[Smirs]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

I have to say a few more words about Poljot - Volmax is not the only company ruled by ex-Poljot guys. We should also to mention Denissov (Barracuda, Enigma, Coalition,Nautilus), Poljot Elite (Poljot President), Poljot Chronos, and, in a way, Gold Time watch brands. All these respectable companies are based in Moscow and some of them (three of four;-) ) in the same big bulding on Marksistkaja 34 (Poljot). Denissov company seems to be export oriented more than the other three and it could be just another Volmax if only Denissov's models wasn't so overpriced.

It may be hard a bit to explain, but from my personal experience it seems what all new russian brands with Poljot roots are more watch companies than theirs collegues from Slava or Vostok. Poljot really was much more export-oriented company than Slava, Vostok and Chayka.
So while the ex-Poljot companies aren't known much what can be said about all other new russian watch brands?

For example, we are trying now the new brand "Right Move" (Spetsnaz, Derzhava,Cosmonavigator), well, I said "new", but in fact this company is on the Moscow market from 2001 (with some certain connections to Slava), and they are producing more than two hundreds models (and each of model by thousands), and who knows them? We are planning to publish their catalogue on our site during August, by the way, there are some intresting models with Vostok inside.

Or take the Platinor - the biggest Russian jewelry watch brand, name is belong to Anlina company which also owns the Chayka factory in Uglich.

That's only two examples of not-ex-Poljot new Russian watch brands, there are more and still coming.

Now there a lot of competition on the Russian market for the fast-growing luxury watches niche, so some companies (as the Platinor or the Gold-Time) are producing only the expensive watches, with gold cases, diamonds and suchlike. It's easily predictable that in a few years here will be some more jewelry watch brands. And another temptation for a new russian watchmakers is the market of watches with customized logo which is also on a rise. So our watch companies aims for home market and only Poljot (I meant all ex-Poljot community) and Vostok (Vostok Europe isn't the Russian brand ) still thinking about export.

And nobody wants to develop new watch movements now, so everyday here is more and more new Russian watches assembled on the expensive Swiss movements or cheap Chinese quartz.
Only Vostok seems to survive and may be it just because they are too far from temptations of the Moscow watch market.

 

[Chascomm]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Thank you for the Moscow perspective :-!

 

[VEV 1138]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Stayed off the forum for a while after causing the stir about this topic before. I think Irina did an excellent job of explaining everything.

Hope everyone is having a great summer...

 

[Nondisputandum]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

THis is by far one of the most interesing piece about Russian watches I've read so far. :gold

 

[Pete Fiandra]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Great info.:-! Thanks Irina for taking your valuable time and providing all this useful information.:thanks

 

[michele]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Message by Norman F (moved from other thread)

I decided in the end to get the Aviator IL2 from Poljot4u.com over the Aeronavigator I was considering since its there's a legitimate brand label and its a real Poljot as opposed to the pseudo-Poljots you've listed. There may be nothing wrong with them in quality terms but it seems to me that a Russian company would want to stand behind them. Sure, I'm paying more but I intend to back a legitimate Russian watch company. Not all is lost; Poljot.com as I mentioned on my own thread here, is opening their own e-store at the end of the month. Its been a chaotic time in Russia but things are finally beginning to take on a shape. And the good brands will survive on their reputation and through authorized sellers while the pseudo-Poljots will be principally eBay brands.

 

[michele]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Message by Norman F (moved from other thread)

I decided in the end to get the Aviator IL2 from Poljot4u.com over the Aeronavigator I was considering since its there's a legitimate brand label and its a real Poljot as opposed to the pseudo-Poljots you've listed. There may be nothing wrong with them in quality terms but it seems to me that a Russian company would want to stand behind them. Sure, I'm paying more but I intend to back a legitimate Russian watch company. Not all is lost; Poljot.com as I mentioned on my own thread here, is opening their own e-store at the end of the month. Its been a chaotic time in Russia but things are finally beginning to take on a shape. And the good brands will survive on their reputation and through authorized sellers while the pseudo-Poljots will be principally eBay brands.

