In the early 1990s, As the Soviet Union was experiencing its terminal collapse following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Poljot and other Soviet watch factories were still churning out watches for re-sale in the West under secondary Eurpoean brands like Sekonda. This alarm watch is from that interesting point in history. It’s still a good looking watch, if you don’t stare at it too hard (some of the dial and hand elements haven’t aged all that well). Re-plating in 14K gold certainly helped in that department. The movement is, in typical Soviet fashion, very workmanlike and pretty much devoid of anything resembling finishing. It still runs well, however, which as any good Soviet will tell you, is the important part.

Produced at the gloriously named Second Moscow Watch Factory by Slava in the twilight years of the USSR, this watch was slated for European sale under the Cornavin brand name. It’s certainly an interesting design, with its unusal hexagonal case. The Slava movement is also unusual and quite innovative, with an indirect drive mechanism, oversized balance, and twin mainspring barrels for space efficiency. It also has the customary soviet industrial finishing on the movement parts. However, even if it isn’t very pretty it still tells time well!

This "transitional ghost" is a masterclass in post-Soviet pragmatism, likely commissioned around 1992 as a commemorative gift for Moscow dignitaries. While the dial features a striking icon of St. George—the city's patron saint—and a "Made in USSR" hallmark, the true story lies in its over-engineered heart. Poljot engineers created the Caliber 3105 by stripping the stopwatch components from their legendary 3133 Chronograph, the same movement worn by Cosmonauts in space. This industrial hybrid retains the chronograph’s massive 31mm architecture and rugged pivots, resulting in a sub-seconds hand uniquely positioned at 9 o'clock.