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 city of Uglich, 120 km north of Moscow. The Second State Precision Stone Factory (ТТК-2) was completed between 1938 and 1942, initially dedicated to the production of precious and semi-precious stones for technical industries, such as rubies for watch movements.

In 1950, the plant was renamed the Uglich Watch Factory and began producing wristwatches, initially under the Zvezda brand and, from 1959, under the name Volga. However, up to the 1950s, production was limited to women’s calibres.

Meanwhile, the Chistopol Watch Factory focused on producing men’s watches. Around 1960, the Chaika (Чайка, “seagull”) brand was established, denoting watches with the 2605 calibre featuring 17 jewels and a date function. However, in 1964, the factory discontinued Chaika production following an internal reorganisation.

In 1963, after cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s historic mission as the first woman in space, the Uglich Watch Factory was renamed Chaika Watch Factory, in honour of her radio call sign during the Vostok 6 mission. That same year, the smallest calibre ever produced in the USSR, the Chaika 1200 (6×9 mm), was launched, winning the gold medal at the Leipzig Fair in 1966.

In the following years, the factory expanded its range to include men’s and women’s watches, automatic movements, diving models, and the first Soviet quartz watch. Production reached its peak in the 1980s, with 5 million pieces produced annually, 59% of which were exported to over 50 countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Germany.

In the 1990s, during the economic crisis, the factory managed to maintain production and technical expertise, adapting to new markets. However, in 2006, watch production was suspended, and in 2009, the company declared bankruptcy.