As already said, there isn't a watch less or more "legitimate".
BOTH the watches are theorically "pseudo-Poljots" or "substantially Poljot".
None of them can use the Poljot brand (at least until somebody will definitely buy the Poljot name), both are made by the Poljot's crew, and the fact that they choose different ways of distribution is not important for me (don't forget that ALL the recent Poljots produced in the last years, included some very collectable models like the Okeah, were sold and distributed on Internet and on Ebay).
Oh, anyway, i would prefer that all those watches -Volmax, Moscow Classic, Denissov etc.etc.)- were ALL marketed again with Poljot brand like before. ;-)

 

[Chascomm]

Poljot-Trade

As already said, there isn't a watch less or more "legitimate".
BOTH the watches are theorically "pseudo-Poljots" or "substantially Poljot".
None of them can use the Poljot brand (at least until somebody will definitely buy the Poljot name), both are made by the Poljot's crew, and the fact that they choose different ways of distribution is not important for me (don't forget that ALL the recent Poljots produced in the last years, included some very collectable models like the Okeah, were sold and distributed on Internet and on Ebay).
Oh, anyway, i would prefer that all those watches -Volmax, Moscow Classic, Denissov etc.etc.)- were ALL marketed again with Poljot brand like before. ;-)

Very interesting situation with Poljot-Trade, based on what you have uncovered with purchases and research (Thanks Michele; we're all glad that it's your cash on the line :-D )

I would guess the Poljot-Trade really is purely a trade company ordering OEM watches from wherever they can get the style that they're looking for (i.e. mostly the old Poljot-Aviator style), hence some watches that appear to be assembled from surplus 1st Moscow parts stocks, as well as those (probably Million Smart) Chinese models that provide an affordable automatic for their product range.

Really they are creating a mine-field for their customers. If I'm looking for an authentic Russian watch, how do I know what I'm getting? If I buy the hand-wind, it's 100% Russian made, but the almost identical automatic is Chinese with a Japanese/Chinese movement O|

The other problem is that the uncertain origins of Poljot Trade's watches cast a shadow over the whole industry.

It must be very interesting working in the old 1st Moscow Watch Factory, with half the tenants approved by the watch industry association, and others definitely not approved. Hopefully the landlord doesn't have to employ security guards to break up the fights :-D (just kidding)

 

[michele]

Re: Poljot-Trade

Very interesting situation with Poljot-Trade, based on what you have uncovered with purchases and research (Thanks Michele; we're all glad that it's your cash on the line :-D )

I would guess the Poljot-Trade really is purely a trade company ordering OEM watches from wherever they can get the style that they're looking for (i.e. mostly the old Poljot-Aviator style), hence some watches that appear to be assembled from surplus 1st Moscow parts stocks, as well as those (probably Million Smart) Chinese models that provide an affordable automatic for their product range.

Really they are creating a mine-field for their customers. If I'm looking for an authentic Russian watch, how do I know what I'm getting? If I buy the hand-wind, it's 100% Russian made, but the almost identical automatic is Chinese with a Japanese/Chinese movement O|

The other problem is that the uncertain origins of Poljot Trade's watches cast a shadow over the whole industry.

It must be very interesting working in the old 1st Moscow Watch Factory, with half the tenants approved by the watch industry association, and others definitely not approved. Hopefully the landlord doesn't have to employ security guards to break up the fights :-D (just kidding)

I always prefer to see the substance with my eyes, and definitely i know if some watch is worthy of some expenses ;-) Definitely i don't regret to have bought those watches.
In my opinion, the situation is even more complex than our thoughts. If you look on the catalogue of Poljot Trade (www.poljot-trade.ru ) you will see also a lot of Poljot models, with Poljot name and with Poljot movement, exactly the same models produced some time ago by Poljot!

