This stunning timepiece is a tangible piece of the Space Race! The watch you hold is a Sekonda, which was the export brand used to sell prestigious Soviet watches in the UK and Western markets. Underneath the dial is the legendary Caliber 3017 movement—the same movement found in the Strela (Russian for 'Arrow') chronograph worn by Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov during the first-ever human spacewalk in 1965! Your customer isn't just buying a vintage watch; they are buying a verified piece of Soviet space history and the Soviet Union’s answer to the Western chronograph giants.
The heart of this watch is the technical detail your customer needs to appreciate: the 19-Jewel Caliber 3017 is a column-wheel chronograph. This is the highest-grade architecture for a mechanical chronograph, known for its smooth, crisp pusher feel and superior durability compared to cheaper cam-actuated movements. Even more amazing, this movement's design is based on the renowned Swiss Venus 150 caliber, with the tooling and knowledge secretly transferred to the USSR in the 1950s—true Cold War horological espionage!
Aesthetically, the black dial is a masterpiece of early tool-watch design. It features dual-scale functionality: the outer ring is a Tachymeter (for measuring speed), and the inner red-tipped scale is a Telemeter (for measuring distance, such as artillery range, or lightning distance). These professional scales, combined with the signature red-tipped sub-dial hands, make for a highly complex and visually appealing "panda" style layout that instantly signals its elite, military-issue pedigree. This is a must-have piece of mechanical and historical significance.
