Founded during the chaos of World War II, the Zlatoust Watch Factory emerged from the evacuation of the First State Watch Factory to the Ural Mountains. In late 1941, hundreds of skilled workers and tons of machinery were relocated to the industrial city of Zlatoust to support the Soviet war effort.
Initially focused on producing timing devices for artillery and aircraft, the factory quickly became essential: over 90% of Soviet tanks and planes were equipped with timers or cockpit clocks made in Zlatoust. Cosmetic refinements were abandoned—functionality and survival came first.
After the war, the factory expanded into civilian timepieces, including oversized diver’s watches for the Navy, pocket watches for the visually impaired, dashboard clocks, and precision timers. By the early 1960s, it shifted its focus to mechanical stopwatches, marketed domestically under the name Agat and exported internationally.
Known since then as the Agat Watch Factory, it remained a major player in Soviet and Russian industrial watchmaking. Today, it continues to operate, upholding a tradition rooted in resilience, precision, and adaptability.