Poljot Signal

The last affordable wind-up alarm watch in production?

Some history

Alarm watches have been around for as long as there have been wearable mechanical timepieces. However, although the wristwatch entered common civilian use in the 1920s, it wasn't until 1947 that the first alarm wristwatch was made. This was the legendary Vulcain Cricket watch of choice for several US presidents. An avalanche of alarm watches hit the markets shortly after, and the popularity of this type of watch continued right up to the advent of the digital watch in the early '70s. Most featured Swiss movements, but many seem to have been assembled in the USA.

Both manual-wind and automatic watches were offered. Some watches such as the prestigious Jaeger LeCoutre Memovox featured tiny bells to produce a melodic ringing tone. Others followed the Vulcain example and employed a striking-pin fixed to the case-back to produce a flat buzzing sound with an accompanying tactile vibration. The Cricket used the crown-and-button interface still found on many quartz analogue alarm watches. The other popular system adopted by many watchmakers, including Jaeger, was the two-crown.

In 1959 the Soviet Union's elite 1^st Moscow Watch Factory (1-MChZ) created the 'Signal' developed from an Adolf Schilde movement, but with improvements. The resultant 2612 movement was a shock-proof, manual-wind, 18 jewel, 2-crown, buzzing alarm. Simple, but effective. The current 2612.1 differs only in minor detail.

Since 1936 the factory had been the official supplier of watches to the Soviet air-force and aerospace industry and remain so today. Following Yuri Gagarin's historical first space-flight in 1961 wearing a 1-MChZ 'Shturmanskie' chronometer, the factory changed it's name to Poljot ('Flight'). The current Poljot range includes alarm watches in the 'Aviator' and 'Russian Aviator' series, and several styled after the airforce-issue Buran chronographs of the early '90s.

Besides plugging their aviation heritage for all it's worth, Poljot are also keen to showcase their workmanship for its own sake their new 'Navigator' and 'Pop' models are fitted with glass case-back and striking-pin!

Recently the 1^st Moscow Watch Factory surrendered the rights to the name 'Poljot'. Their range is now being consolidated into distinct series that will serve as brand-names from now on e.g. Classic, Shturmanskie, Buran, Aviator.

Why bother?

There are many reasons why any Poljot Signal is a desirable acquisition. Mechanical watches of any kind are unusual these days, especially affordable new ones. There is a delightful simplicity in the design, and manual winding makes watch ownership a more active experience. The alarm is a fun gadget to play with. The homely buzz of the alarm connects you to a simpler past that has been largely swept aside by a world of electronic blips and beeps. And the two-crown look is distinctly different to anything else around.

And then there is the sheer efficiency of this alarm system compared to most others. Modern quartz watch manufacturers are only now beginning to turn again to crown-set all analogue alarms after decades of annoying button pressing proof of the soundness of the original alarm watch concept. The single alarm-hand system does limit precision to about the nearest 3 minutes, but does it really matter that you wake up at exactly 6:30am to the very second? The trade-off is an alarm that can be set and re-set in an instant, encouraging its use throughout the day, rather than merely to wake you in the morning.

How it works

The 2612 is basically a fairly typical manual wind movement with 18 jewels. Added to this is an alarm mechanism tripped by the hour hand. The alarm has its own spring barrel that is wound separately to power a tiny hammer that bangs against a stumpy pin welded to the inside of the case-back.

The 4 o'clock crown is to wind the mainspring and set the time in the conventional fashion with the proviso that the hour hand must never be turned backwards past the alarm hand. The 2 o'clock crown operates in a like fashion to wind and set the alarm. A 4^th hand, coaxial with the hour, minute and second hands shows when the alarm will trigger. The alarm hand may only be turned counter-clockwise.

Yes, it's as simple as that.

The Watches

The watches listed below are not necessarily representative of the full range of Poljot Signals. They're simply what fell to hand when I went looking for some examples to compare. Within this group is a 30 year old but well preserved used example, a new watch, one possible factory reject and a near-new demo model.

• 1970s export model
• 131 Series recent model, might not be current
• Aviator current model
• Winsky-Poljot

1970s

This is a particularly attractive example of a 1970s Poljot Signal. This is an export model marked entirely in English. It was more commonly available in the West labelled as Sekonda, and sometimes assembled in Hong Kong. It was also sold by Cornavin and a couple of other Swiss brands.

