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This will be a short post, simply because my usual research outlets have turned up almost nothing in regard to this watch. I'm hoping some other comrades may be able to fill in the gaps. Or maybe there's just not much of a story to tell.
Vladimir Lenin was born on April 22, 1870. Exactly 100 years later, in the year 1970, the Luch Watch Factory in Minsk apparently created a commemorative watch to celebrate his life, bearing Lenin's profile and the inscription "100 Years".
This watch is quite hard to track down, even in photos, though I have found a few: 1, 2, one from Russ' collection, and one from a current eBay listing.
One particularly unique aesthetic feature of this watch is the way 'ПУЧ' is written on the dial. Luch transitioned through various iterations of its brand logo over many decades, but this is the only example of this particular font/style that I'm aware of. Pity, as it's a really tasteful design with a gentle curve upwards, almost like a smile.
![DSC02740.jpg]()
![DSC02750.jpg]()
At $125/delivered, this was not a cheap watch -- but I consider myself lucky as it came from a seller who had no other watches for sale, and therefore (presumably) didn't really know what they had. The listing photo looked very promising:
![Picture1.png]()
And after a good scrub and polish, things looked even better.
As the photos above show, the dial appears pristine when I get the light just right. But in truth, there's some serious damage to the perimeter, concealed largely by the bezel but still noticeable when viewing the watch head-on, as below.
![DSC02757.jpg]()
One the reverse, we can see that this is the "old-style" 2209 case, with rounded lugs and extra-thick 20-micron gold plating. Lateral brushing on the caseback and the small, button crown both check out as authentic to my eyes.
![DSC02766.jpg]()
![DSC02773.jpg]()
No surprises inside, where we find a Minsk-branded 2209 with studded balance -- all consistent with a production year of 1970.
![DSC02774.jpg]()
![DSC02785.jpg]()
Overall, a really nice, understated commemorative design celebrating one of the most important and influential figures of the 20th century. And that's all I can say about the Luch Lenin.
Spasibo!
![DSC02796.jpg]()
Vladimir Lenin was born on April 22, 1870. Exactly 100 years later, in the year 1970, the Luch Watch Factory in Minsk apparently created a commemorative watch to celebrate his life, bearing Lenin's profile and the inscription "100 Years".
This watch is quite hard to track down, even in photos, though I have found a few: 1, 2, one from Russ' collection, and one from a current eBay listing.
One particularly unique aesthetic feature of this watch is the way 'ПУЧ' is written on the dial. Luch transitioned through various iterations of its brand logo over many decades, but this is the only example of this particular font/style that I'm aware of. Pity, as it's a really tasteful design with a gentle curve upwards, almost like a smile.
At $125/delivered, this was not a cheap watch -- but I consider myself lucky as it came from a seller who had no other watches for sale, and therefore (presumably) didn't really know what they had. The listing photo looked very promising:
And after a good scrub and polish, things looked even better.
As the photos above show, the dial appears pristine when I get the light just right. But in truth, there's some serious damage to the perimeter, concealed largely by the bezel but still noticeable when viewing the watch head-on, as below.
One the reverse, we can see that this is the "old-style" 2209 case, with rounded lugs and extra-thick 20-micron gold plating. Lateral brushing on the caseback and the small, button crown both check out as authentic to my eyes.
No surprises inside, where we find a Minsk-branded 2209 with studded balance -- all consistent with a production year of 1970.
Overall, a really nice, understated commemorative design celebrating one of the most important and influential figures of the 20th century. And that's all I can say about the Luch Lenin.
Spasibo!