My opinion is that all the new companies took a part of the old production lines. Or there is a central production and the distribution is assigned to different companies. Oh, and i'm not yet sure that Poljot Trade produces the Aeronavigator and Pilot chronographs ;-)
I have sent an e-mail to one of those companies, in order to obtain direct informations. Hoping that they will reply. :-D

 

[Chascomm]

Re: Poljot-Trade

I always prefer to see the substance with my eyes, and definitely i know if some watch is worthy of some expenses ;-) Definitely i don't regret to have bought those watches.
In my opinion, the situation is even more complex than our thoughts. If you look on the catalogue of Poljot Trade (www.poljot-trade.ru ) you will see also a lot of Poljot models, with Poljot name and with Poljot movement, exactly the same models produced some time ago by Poljot!

My opinion is that all the new companies took a part of the old production lines. Or there is a central production and the distribution is assigned to different companies. Oh, and i'm not yet sure that Poljot Trade produces the Aeronavigator and Pilot chronographs ;-)
I have sent an e-mail to one of those companies, in order to obtain direct informations. Hoping that they will reply. :-D

I look forward to the result of your investigation.

The presence of so many Poljot-branded watches suggests to me that Poljot-Trade may have started as a retailer of Poljot watches only, but has now expanded their range to include their own brands on OEM watches. They are using their connections with the factory to get genuine Poljot-parts watches built to order.

Did you notice that in their alarm watch range, only case pattern 524 is branded 'Pilot Time', the rest are Poljot. 524 is the only case in that selection which was introduced after Volmax started.

 

[VEV 1138]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Hello everyone!

There has definitely been a great conversation going on about the status of the Russian watch world.

I've left it alone of late, as I might have offended some folks with my comments about some of the new watches on the market in the past. I'm going to try and avoid that angle this time.

But I wanted to throw out some thoughts about this topic in general. It seems that there is some frustration with the splintering of Poljot. Not being able to tell who is who, wishing there were a clear line back to one manufacturer, lamenting the market fragmentation, etc.

I would just like to proffer that this part of the natural evolution of any emerging market. This is a good thing. Maybe a bit unnerving in the beginning, but chaos is not always a negative in the marketplace. It's like survival of the fittest -- from this will emerge the new leaders in Russian watches.

Just pick up a copy of Wristwatch Annual to see that there are tons of watch companies in Switzerland, Germany, Japan, etc. How many of those grew from one genesis to split into other companies? Competition breads a better mousetrap... (no kidding, I know).

Many industry insiders I've had the fortune to interact with -- such as watch magazine publishers and journalists of the watch trade -- believe that Russian watches are the next big thing, and our affordable quality is going to truly give the Swiss a run for their money.

But they all say that there will be a shake out first of the true Russian brand leaders, just like when the Swiss re-emerged after the quartz revolution.

Five years from now, the landscape will most like look very different than today, and hopefully even better. The companies that build a unified marketing strategy and the best Russian watches will survive and the ones that don't... well, won't. And, I am in no way saying which ones that will be.

And, regardless of which brand you buy, every quality watch that says "Made In Russia" is helping to build a foundation for furture growth of these watches we all care about so much.

I also know it's tough to see this happen when you've been a fan of these watches long before others discovered them. It's like saying: "I really liked REM before they became mainstream... there old stuff is much better." Nostalgia for when you felt like you "owned" a that rock band, or an author, or a watch brand before everyone else did. And disliking what they became when everyone else found out about them.

Just my thoughts... hope it stimulates some other good coversation. And I know I can sound "preachy" -- don't mean to. Former journalist myself, so that is just how I write.

Thanks,
Craig

 

[McSteve]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Some very good points Craig!

 

[NormanF]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Hello everyone!

There has definitely been a great conversation going on about the status of the Russian watch world.

I've left it alone of late, as I might have offended some folks with my comments about some of the new watches on the market in the past. I'm going to try and avoid that angle this time.

But I wanted to throw out some thoughts about this topic in general. It seems that there is some frustration with the splintering of Poljot. Not being able to tell who is who, wishing there were a clear line back to one manufacturer, lamenting the market fragmentation, etc.

