Where to buy a Poljot? Any experience?

Landoflemon

Hello! I'm not that knowledgeable on watches, but last year realised that I have a serious yearning for an IWC Portuguese. It's the aesthetics really as I don't have a vast understanding of the movements. Not only is it beyond my hypothetical budget (As a 24 year old student), but most likely will remain beyond my budget at any stage in my future!



From a recent thread in this forum I saw the Poljot Journey. It seems to have a similar enough flavour and the more I look at it the more I think I prefer it to the IWC. I've googled this watch every day for about 2 weeks now! The hands and numbers can be in the same sort of blue colour as the IWC also depending on which Journey you order.

My question was if anybody here has bought a Poljot or Poljot Journey or if any recommendations for where to purchase one could be made. The best value I can find online for this particular watch is €345 including delivery from here: http://www.aviation-time.com/948/aaa/&image=1392

peasant

The thing is, Poljot (or the 1st Moscow watch factory to be exact) does not exist anymore and as such you cannot buy a new, authentic Poljot anymore.

But Russia being Russia there are small successor companies from this once huge factory (Maktime and Volmax bing the most prominent ones) that still operate out of those premeises and with some of the machinery that still produce Poljot watches even though strictly speaking nobody has the clear rights to that name.

They still make (and re-make) some of the old designs and also some new models ...the only "problem" is that you never quite know who exactly made your watch or when exactly it was made ...especially not when it says "Poljot" right on the front.


Anyhow, this seller comes highly regarded in russian collector's circles

http://www.poljot24.de/en/search.htm


and then there always is the bay where journeys pup up fairly regularly

Landoflemon

Thanks very much for the background information, I wouldn't mind too much where it came from, but it certainly sounds like the manufacturing of the watches is quite interesting and mysterious!

peasant

Maktime is the name of the company who used to make the movements. They've also dabbled in some watches, some fairly ugly examples at the bottom end of the market and some incredibly expensive, handcrafted, gilded and bejewelled glam pieces.

They recently stopped making movements and as nobody knows how many movements they have stockpiled, prices have risen and are continuing to rise.

You can find "Poljot" / Maktime 3133 chrono movements and their derivatives in the following watch brands:

Maktime, Volmax, Sturmanskie (by Volmax), Aviator (by Volmax), Buran (by Volmax), Pilot & Strela(by J. Levenberg), Poljot International (by Alexander Shorokov, based in Germany), Moscow Classic, Denissov, Umnyashov and surprisingly enough also in Junkers & Zeppelin watches (by poinTec of Germany)

(they may have found their way into some other brands that currently don't spring to mind)

Landoflemon

I was wondering, a lot of the Poljot Journeys that I've found online seem to be numbered from 1 - 999, do you know why some are numbered and some aren't?

peasant

Some of the numbered ones are probably from the original limited edition, others from re-issued "limited edition" and the unnumbered ones from somewhere inbetween

In other words ...on most Russian watches the numbers are just numbers without any further significance

Landoflemon

And now the €345 I quoted for the watch previously has increased to €395 to match other similar online prices. That's nearly a 15% price-hike. Should have bought it last week :mad:

Eoin

Landoflemon wrote: »

And now the €345 I quoted for the watch previously has increased to €395 to match other similar online prices. That's nearly a 15% price-hike. Should have bought it last week :mad:

Hard luck - keep an eye out and take your time. I was looking for this aviator watch a while ago and found a nearly identical one for about 100 less on eBay.

I think it's a lovely looking watch by the way - do post pics if you end up getting it.