The typically '70s 'cushion' case is the simpler of the two variants used by Poljot the other has more facets around the lugs. It is quite streamlined and looks flatter than it really is. I don't know if the crystal is original, but certainly seems typical of the period. Thankfully it's more damage-resistant than the fully-domed glass used on some other Soviet watches.

The basic motif of the face is a beautiful polished metal sunburst in brown. This is enhanced by the long quarter-hour marks of the alarm chapter ring. The bold hour batons stand out against the darker portion of the surface, and the whole lot framed nicely by a delicate minute/second chapter ring at the extreme edge. Apart from the tiny 5 minute marks, there are no numbers on the face. The second and alarm hands are very slender, but the hour and minute hands are bold, blunt batons. All are polished, and unfortunately blend into the lighter portion of the face under certain lighting conditions. The generously applied luminous paint has sadly faded with age. All things considered, this is the most attractive, well-balanced face that I have seen on a '70s Poljot Signal.

I've been quite impressed by the quartz-like accuracy of this watch. The Bulgarian watchmaker who last serviced it obviously knew his stuff. The movement sounds just like all the other 2612's, but feels somehow different when winding and setting (dare I say more like a Vostok, but in a good way).

It might be my imagination, but the alarm crown looks slightly taller than the time crown. It's certainly been designed for accessibility without sacrificing the look of the watch. Thanks to the fine alarm hand and quarter-hour marks, the alarm can be set with pin-point accuracy. Unfortunately on this example, the hour hand is about 10 minutes fast, which rather upsets things until one learns to compensate.

The alarm is high-pitched and discharges faster than the other watches in the group. The sound is urgent, nervy, too-much-coffee-ish, and guaranteed to catch your attention in a less than relaxed fashion. 'Signal' is a suitable description for all these watches, but only this one truly fits the definition of 'Alarm' It is significantly louder and vibrates better than any of the new watches. This leads me to wonder whether the modern alarm watches have this feature more for style than practicality unlike this 1970s model which was designed before any electronic alternative was available.

The watch came supplied with a generic leather band, but is now temporarily wearing a 1980 Casio thin steel link band. I'm thinking it would look better with a chunkier 20mm link bracelet or maybe an 18mm expansion bracelet.

This watch is a fine example of '70s Soviet executive style and could be a hit with the retro crowd if only they knew.

131 Series

An early example of the aviation influences now prevalent on Poljot watches. It has big luminous numbers on a black face and BIG onion-type crowns in the Lindbergh tradition. In fact the case is not really big enough to look like a vintage aviation watch but then one doesn't always want to wear a frying-pan on one's wrist. The case pattern 131 is also available in gold and rose gold with a more civilian-looking face. Much of the styling and details of this watch (face, crowns and general sense of roundness) have been carried over to the new-generation Buran series. One could almost call it a 'proto-Buran'.

This watch has a rather interesting shape. The case is circular and quite compact, with pronounced curve over and under, but the elegantly Art-Deco step-sided lugs are massive. Add to this the Lindbergh crowns and the result is delightfully 'knobbly' the effect enhanced by the highly polished finish.

The face is black and slightly glossy although this doesn't seem to affect legibility. The alarm hand and chapter ring are set in a slight dip in the middle. The large hour numbers are luminous and shine brightly initially, but fade out after an hour at best. However the hour and minute hands will glow cheerfully all night long. This watch is easy to read under any conditions.

Those crowns are a sheer joy to use. Winding and setting both time and alarm is easy while wearing the watch. The only difficulty is reading the alarm chapter ring in low light it is marked in red against the black background. In it's favour though is the quarter-hour marks. I am able to set the alarm on this watch with more accuracy than on any of the other watches reviewed here. Maybe that's partly due to this watch being the only one of this group that permits some clockwise movement of the alarm hand. I have a feeling that this is actually a fault on this example as the hour hand can tend to drag the alarm hand forward. In actual use though, this is not a problem as it only occurs when the alarm has been discharged.

This watch has the loudest alarm of any of the modern watches in this collection, with a lower pitched, raucous note sort of loose and cheerful. And slightly rattly, especially when the watch changes angle mid-buzz. The vibration is reasonable, too.

I'm not sure if this watch was ever intended for export as there is a complete absence of Roman text anywhere on the watch. It was supplied new fitted with a cheap after-market military-style leather band, bearing a tiny icon of Yuri Gagarin (seriously!). Quite apart from a band which insulates watch from wrist being completely inappropriate on a Signal, it was also very uncomfortable. So I swapped it for a high quality Poljot band fashioned, it would seem, from 2 layers of heavy-duty boot leather difficult to wear in, but comfy now.

