Chaika / Чайка

The Uglich Watch Factory, initially known as the Second State Precision Jewel Factory (ТТК-2), was constructed in Uglich in 1938-1942 to produce precious stones. In 1950, it shifted its focus to wristwatch production and was renamed the Uglich Watch Factory. The factory mainly produced ladies’ watches and introduced Zvezda and Volga timepieces in the 1950s. During the same period, the Chistopol Watch Factory concentrated on men’s wristwatches and launched the Chaika brand in the 1960s. However, production of Chaika watches ceased in 1964 due to rebranding. In 1963, the Uglich Watch Factory was renamed the Chaika Watch Factory after Valentina Tereshkova’s historic spaceflight, and it introduced the smallest caliber ever made in the USSR, the Chaika 1200. The Chaika Watch Factory became renowned for its diverse range of watches, including automatic calibers, dive watches, ladies’ watches, and the first Soviet quartz resonator. These timepieces gained international popularity and were exported to around 50 countries. In 2006, mass production of wristwatches was suspended, leading to the factory’s bankruptcy filing in 2009.

Chaika watch plant