I would just like to proffer that this part of the natural evolution of any emerging market. This is a good thing. Maybe a bit unnerving in the beginning, but chaos is not always a negative in the marketplace. It's like survival of the fittest -- from this will emerge the new leaders in Russian watches.

Just pick up a copy of Wristwatch Annual to see that there are tons of watch companies in Switzerland, Germany, Japan, etc. How many of those grew from one genesis to split into other companies? Competition breads a better mousetrap... (no kidding, I know).

Many industry insiders I've had the fortune to interact with -- such as watch magazine publishers and journalists of the watch trade -- believe that Russian watches are the next big thing, and our affordable quality is going to truly give the Swiss a run for their money.

But they all say that there will be a shake out first of the true Russian brand leaders, just like when the Swiss re-emerged after the quartz revolution.

Five years from now, the landscape will most like look very different than today, and hopefully even better. The companies that build a unified marketing strategy and the best Russian watches will survive and the ones that don't... well, won't. And, I am in no way saying which ones that will be.

And, regardless of which brand you buy, every quality watch that says "Made In Russia" is helping to build a foundation for furture growth of these watches we all care about so much.

I also know it's tough to see this happen when you've been a fan of these watches long before others discovered them. It's like saying: "I really liked REM before they became mainstream... there old stuff is much better." Nostalgia for when you felt like you "owned" a that rock band, or an author, or a watch brand before everyone else did. And disliking what they became when everyone else found out about them.

Just my thoughts... hope it stimulates some other good coversation. And I know I can sound "preachy" -- don't mean to. Former journalist myself, so that is just how I write.

Thanks,
Craig

The Russians would do best to focus on producing quality hand-wound watches. That's their bread and butter and no one else makes them as they can. The Poljot and Molnija movements are already famous. Some Western companies such Junkers and Aristo use Russian movements in their watches but the really interesting designs will come out of Russia. The Russian watch industry doesn't need to compete with the Swiss on automatics and the Japanese on quartz. They have their own distinctive niche and no one else offers watches like that any more - well, vintage watches in the West are hand-wound but they aren't quite as collectible. That's how I see the Russian watch world settling down to after its clear what brands establish a reputation in the world marketplace.

 

[VEV 1138]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Interesting points about manual wind niche...

There are some Swiss brands that make manual wind. I can only think of Patek and Omega off the top.. Brequet too. Oh.. and Tag makes a few too.

I agree on the quartz, but Vostok has been making automatic movements for years and they are more than viable.

And, retailers like a mix and are reticent to carry non-automatics... manual wind is an important niche, yes. It can be exploited, but probably not enough to sustain a whole watch industry.

From a sales perspective, having automatics, manual winds and a few quartz (which I do agree are much less necessary) retailers are much more apt to carry your entire line... and without the retailers, the industry can sustain itself...

Again, just my perspective on the matter.

 

[JohnF]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

The Russians would do best to focus on producing quality hand-wound watches. That's their bread and butter and no one else makes them as they can. The Poljot and Molnija movements are already famous. Some Western companies such Junkers and Aristo use Russian movements in their watches but the really interesting designs will come out of Russia. The Russian watch industry doesn't need to compete with the Swiss on automatics and the Japanese on quartz. They have their own distinctive niche and no one else offers watches like that any more - well, vintage watches in the West are hand-wound but they aren't quite as collectible. That's how I see the Russian watch world settling down to after its clear what brands establish a reputation in the world marketplace.

Now that is an outstanding point. The mid-tier watch industry really needs an assortment of good hand-wind calibres to ensure that you have adequate choices for consumers: the Russians really are well placed to provide these before the Chinese, given what continues to be quality control considerations with many Chinese watches. This is the critical thing: I think the Russians really need to improve the finish and quality of their ebauches before the Chinese start in the field in order to get a head start.

JohnF

 

[VEV 1138]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Interesting points about manual wind niche...

There are some Swiss brands that make manual wind. I can only think of Patek and Omega off the top.. Brequet too. Oh.. and Tag makes a few too.

