For a fascinating introduction to the world of Russian 24 hour watches, visit the russian24hours.info site, where Andrei writes knowledgeably about their history and variety:

A 24 hour watch is not just about the expanse of a large country or technological achievements – it is about a different way of looking at both time and space.

Here’s an inexpensive and practical pocket watch that I bought recently from the Zenitar store at eBay, with Victor at Zenitar providing excellent service. It’s a mechanical Raketa. I know nothing about it, other than its price, a mere $35!

I had it modified to make the hands luminous: they’re usually given a simple reflective finish that renders them invisible in certain lighting conditions. With the new coating, the extra contrast makes the watch readable in most lights.

It’s starting to look at bit battered. I might have to buy another one every six months!

This Vostok watch is the Neil Armstrong version of the Cosmonaut watch.

The Vostok factory have been making watches since the Great Patriotic War (what we call the Second World War), and were official suppliers to the Soviets during the Cold War period of the 1960s. It’s good to see them commemorating the first man on the moon. The Yuri Gagarin version doesn’t have a picture of the moon on it.

I saw this at rusplus.com, but you may find it elsewhere.