Raketa Revives A Traditional Piece Of Antarctic Exploration Historical past With The New Restricted-Version Polar Watch

Ever because the discovery of Antarctica by a workforce of Russian explorers in 1820, Russia has been a proud chief within the exploration of this distant and inhospitable surroundings. One of the vital excursions to Antarctica was the 16th Soviet expedition in 1970, the place explorers had been subjected to temperatures as little as -89° C together with as much as six months of steady daylight or darkness within the altering Antarctic seasons. These circumstances offered a singular problem to the scientists timing the expedition, who turned to Raketa to create a timepiece that would deal with these hostile circumstances, whereas additionally permitting explorers to inform day from evening at a look in a land of perpetual daylight or darkness. The consequence was the 24-hour Raketa Polar, one of many rarest and most original timepieces ever produced in the course of the Soviet period. Now, 50 years after this historic expedition, Raketa has revived the legendary Polar with a commemorative restricted version that captures the spirit of exploration.

The 35mm gold tone stainless-steel case of the Raketa Polar is each devoted to the historic unique and deceptively easy at first look. With a dressy, slim profile and distinctive triangular lugs, the class of the Polar’s case belies its unimaginable functionality. Like the unique, the brand new Polar encompasses a advanced four-piece case building system with a singular retention system for its natural crystal, making a bundle that’s each sturdy and extremely immune to the brutal Antarctic chilly.

Just like the case, the dial is a devoted recreation of the unique, however up to date with fashionable manufacturing high quality. The utilized indices and daring palms are generously full of Tremendous-LumiNova for straightforward studying in any gentle circumstances, whereas the sensible silver sunburst of the dial floor is playfully paired with a clear, interval right graphic remedy symbolizing Raketa’s conquest of the poles. Each element is faithfully reproduced, right down to the sweeping Cyrillic script of Raketa’s traditional emblem at 9 o’clock. The 24-hour scale across the dial is boldly legible as effectively, highlighting the distinctive as soon as a day circuit of the Polar’s hour hand.

The in-house  Caliber 2623 motion contained in the Raketa Polar is a mechanical marvel in its personal proper. Specifically revived for this restricted version mannequin, the Caliber 2623 is identical motion specification as the unique Raketa Polar from 1970. That is the primary time Raketa has produced a hand-wound mechanical motion since 2014, and each part right down to the escapement and hairspring is produced and assembled in Raketa’s personal manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg. Though the motion design is 50-years-old, efficiency is completely fashionable with a 42-hour energy reserve and an accuracy of inside 10 seconds per day.

The Raketa Polar is delivered with a pair of straps. The primary, a black real leather-based piece with a hanging crimson lining, emphasizes the dressier facets of the Polar’s design whereas remaining sturdy and cozy. As well as, the Polar additionally comes with a khaki NATO-style nylon strap for a extra rugged utilitarian look.

Russia’s historical past in Antarctica is an extended and proud one, as is the historical past of Russian watchmaking. This devoted reissue of the enduring Raketa Polar captures an iconic second in time for each, preserving this proud historical past for a brand new technology of collectors. The Raketa Polar is proscribed to solely 200 examples and is at the moment obtainable for preorder on Raketa’s web site for a reduced preorder value of $1,210. As soon as pre-orders finish and the watch begins to ship in March, this value will go as much as $1,510, so act quick!