I agree on the quartz, but Vostok has been making automatic movements for years and they are more than viable.

And, retailers like a mix and are reticent to carry non-automatics... manual wind is an important niche, yes. It can be exploited, but probably not enough to sustain a whole watch industry.

From a sales perspective, having automatics, manual winds and a few quartz (which I do agree are much less necessary) retailers are much more apt to carry your entire line... and without the retailers, the industry can sustain itself...

Again, just my perspective on the matter.

That should read "cannot" sustain itself... apologies

 

[Chascomm]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Now that is an outstanding point. The mid-tier watch industry really needs an assortment of good hand-wind calibres to ensure that you have adequate choices for consumers: the Russians really are well placed to provide these before the Chinese, given what continues to be quality control considerations with many Chinese watches. This is the critical thing: I think the Russians really need to improve the finish and quality of their ebauches before the Chinese start in the field in order to get a head start.

JohnF

They'd better get moving fast, given the quality coming out of some of the Chinese factories. Especially if some of the older calibres could be brought back into production. The Jilin HJ1A Meihualu pocket-watch calibre could be a serious competitor for Molnija if the tools were saved when the Jilin factory closed.

 

[fabrizio6148]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Hallo to everybody in the Russian watches forum. There come numerous questions and remarks concerning Poljot, Volmax, some "unknown "Russian" watch brands", some internet dealers, etc.
I would like to help clear up things a bit.
1. Poljot and Volmax
Poljot is the name of perhaps the most known watch and watch movement factory in Russia. It has a very rich history and the watch brand it produced (is still producing) -"Poljot"- is one of the most famous watch brands in Russia. A couple of years ago the owner of the factory sold the machinery for watch movement production to other Russian companies (3133 - to McTime, 26.. to Vostok, &#8230 but the name "Poljot" has not been sold. Approximately at the same time production of Poljot watches was nearly stopped. At the beginning of the century , as it got clear that Poljot decline is inevitable some employees of the Poljot factory founded a new company "Volmax" - pure Russian company that started production of three watch brands "Aviator", "Buran" and "Sturmanskie". These brands officially belong to Volmax and are produced in Moscow in the Poljot building. By the way, best designers and watch makers of the former Poljot factory work at Volmax company. So one could say they are a successor of Poljot. On the other hand, Ivan Ksenofontov (Poljot´s owner´s son) has not buried the idea to go on with production of Poljot watches, so he is about to release a small collection of Poljot watches this year. Time will show if it will work.
Conclusion: Both "Poljot" www.poljot.com and "Volmax" www.aviatorwatch.ru are well known officially registered watch manufacturers in Russia. Neither Poljot nor Volmax has ever tried to bring watches to the market without indication to the manufacturer. It means: all the watches produced by Poljot or Volmax have the registered logos on the dials or the back cover. Poljot has the "Poljot" logo and Volmax uses "Aviator, Buran and Sturmanskie" logos on their watches. Additionaly, Volmax has just released a watch line called "Patriot" with the logo "РЧЗ" on the dial (special edition, as a separate project). These watches belong to Volmax.
2. Juri Levenberg. A lot has been written about this watch dealer in the WUSF. J. Levenberg is a Russian who moved to Germany quite a few years ago and started to sell Russian watches through Internet. As there was no distribution policy at that time the business bloomed. Juri Levenberg sold watches to other internet dealers for Russian watches like Ruwatch, Poljot24, etc. Some years ago the Russian watch manufacturers came to the conclusion that working on the world market is not possible without reasonable distribution strategy and so, the rights to sell some official Russian watch brands were given to companies that were able to work not only with Internet shops but what is more important, with normal retail shops, to represent the watch brands on the decent level at watch trade fairs, etc. Levenberg company never got the right from any Russian watch manufacturer for any exclusive representation at the German market, moreover, some of the Russian watch manufacturers refuse to deliver any watches to this company. Thus it led to the situation that has been known for a certain time: Levenberg company suddenly offers watches in E-bay that are supposed to be Russian but give no indication to their manufacturer, additionaly they are sold by his company to some of their Internet dealers. A warning signal for all people who like Russian watches: is it a real Russian watch if there is no official Russian watch manufacturer behind it or is it an UFO? What are the reasons that make such "watch producers" hide the origin of their watches?
Please do not mix all those "new Russian brands" - Moscow classic, Sturmovik, Pilot, etc with Poljot and Volmax watches - they have nothing to do with these well known official watch manufacturers.
3. One more thing: Vostok http://vostok-inc.com and Vostok-Europe www.vostok-europe.com . These two watch brands are still being mixed up although these are two different watch brands. Vostok or Восток (Russian way) is a typical Russian watch brand produced in Chistopol (Russia/Tartarstan) at the Vostok factory and Vostok- Europe is a brand made by the Lithuanian company Koliz Vostok in cooperation with the Vostok factory.

