"Poljot" (ПОЛЁТ) automatic wristwatch, Soviet, with Cuban FAR presentation engraving
Entry/Object ID
2025.11.24
Description
Men's automatic wristwatch on a stainless-steel bracelet. Round steel case with a silvered dial (now heavily degraded), applied baton hour markers, and gilt hands; signed for Poljot with "Automatic" and jewel/shockproof text. Knurled crown at 3. The Soviet steel bracelet has a brick/"beads-of-rice"-style link pattern and a folding clasp. The clasp's outer face is hand-engraved in cursive Spanish: "Del Ministro de las F.A.R." The screw/snap caseback carries English durability legends; the clasp underside is stamped in Cyrillic.
Acquisition
Accession
2025.11
Acquisition Method
Purchase
Notes
Bought to Néstor Kim Enriquez
Made/Created
Manufacturer
First Moscow Watch Factory
Place
Country
U.S.S.R.
Region
Eastern Europe
Continent
Europe
Edition
Poljot
Notes
Maker: Poljot — First Moscow Watch Factory (USSR). The hand-engraved presentation inscription was added later (in Cuba).
Date: Circa 1960s–1970s. The Poljot brand dates from the early 1960s and the 29-jewel automatic style belongs to its 1960s–70s production; no explicit date mark is present, so the year isn't determinable, but it falls within the 1959–1990 range.
Place of Origin: USSR (Soviet Union) — watch and bracelet. Presentation-engraved in Cuba.
Inscription/Signature/Marks
Notes
Dial: "ПОЛЁТ" (Poljot), "AUTOMATIC," "[2]9 JEWELS" (probable), "SHOCKPROOF."
Caseback: "WATERPROTECTED – SHOCK-RESIST – ALL STEEL / AUTOMATIC."
Bracelet clasp (underside, Cyrillic): "НЕРЖАВЕЮЩАЯ СТАЛЬ / СДЕЛАНО В СССР" ("Stainless steel / Made in USSR").
Bracelet clasp (outer face, hand-engraved Spanish): "Del Ministro de las F.A.R." ("From the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces").
Materials
Material
Metal, Glass
Material Notes
Materials: Stainless steel case and bracelet; silvered metal dial; gilt hands; crystal (acrylic or mineral).
Technique: Mass-produced Soviet self-winding (automatic) wristwatch; the clasp inscription hand-engraved as a presentation/award addition.
Condition
Overall Condition
Poor
Relationships
Related Places
Place
City
Moscow
Country
U.S.S.R.
Region
Eastern Europe
Continent
Europe
Notes
production
Place
City
Havana
Country
Cuba
Region
Caribbean, Central America
Notes
use
Research Notes
Notes
In 1964 the First Moscow Watch Factory consolidated its brands under the single name Poljot ("Flight"), beginning a golden era spanning the 1960s through the end of the 1970s. Poljot De Luxe automatics of this period used a slim 29-jewel automatic movement. The English caseback legend marks it as an export-market watch.
Notes
Presentation: The clasp inscription "Del Ministro de las F.A.R." identifies it as a gift from the office of the Minister of Cuba's Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (Revolutionary Armed Forces). Across 1959–2008 that post was held by Raúl Castro; the engraving names the office/donor, not an individual, and no recipient name is visible — so there is no personal data to redact here. A Soviet import turned into a Cuban military honorific is a striking intersection of the collection's Soviet-import and Cuban-state-culture threads