This is my current favourite watch.

Aviator

'Aviator' seems to be an ever-expanding line-up for Poljot, but this example is probably the most representative of all of them. I've seen this model (case pattern 122) occasionally described as the '40mm' on account of the case diameter to distinguish it from the very similar 45mm of the Russian Aviator and Dolphin lines. There also exists a 37mm 'Luftwaffe' Aviator with non-screw-down crowns.

The current Aviator range covers a choice of manual-wind with date, or with alarm, or Swiss automatic with date, or pocket-watch movement with white, grey or black face. I can't really see what the connection is between aviation watches and alarm watches, but maybe it's just a confluence of Poljot traditions. Certainly the purposeful appearance of the extra crown adds to the overall impression given by the sandblasted case and non-reflective black face. The bright orange alarm hand engaging the inner 13-24 hour chapter ring lends a functional air, too.

The big luminous numbers and chunky luminous hands blaze like neon in a dark room, and continue to glow strongly all night. Very impressive. In fact the high contrast face is easy to read in any lighting conditions. The big crowns are easy to get hold of while wearing the watch, but being a rigid screw-down type, can still be a bit fiddly. The screw-thread clearance is inadequate on the top crown, adding to the fiddliness and if the alarm is fully wound, the crown won't screw down! The lack of quarter-hour marks for the alarm hand reduces the precision in setting the alarm but I found it consistently tends to go off early rather than late, so that's not necessarily a bad thing. The alarm has a precise, businesslike note of reasonable volume, with (just) adequate vibration.

This watch was supplied with a comfortable, padded leather Poljot band of good quality. It has since been re-fitted with a matt-black steel link bracelet to complement the face.

Overall, this is in most respects a well designed and built watch that succeeds in conveying a aura of purposeful aeronautic professionalism. Maybe that's why the flawed alarm crown bothers me so much.

Winsky

Although this watch is not signed, its origins may be deduced from the following clues: Poljot's Far East distributor is Winsky International of Kowloon, who also produce their own watches with Poljot 2612 movements, but don't seem to market them directly. The watch is slightly different from any known Poljot model, but has a 2612 movement. The watch was purchased from Hong Kong. The seller claimed it was a 'Russian' watch that formed part of a sample batch for a European retailer hence the lack of logo on this example.

The fit and finish is really very good. The shape of the case is basically the same as the Aviator, but scaled down by a couple of millimetres possibly a Poljot case pattern 141. The bezel, back, crowns and most of the case are highly polished, but the top surface of the case is finely brushed to a less reflective satin finish. A nice touch, I think. The face is a bit plain, but so delightfully red.

The red leather faux-crocodile band is comfortable and complements the face. The inner surface is of high quality but the outer surface, although nicely finished, has proved to be somewhat susceptible to damage. Unfortunately the load-bearing parts of the band have been glued only, not stitched, so I've had to repair it a couple of times.

In use, the watch is comfortable and easy to read at a glance except at night, as the luminous hands are scarcely discernible. Also the crowns, whilst visually well proportioned, are too small for convenience. It is difficult to wind and set either time or alarm while the watch is on one's arm. This is a bit of a shame for a watch of this genre. The alarm volume is slightly below what I would consider adequate, however the vibration on the wrist has never failed to catch my attention. Strange that the quietest 'buzz' of these four watches should also vibrate better than the other new models.

All things considered, this watch has proved to be better than I expected, given its origins. I've become quite fond of it.

Poljot Signal watches tend to be like that.

Comparison Table

Note:

• Length is lug-tip to lug-tip
• Width includes crowns
• Diameter excludes crowns and lugs
• Height is case-back to top of glass

Final Note - An Experiment

To test my theory that a Signal watch is more effective if worn directly against the skin, I fitted the Yuri Gagarin band (see 131 Series above) to the 70s model. This band is in the vintage military tradition, being a continuous strap of leather with a smaller strap anchored to the underside, piercing the main strap and threading through the lugs. Thus the watch is isolated from the wrist by two layers of leather. The result surprised me.

As may be expected, the sound of the alarm was louder, being less muffled by my arm. What was surprising though was that there was still a useful amount of vibration present, too.

Owners of Signal watches who have been disappointed by the gentleness of their alarms (I've heard this is an issue with glass-backed Navigators) may wish to take note of this and invest in a similar style of band. Then again, you can't see a glass case-back on a Yuri Gagarin band.

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