• Watches produced by Vostok in Chistopol can be divided into 2 groups: those produced for the domestic market (cheaper and with much lower quality) and export watches - the same watch lines made with better movements and better quality. The former are to get through all Russian companies via Internet or in retail shops in Russia and also by inofficial Internet dealers who buy these watches just somewhere to sell all over the world, the latter (export quality) can only be bought through official Vostok dealers (distributors and authorized dealers) outside Russia.
• Watches Vostok Europe produced in Lithuania have very high quality that is the same all over the world because Vostok Europe started the watch production with the only aim - to provide the market with inexpensive high quality automatic watches officially distributed all over the world. As we see it works very well!

So, to cut the long story short - If you are not looking for "a real single piece" from the 70-eth / 80-eth that is difficult to get from a regular official dealer but if you would like to buy a currently produced good quality Russian watch, please look at the Manufacturers´ websites to find out which company is responsible for your country and has official dealers (maybe even in your town), which Internet dealers are official dealers and offer good quality, warranty and after-sales service - this will save you a lot of trouble with all possible further matters when you buy a watch. Sometimes saving 5 dollars leads to much more money investment in the following reparation and unneccessary telephone costs or it even leads to buying a watch made from old watch parts in a home basement.

Please excuse my mistakes in English ;-)
Irina

Dear Irina,
I read with a lot interesting your article and I'm a little worried because I'm waiting two watches from J.L . In any case I'd Like to know what do you think or if do you know an other ebay seller that he sells Russian original watches.
Thank you for your help
fabrizio

 

[TZAG]

Re: Clearance on Poljot, Volmax, Vostok Europe, ...some Russian watch brands & UFOs

Hello Fabrizio and welcome. No offense, but I think it isn't wise to ask Irina to suggest a saler of original russian watches since she with Peter Maier are selling original russian watches. If you didn't know that, you know now. You can also chose another of our sponsors on the banners above, who surely is selling original russian watches. Ciao!

 

[Casertano69]

