Aug 19, 2018 Hy all, I have 2 molnija pocket watches, the older one is a 15 jewel 443, the newer one is maybe a 17-18 jewel and 3602. The 443 is from Cseljabinszk. Prod date maybe 1950-1960, at the back cower are 2 scratches, you can see at the photo, but I draw them to see better. Jan 13, 2017 (With or without splitting it up into how many finished up branded 'Molnija' and how many finished up carrying other brands.) Judging by the sheer number of them that are always widely offered for sale I would put the figure in the tens of millions, however with only 6-digit serial numbers to look at it's hard to say what was produced & when.
Industry | Watchmaking |
---|---|
Founded | 1947 |
Headquarters | , |
Revenue | $2.33 million[1] (2017) |
$190 thousand[1] (2017) | |
$719.92[1] (2017) | |
Total assets | $3.49 million[1] (2017) |
Total equity | $2.09 million[1] (2017) |
Website | Official website |
Russian Poljot 'Siberia' model with finished Molnija movement, seen through a crystal back
Molnija AChS-1 cockpit chronograph
Chelyabinsk Watch Factory 'Molnija' (sometimes transliterated Molniya; Russian: Челябинский часовой завод) was a Russianwatch and clockmaker based in Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast. Molnija (Молния) is the Russian word for lightning.
- 1History
History[edit]
The Molnija clock and watch factory opened on November 17, 1947. The company's main customer was then the Soviet Union Department of Defense, providing them with wristwatches, pocket watches and table clocks. Unique clocks were also produced specifically for use in Soviet tanks, fighter aircraft, submarines and, eventually, spacecraft.
Molnija's main product were mechanical pocket watches with military, religious and historical motifs. The Molnija movement is basically a copy of a Cortébert movement used in Swiss watches from around 1940.[2] About 80% of the work on most of the watches was done by hand. Some Molnija movements were used in oversized men's wristwatches. Early Molnija pocket watch movements (from 1947 to c. 1960) normally had 15 jewels. Later ones (from around 1965 to 1997) normally had 18 jewels. However from around 1997 they started to produce lower quality watches with fewer jewels.[2]
The company ceased production in October 2007.[2][3] A few employees continued to sell Molnija watches assembled from unused stock,[2] and 'new' Molnija pocket watches were still available on the market for some time afterwards.[4]
Modern revival[edit]
After the closure of the factory in 2007, a small group of people revived the Molnija brand with new designs.[2]Today the factory 'Molnija' produces technical watches for aircraft and ships, and is actively developing new markets.[5]
Products[edit]
- Molnija pocket watch
- Molnija AChS-1 cockpit chronograph mechanism
- View of a finished Molnija watch movement
Notes[edit]
- ^ abcdehttps://www.kartoteka.ru/card/8d26c5e3ca619517ec53f2b908dab1c4/42ff4773d29accc325eab7b469a94b6a/#path_Main_Fin_Bo_Bo; financial statement; retrieved: 23 October 2018.
- ^ abcdeGuido Bother. 'Molnija pocket watches'. linuxfocus.org. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^Molniya watches can become history soonArchived 2008-07-06 at the Wayback Machine, SOLOD.com
- ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2006-09-26.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^'Челябинский часовой завод Молния, российские часы'. molnija-ltd.ru.
![Jaeger Jaeger](http://linuxfocus.org/~guido/molnija-pocket-watch/molnija-15j-1-67-____th.jpg)
![Serial Serial](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125683562/233252896.jpg)
External links[edit]
- Official website
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Molnija&oldid=931671858'