Places near me Random place
All Russia Saint Petersburg Raketa Watch Factory

Raketa Watch Factory

An iconic Russian watch brand inspired by Yuri Gagarin's trip to outer space.

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Added By
bwillsonz
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

Since the early 1960s, Raketa wristwatches, have been manufactured by the Petrodvorets Watch Factory in Saint Petersburg. The inspiration for these watches came on April 13, 1961, when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made the first manned flight in outer space. To honor the achievement, the Raketa (Russian for "rocket") watch was born.

At the peak of production in the 1970s, the factory produced about 5 million watches per year. You can get a behind-the-scenes tour of the manufacture of watches from an iconic Russian brand, including seeing the original Soviet-era machinery still running to produce watch components. 

Related Tags

Factories Clocks Time

Know Before You Go

Tours are very reasonably priced in Russian and English, and the factory is just walking distance from Peterhof Palace.

Community Contributors

Added By

bwillsonz

Published

April 11, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Related Places

  • Winters Clock

    Stockport, England

    Winter's Clock

    Three mechanical figures—a soldier, a sailor, and Father Time—announce the time on this local landmark.

  • Ghantaghar

    Kathmandu, Nepal

    Ghantaghar

    This legendary clock tower has dominated Kathmandu’s skyline since it was built in 1894.

  • Cervantes, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza

    Ciudad Real, Spain

    Chime Clock at Casa del Arco

    Ciudad Real's former town hall found new life in 2005 when the chime clock with automatons was installed.

  • This clock originally served as a water tower for a sewing machine factory.

    Wittenberge, Germany

    Singer Clock Tower

    This striking clock tower was once part of the Singer sewing machine factory.

  •

    Lyon, France

    Horloge Charvet

    After decades of damage, this feat of timekeeping and automaton art has been given a new lease on life.

  • St. Anne's with two of its four clocks visible.

    Cork, Ireland

    The Four-Faced Liar

    On the clock tower at St. Anne's Church in Cork, you never know which face is telling the truth.

  •

    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    Allen-Bradley Clock Tower

    This was once the largest four-sided clock in the world (yes, even bigger than Big Ben).

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

See Fewer Ads

Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads

Become a Member