Hallo to everybody in the Russian watches forum. There come numerous questions and remarks concerning Poljot, Volmax, some "unknown "Russian" watch brands", some internet dealers, etc.
I would like to help clear up things a bit.
1. Poljot and Volmax
Poljot is the name of perhaps the most known watch and watch movement factory in Russia. It has a very rich history and the watch brand it produced (is still producing) -"Poljot"- is one of the most famous watch brands in Russia. A couple of years ago the owner of the factory sold the machinery for watch movement production to other Russian companies (3133 - to McTime, 26.. to Vostok, &#8230 but the name "Poljot" has not been sold. Approximately at the same time production of Poljot watches was nearly stopped. At the beginning of the century , as it got clear that Poljot decline is inevitable some employees of the Poljot factory founded a new company "Volmax" - pure Russian company that started production of three watch brands "Aviator", "Buran" and "Sturmanskie". These brands officially belong to Volmax and are produced in Moscow in the Poljot building. By the way, best designers and watch makers of the former Poljot factory work at Volmax company. So one could say they are a successor of Poljot. On the other hand, Ivan Ksenofontov (Poljot´s owner´s son) has not buried the idea to go on with production of Poljot watches, so he is about to release a small collection of Poljot watches this year. Time will show if it will work.
Conclusion: Both "Poljot" www.poljot.com and "Volmax" www.aviatorwatch.ru are well known officially registered watch manufacturers in Russia. Neither Poljot nor Volmax has ever tried to bring watches to the market without indication to the manufacturer. It means: all the watches produced by Poljot or Volmax have the registered logos on the dials or the back cover. Poljot has the "Poljot" logo and Volmax uses "Aviator, Buran and Sturmanskie" logos on their watches. Additionaly, Volmax has just released a watch line called "Patriot" with the logo "РЧЗ" on the dial (special edition, as a separate project). These watches belong to Volmax.
2. Juri Levenberg. A lot has been written about this watch dealer in the WUSF. J. Levenberg is a Russian who moved to Germany quite a few years ago and started to sell Russian watches through Internet. As there was no distribution policy at that time the business bloomed. Juri Levenberg sold watches to other internet dealers for Russian watches like Ruwatch, Poljot24, etc. Some years ago the Russian watch manufacturers came to the conclusion that working on the world market is not possible without reasonable distribution strategy and so, the rights to sell some official Russian watch brands were given to companies that were able to work not only with Internet shops but what is more important, with normal retail shops, to represent the watch brands on the decent level at watch trade fairs, etc. Levenberg company never got the right from any Russian watch manufacturer for any exclusive representation at the German market, moreover, some of the Russian watch manufacturers refuse to deliver any watches to this company. Thus it led to the situation that has been known for a certain time: Levenberg company suddenly offers watches in E-bay that are supposed to be Russian but give no indication to their manufacturer, additionaly they are sold by his company to some of their Internet dealers. A warning signal for all people who like Russian watches: is it a real Russian watch if there is no official Russian watch manufacturer behind it or is it an UFO? What are the reasons that make such "watch producers" hide the origin of their watches?
Please do not mix all those "new Russian brands" - Moscow classic, Sturmovik, Pilot, etc with Poljot and Volmax watches - they have nothing to do with these well known official watch manufacturers.
3. One more thing: Vostok http://vostok-inc.com and Vostok-Europe www.vostok-europe.com . These two watch brands are still being mixed up although these are two different watch brands. Vostok or Восток (Russian way) is a typical Russian watch brand produced in Chistopol (Russia/Tartarstan) at the Vostok factory and Vostok- Europe is a brand made by the Lithuanian company Koliz Vostok in cooperation with the Vostok factory.

• Watches produced by Vostok in Chistopol can be divided into 2 groups: those produced for the domestic market (cheaper and with much lower quality) and export watches - the same watch lines made with better movements and better quality. The former are to get through all Russian companies via Internet or in retail shops in Russia and also by inofficial Internet dealers who buy these watches just somewhere to sell all over the world, the latter (export quality) can only be bought through official Vostok dealers (distributors and authorized dealers) outside Russia.
• Watches Vostok Europe produced in Lithuania have very high quality that is the same all over the world because Vostok Europe started the watch production with the only aim - to provide the market with inexpensive high quality automatic watches officially distributed all over the world. As we see it works very well!

So, to cut the long story short - If you are not looking for "a real single piece" from the 70-eth / 80-eth that is difficult to get from a regular official dealer but if you would like to buy a currently produced good quality Russian watch, please look at the Manufacturers´ websites to find out which company is responsible for your country and has official dealers (maybe even in your town), which Internet dealers are official dealers and offer good quality, warranty and after-sales service - this will save you a lot of trouble with all possible further matters when you buy a watch. Sometimes saving 5 dollars leads to much more money investment in the following reparation and unneccessary telephone costs or it even leads to buying a watch made from old watch parts in a home basement.

Please excuse my mistakes in English ;-)
Irina

Thanks Irina,your information is excellent,why the address www.poljot.com is no longer active?