Slava watches

Slava (Russian: Cлава, meaning "Glory") watches were classic "civil" Russian watches. The Slava factory (known originally as the Second Moscow Watch Factory) was the second non-military watchmaker established in the Soviet Union, in 1924. The watches of this brand have always been intended for civilian consumption, without military or aerospace pretensions.

SLAVA for men, made in Russia, 21 jewel gilding series 20.

Slava's own mechanical movements feature two mainspring barrels coupled together with an idler gear. There are many versions of the movement including manual wind 2414 and 2428 (double date) and self winding 2416 and 2427 (double date). The movements are quite sensitive to shocks due to the thin balance staff. Other frequent problems include premature wear of the rotor bearing and the clutch driving the hands (not a typical cannon pinion). In addition, date indicator malfunctions are common. The movements are thus considered unreliable, especially compared to other Russian calibres. Earlier the 2nd Moscow Factory produced movements derived from an old pre-war French movement, the Lip "T-15" (also some Poljot movements were derived from this French brand), and produced under license (brands Pobeda and Start). In addition to that, for relatively brief periods, Slava also produced its own electronic movements using tuning fork and quartz systems. Some Slava watches were produced under Sekonda brand names.

Awards:

  • 1964 - at the Leipzig international fair, Slava's tuning-fork wristwatch received a gold medal
  • 1974 - Slava watches received a gold medal at the Brno fair
  • 1975 - gold medal at the Leipzig international fair

Slava watches utilize their own Russian made movements today, and for some models, bought in movements from Miyota are used. In the 1990s, many Slava movements were exported to China and Hong Kong, and can since be found in Chinese production.

Some Russian businessmen used them to make fake Slava watches, protecting themselves by changing the logo for "Slava Sozvezdie" (Russian: Слава Созвездие) or CJIABA, even though it still presents trademark infringement. Since 2006 the Slava Sozvezdie watches have appeared in vast quantities, they contain no Russian content but are often marked "Russia" on the dial, and are built as cheaply as possible. These watches have nothing to do with the Slava company and are distributed in Russia only through channels usually associated with fake brand watches. Distributors of such fakes declare that rights were bought for the brand, but the Slava brand was not registered in China and anybody could produce it there.

As of January, 2006, the Slava factory and its property were to be sold for retail development. As of 2010 the building of the factory has been brought down to make space for new real estate projects. The brand has been taken over by the municipality of Moscow in a debt swap.

Exclusive rights for production of Slava watches together with movements and parts from 2006 years are being leased to the Slava Trade House company. The manufacturing facility of Slava TH is located at Uglich in a separate workshop of the ex-Chaika factory.

In the 2016 film Glory (original title Slava), set in contemporary Bulgaria, the protagonist's Slava watch with an engraving from his father plays a key role in the plot.[1]

References
  1. Allan Hunter (8 August 2016). "'Glory': Locarno Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
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