Raketa
- Founded
- 1961
- Based in
- Saint Petersburg, Russia
- In our catalog
- 1 watch from $1,000 to $1,300
Raketa (Russian for "rocket") comes from one of the oldest factories in Russia. The Petrodvorets Watch Factory started life in 1721 as a stone-cutting workshop founded by Peter the Great at Peterhof, near Saint Petersburg. Today it's one of the few Russian watchmakers still making its own movements, and its designs mix Soviet nostalgia with unusual ideas like 24-hour dials and the disc-driven Copernicus.
History
For two centuries the Peterhof lapidary works made objects from precious stones for the Russian court. In the 1930s it began making jewel bearings for the Soviet watch industry, and after the Second World War it moved into watchmaking. It was renamed the Petrodvorets Watch Factory in 1954, and the Raketa brand was launched in the early 1960s to celebrate Yuri Gagarin's flight.
Raketa made millions of watches in the Soviet era, including models for polar expeditions and the military. The brand declined after 1991 and was revived around 2010 by new owners who brought back historic designs.
Signature models
- Copernicus: Instead of conventional hands, the time is shown by rotating discs, a nod to the astronomer who put the Sun at the center of the solar system.
What it's known for
Raketa makes its own movements in Saint Petersburg, and its watches have a design language you won't find anywhere else.
Price and positioning
Raketa watches mostly cost $500 to $1,500. Vostok is the cheaper Russian option, and Seagull the Chinese alternative with a similar mix of history and value. Availability outside Russia varies by country.
Raketa watches in our library
- Raketa Copernicus ($1,000 to $1,300)