In the last two months, I added two "modern" German watches, both using the Poljot 2612.1 alarm movement into my alarm collection. I decided to compare these two watches and, at the same time, take the opportunity to write something about the history of the Poljot 2612.1 movement.
The watches being compared are:
a) Alexander Shorokhoff Tschaikovsky (shortened to AS)
b) Strela Watches Signal (shortened to Strela)
For better understanding of what this is all about, let me start with a brief history of the Poljot 2612 movement.
It all started back in 1954 when the A. Schild company introduced an alarm movement called AS 1475, which technically had two spring barrels (one for the alarm and one for the time).
To give some context, here is a picture of the original AS 1475 movement, taken from Ranfft.
The movement has a very distinctive Y-shaped bridge, 17 jewels, frequency of 18,000 A/h, and a power reserve of 46 hours. The alarm rings for approximately 12 seconds. The alarm sounds—or better said, buzzes—by striking a hammer (on the movement picture, the hammer is just above the "Ranfft" text) against a pin mounted on the backplate (see the picture of such a backplate). It is quite obvious that due to the pin construction, the backplate could not be screwed into the case. Instead of a screw-type plate, a plate that was simply placed on top of the case and fixed with a ring (also visible in the picture) was used on almost all watches with this alarm movement.
The AS 1475 became a very popular movement, with several versions and modifications existing. Just to give you a flavor, here is one of my watches featuring this movement.
Take a close look at the balance spring wheel—you will notice that the original AS 1475 from Ranfft and mine are not identical in every detail (Breguet hairspring versus flat, different stud carrier). I point out these differences because they are important for understanding the later development of the Poljot 2612.1 movement.
In 1959, 1MCHZ (First Moscow Watch Factory, later known as Poljot) took the AS 1475 and modified it into their own alarm movement, which a few years later was given the 2612 code. At first glance, this movement looks identical to the AS 1475, with two important differences: it has 18 jewels instead of the original 17, and the ringing function was changed.
Namely, while the original AS 1475 alarm rings when the upper crown is pulled to position 1, in the Poljot 2612 the alarm rings with the upper crown in its base position.
The first 1MCHZ alarm watches were called Signal and looked like this:
A closer look at the movement reveals that it resembles the original AS 1475 much more than my own AS 1475 does. It features a Breguet hairspring and a fixed stud carrier; the only visible difference is the 18 jewels instead of 17. It bears the 1MCHZ rhombus stamp on the bridge and a serial number, but no 2612 marking— which makes sense, since the USSR coding system for movements was introduced only in the mid-1960s.
The very first Signal models also had an additional resonating backplate placed over the standard backplate with the buzzing pin. However, 1MCHZ soon discarded this second backplate, so its presence is a clear sign that the watch belongs to the first series of 1MCHZ alarm watches.
The first change to the movement stamp occurred in the early 1960s, when the rhombus 1MCHZ stamp was replaced by a pentagonal 1MCHZ stamp:
I have this movement installed in a watch that is already a Poljot, with a case design typical of the seventies. So, this is either a franken-watch where the original newer movement was replaced with an older version, or Poljot simply used old stock movements.
In the late sixties, three important things happened: 1MCHZ changed its name to Poljot, a unique classification system for movements was introduced, and the movement itself was simplified. According to the new coding system, the movement should be coded as 2612. However, as far as I know, no movement with this exact code exists. This is because the “original” 2612 was modified in the meantime, and the modified version received the code 2612.1.
All the changes mentioned resulted in the movement seen here:
It can be observed that:
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The 1MCHZ stamp was removed and replaced by the SU (Soviet Union) marking;
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The serial number disappeared and was replaced by the code 2612.1;
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The movement now looks more similar to my AS1475 movement, with a flat balance spring;
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The Cyrillic "18 камней" (18 jewels) was replaced by "18 jewels" on the bridge.
This basically concludes the development of this movement. The only significant change after that occurred following the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the SU stamp was simply removed from the bridge. So, if there is no SU stamp on the bridge, it is an obvious sign that the movement is a Russian product, not a Soviet one.
Now, we are ready to discuss the watches mentioned at the beginning. Let’s start with the Alexander Shorokhoff (AS).
Alexander Shorokhoff clearly positions this brand as a higher-class watch brand (in contrast to his other brand, Poljot International, which targets a lower segment). This is evident in the Tschaikovskiy model, which is made exactly as one would expect from a premium brand: stainless steel case, sapphire crystal on both the front and case back. The movement is the Russian-made 2612.1, but it is fully reassembled, gilded, and decorated. I dare say this is the best that can be done with this movement.
There is also a small but very important innovation: the hammer does not strike a pin mounted on the case back but instead hits a gong bulge on the inner edge of the case (see the picture). This small change allows the case back to be made of glass and screwed down, resulting in some degree of water resistance (though the crowns remain a weak point for serious water resistance).
AS rotated the movement by 90 degrees, so the crowns are placed at the top rather than on the right side as we are used to—giving the watch a “bullhead” appearance. The probable idea behind this is that the wristwatch alarm can also serve as a small table clock alarm. While this concept sounds attractive, I must admit it doesn’t work very well in practice.
The main problem with this design is that the owner has to actively use both crowns daily (which are screwed down, by the way). Winding the watch while wearing it is almost impossible, and deactivating the alarm is even more difficult.
