The CARDI-Vostok brand represents a fascinating chapter in the evolution of post-Soviet Russian watchmaking. Founded in 1991, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, CARDI-Vostok initially focused on rebranding and reselling Vostok, Pobeda, and Raketa watches. In 1993, the brand began producing original designs under the name CARDI-Vostok.
The name “Cardi” is an abbreviation of “Car Design Studio,” a Moscow-based company specializing in car customization. This connection to the automotive world is reflected in the watch names, often inspired by motoring themes such as Capitan, MVM Sport, GP, and Racing Time. The watches were produced with Vostok movements, but also with calibers from other factories like the 1st Moscow Watch Factory (Poljot), Slava, and later even Chinese movements after the brand was acquired by Interex-Orion in 2000.
Early CARDI-Vostok models stood out for their more “Western” aesthetics and the use of materials like brass and cheap alloys, mainly produced by the Minsk Watch Plant. Unfortunately, the quality of the watches declined over time, leading the brand to lose popularity and cease production around 2009. Today, CARDI has refocused on automotive design, leaving behind a series of watches that testify to an era of transition and innovation in Russian watchmaking.
Sources: WatchUSeek – SovietWatchStore
