Chaika / Чайка

Chaika: the iconic Soviet brand of innovation and prestige

In December 1937, the Council of People’s Commissars ordered the construction of a factory in the town of Uglich, 120 km north of Moscow. The Second State Precision Jewel Factory (ТТК-2) was completed between 1938 and 1942, initially specialising in the production of precious and semi-precious stones for the technical industry, such as ruby jewels used in watch movements.

In 1950, the facility was renamed the Uglich Watch Factory and began producing wristwatches, first under the Zvezda brand and later, in 1959, expanding to Volga. However, throughout the 1950s, the factory remained focused solely on ladies’ calibres.

Meanwhile, the Chistopol Watch Factory concentrated on men’s watches. Around 1960, the Chaika (Чайка, meaning “seagull”) brand was introduced, featuring a 17-jewel calibre 2605 with a date complication. However, by 1964, Chistopol ceased production of Chaika watches due to a major rebranding, marking the end of the brand’s association with the factory.

Back in Uglich, things were changing rapidly. In 1963, following cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s historic spaceflight as the first woman in space, the Uglich Watch Factory was renamed Chaika Watch Factory, after her radio callsign during the Vostok 6 mission. That same year, the factory introduced the smallest calibre ever produced in the USSR—the Chaika 1200 (6×9 mm)—which went on to win a gold medal at the Leipzig World Fair in 1966.

Over the following decades, the factory expanded its production, manufacturing a wide range of men’s and women’s watches, automatic calibres, diver’s watches, and even the first Soviet quartz timepiece. The brand reached its peak success in the 1980s, producing five million watches annually, with 59% exported to over 50 countries, including the UK, Canada, France, and Germany.

Despite the economic turmoil of the 1990s, the factory managed to maintain production and technological expertise, adapting to new market demands. However, in 2006, mass production of wristwatches was suspended, and by 2009, the company had officially declared bankruptcy.