Having the crowns on top also makes the watch appear smaller than it would with crowns on the side. Considering the watch is already quite small (only 40mm outer case diameter, 35mm inner case diameter, and a dial circumference of just 29mm), this optical effect makes it seem even smaller than expected from the specifications.
I should also mention the alarm hand, which is unfortunately too short. The hand is so short that setting the alarm precisely is difficult—you can easily miss the exact alarm time by plus or minus 15 minutes. If you’re used to digital alarms where you can set an exact time like 6:37, forget about that here.
The watch has small luminescent spots on both hands and a small dot at 12 o’clock. However, the lume doesn’t last very long, and together with the small surface area, it’s not very effective.
The "ringing" is slightly quieter than on standard Poljot 2612 movements. The gong instead of a pin produces a gentler, less annoying buzzing sound. You can hear the alarm sound in the following video, but I must warn you—it is not very loud when worn on the wrist.
The watch arrives in a nice, large wooden box—no surprises there.
What about the price? Well, take a deep breath: the full retail price in the Alexander Shorokhoff catalogue is 4,200 EUR. VERY high. To be honest, I managed to get this watch for 1,700 EUR through Julius Kampmann’s webshop, Poljot24.de. Still quite a lot for a watch with a 2612 movement, but honestly, you won’t find such a beautifully decorated and refurbished movement in any other watch. For an alarm watch collector, it’s definitely an interesting price.
I’ll comment more on the price at the end of this article. But for now, let’s move on to the other watch in focus—the Strela Signal.
Strela Watches is a relatively new brand established by Juri Levenberg, a well-known eBay watch seller. In the beginning, he simply imported Russian watches to the West, then launched the Pilot brand, and now this Strela Watches brand.
The main line of Strela Watches consists of chronographs dedicated to the original Strela watches with the 3017 movement. Apart from chronographs, this year they introduced alarm watches featuring the Poljot 2612.1 movement. All alarm watches are clearly inspired by the Strela heritage. I purchased the black dial version with the paddle hand, which is a clear nod to the traditional Strela paddle hand style.
You can judge how good this imitation is by comparing both watches. Unfortunately, I only have the Sekonda paddle hand version, but that is just a cosmetic difference.
Strela Watches named their alarm models Signal, which—as already mentioned—was the original name of the first 1MCHZ alarm watches. So, Signal is a somewhat strange “heritage” combination of two iconic but very different 1MCHZ (Poljot) watches. This confusion about which watch Strela is actually paying tribute to continues on the case back. There, you can see Leonov on his first spacewalk wearing a Strela chronograph, along with text stating the watch is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of his walk. All fine if the watch is a Strela chronograph—but neither Leonov nor any other cosmonaut ever wore a Signal or any Poljot alarm watch in space.
The watch is quite large, with a diameter of 44mm (the original Strela measures just 36mm!). The stainless steel case with black PVD coating, combined with sapphire glass, creates a solid and appealing impression. The construction of the case back follows the standard design used on 2612 and AS1475 movement watches — featuring the pin on the backplate and the fixing ring.
The alarm hand is short on this watch as well, but thanks to the larger dial, Strela includes an additional inner alarm dial, which greatly helps with setting the alarm time precisely. The hands feature a very small lume area on the paddle part, but unfortunately, the lume is quite weak—I couldn’t even capture a decent photo in low light due to poor visibility.
Now, let’s take a look under the hood. The first impression is exactly what you’d expect: a standard 2612.1 movement in its original configuration and appearance.
Standard materials, the 2612.1 stamp, “18 jewels” text on the bridge—and wait a minute, what? An SU stamp! So, the movement actually comes from the long-forgotten Soviet Union? New old stock, or perhaps a refurbished movement from an old Poljot alarm watch?
I also had some bad luck with the watch. When I received it, the second hand had fallen off. Nothing too serious, but this isn’t the first time I’ve received a Levenberg watch with a flaw. Clearly, quality control at his companies could use some improvement.
That said, overall the watch looks good and is well built. The alarm rings as expected, and both the alarm and the watch perform within reasonable expectations. You can check the alarm sound in the video below.
The watch comes packed in a relatively small wooden box—nothing too exciting, honestly. If anything, it’s a bit disappointing.
Price? The full price of this black model is 450 EUR. Again, with a bit of luck, you can find it cheaper—I paid 390 EUR. This is higher than most old-stock ex-Poljot alarm watches, but still within reasonable limits. The sapphire glass and black PVD stainless steel case are not typical features on Poljot watches, so these two elements definitely add value and help justify the somewhat higher price.
So, final verdict? Two very similar yet very different watches! One tries to be a high-end timepiece, the other a mass-produced watch that doesn’t pay as much attention to details. Clearly, the Alexander Shorokhoff is in a much higher class than the Strela. But is it nine times more expensive as the original price list suggests? Or four times more, as “true” pricing might indicate?
For the first question, my answer is a clear NO. For the second—hmm, I’ll leave that up to you. But personally, I’d say YES.
P.S. This article was first published on Portal Satova’s website on March 30, 2018. For this edition, it has been slightly modified: some additional pictures were added, less important ones removed, and some comments changed or added.
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