- Email Customer Support
- Common Questions
- Free shipping on all domestic orders over $25
DC Vintage Watch Giveaway and Clockwork Synergy’s June giveaway is a vintage Raketa “Big Zero” manual watch, with three Clockwork Synergy straps. These funky and stylish Big Zeros look great for any occasion, so see the entry rules at the end of this post!
The Big Zero has an interesting past and was known to have been worn by Mikhail Gorbachev during the 1980s. As noted by Worn & Wound in their article, “Affordable Vintage Watch: Raketa Big Zero,” “Dating likely from the early to mid-1980s, the Raketa Big Zero is a bold watch that does a lot with very little. Clearly what sets this watch apart is the dramatic index design. Massive numerals for 3, 6, 9, and 0 dominate the dial. Between each numeral are two long narrow triangles, giving the watch a toothed appearance. The strange thing about it is that it works. The huge numbers, though clearly oversized, are in harmony with the dial and the case. The end result is bold, almost brutal, but fun.” Worn & Wound also featured the Big Zero in their “Pairs Well With” series, here.
Raketa, also known as Paketa, started making watches in its St. Petersburg, Russia, Petrodvorets Watch Factory in 1961. Petrodvorets is Russia’s oldest factory and was founded by Peter the Great in 1721, and its watches were produced for the Red Army, the Soviet Navy, as well as for civilians. Raketa acquired its namesake from Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s inaugural flight into outer space, the first for mankind. In honor of the flight, Petrodvorets named its watches “rocket,” or Raketa in Russian. Mechanical Raketa watches produced in Petrodvorets were exported to many Eastern Bloc and communist countries and were considered one of the most durable and reliable movements there – the Ak-47 of watches at the time, if you will. By the 1980s Raketa was producing 4.5 million watches annually. For a short film on the history of Petrodvorets, check out this YouTube series, Part One, and Part Two. For a history of Raketa in the U.S., check out this WatchUSeek blog post, here.
DIAL: Original white dial with original minute, hour, and second hands. Iconic and retro “Made in the USSR,” in Russian, on the signed dial.
CASE: Original 39mm (41mm with crown) x 40.5mm barrel-shaped stainless steel case in pre-loved condition; original matching stainless steel case back.
CRYSTAL: Original domed plexiglas crystal.
STRAP: Three new 18mm nylon Clockwork Synergy leather & NATO straps, with stainless steel hardware – a great pairing to complement the classic vintage styling of the Big Zero.
MOVEMENT: Original Raketa 2609.HA manual mechanical movement; this Big Zero beats at a frequency of 18,000bph.
CROWN: Original stainless steel unsigned crown.
Enter on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram (or all 3 for additional entries)
TO ENTER
1. Follow both Clockwork Synergy and DC Vintage Watches 2. Find the image of this watch on either account of this watch and leave a comment about why you want this timepiece 3. Tag at least 4 friends (more friends tagged = additional entries into the drawing for you!)
The contest runs from 5-1-17 for two weeks. The winner will be announced shortly after on Social Media and will be contacted only by socialmedia@clockworksynergy.com
