Chaika wristwatch (head) – gold-plated, 17 jewels

Object/Artifact

-

Archive of Cuban Socialism

Name/Title

"Chaika" wristwatch (head) – gold-plated, 17 jewels

Entry/Object ID

2025.20.10

Description

Soviet lady's dress wristwatch, case and movement only (no strap). The square gold-plated case has a radiating engine-turned (sunburst) bezel surrounding a round dial framed by a rope-twist inner bezel. The silvered/champagne dial reads "CHAIKA," "17 JEWELS," and "MADE IN USSR," with applied baton hour markers and gilt hands; the crown is at 3 o'clock. The reverse is a plain stainless-steel snap caseback seated within the gold-plated case. Mechanical hand-wound movement.

Acquisition

Accession

2025.20

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Manufacturer

Uglich Watch Factory

Place

City

Uglich

Country

U.S.S.R.

Region

Eastern Europe

Continent

Europe

Notes

Maker: Uglich Watch Factory (Chaika Watch Factory), USSR — maker of the Chaika women's-watch brand, named for cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova's call sign. Verified. Date: Not marked. Soviet manufacture ("Made in USSR"); the Chaika brand dates from the early 1960s, and this gold-plated export style is consistent with c. 1960s–1980s.

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Notes

Dial: "CHAIKA / 17 JEWELS / MADE IN USSR" Caseband: "Au 12.5 +" (gold-plating mark, 12.5 microns) Caseback: plain steel; no legible engraving observed

Materials

Material

Metal

Material Notes

Materials: Gold-plated metal case (12.5-micron plating per the Au mark) with a stainless-steel snap caseback; crystal (acrylic/mineral); silvered metal dial; mechanical movement (17 jewels). Technique: Stamped and engine-turned (guilloché/sunburst) gold-plated case; 17-jewel mechanical hand-wound movement; printed dial.

Condition

Overall Condition

Fair

Relationships

Related Places

Place

City

Uglich

Country

U.S.S.R.

Region

Eastern Europe

Continent

Europe

Notes

production

Research Notes

Notes

The Latin-script "CHAIKA" and English "MADE IN USSR" indicate an export-market dial, consistent with the watch reaching Cuba through Soviet trade — the same COMECON import stream as the collection's other Soviet goods.

Created By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Create Date

October 30, 2025

Updated By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Update Date

June 13, 2026