And just to complete the impression, here are all the watches presented in this article together:
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