[michele]

Re: News and Comments from MakTime: Aleksandr Makarov`s Exclusive Interview for WUS Russia

According to this interview and to the previous one (Volmax), the situation is very bad.

Maktime is now the main producer of Russian movements, and if they say that the series of Poljot 2609, 2614 etc. (heart of a LOT of Russian watches) is definitively dead, this means that very few movements will remain in production.

Molnija movements are lost, Slava movements are lost (and Maktime bought the Slava machines for a caliber that probably they will never produce :-( ), Poljot 2612 alarm is lost too (and my suspects are confirmed - Vostok never produced a single 2612 movement, just purchased an old stock of movements).

The Poljot 3109 will be a very strange thing - a standard movement, with standard central seconds hand only, but not very good for slim watches (3133 and derivatives are very thick). Probably it's a palliative to the demise of the classic 26xx series.

Russian watches are squeezed between high-end Swiss production (rich people are always more protected from the crisis), Japanese and especially Chinese low-end products.

IMHO, at the end of the crisis (or during the long continuing crisis), very few Russian calibers will remain on the market. A real pity, because one of the cool things of the Russian watch industry was the variety of production. Please tell me what relatively unexpensive Swiss watch has a movement different from an ETA 2824 or similar. :roll:

 

[michele]

Re: News and Comments from MakTime: Aleksandr Makarov`s Exclusive Interview for WUS Russia

I quote this answer:

Besides that, the participants of a Russian watch forum said that the name MakTime as a watch brand isn't a too good one though it as a movement brand is quite acceptable. In view of that, does it make sense to revive one of the old famous Soviet watch brands such as Pobeda, Aurora, Stolichnye, etc. and in that way to unite both the MakTime and Zaria watches under common design?
AM: The Old Soviet brands have their owners. Our negotiations with them haven't been successful. For example, when we were negotiating about purchasing the machinery for 3133 caliber from Poljot we were offered to buy the name Poljot itself, but the price was absolutely unaffordable.

About Maktime watches, i think the name should be changed for sure. It sounds and feels like any English watch name on this world.

I don't believe it's hard to find another name. Russian history is plenty of glorious names. Too bad the "Soyuz" name was put on Chinese products (this shows that a Russian name is not enough to enter in the people's heart).

And if the Maktime brand is owned by a man called Makarov, let's call the watches "Makarov". I find it much more interesting. There are Makarov pistols though - so i don't know if the Makarov name is already registered.

So, call the watches "Alexandr Makarov". Personal, direct and sounds good. Much more than Maktime.

Well, we could help them with a poll, why not.

 

[michele]

Re: News and Comments from MakTime: Aleksandr Makarov`s Exclusive Interview for WUS Russia

I just wonder, with the situation from ETA as I understand it (stopping sales of movements to others outside the Swatch group), I wonder if only the Russian industry could hold on for just a bit longer and perhaps there will be a market for suppliers of movements of all types to replace ETA, which might help the Russian industry? :think:

With the current financial crisis, i believe that ETA will think about that (now old) decision.

The problem for Russian movements is that they are not enough appreciated by people who buy Swiss, and that they are not enough cheap (nor full of fancy complications) for people who buy cheap Chinese-based products. They must work on their image first.

 

[michele]

Re: News and Comments from MakTime: Aleksandr Makarov`s Exclusive Interview for WUS Russia

Zarja brand is mainly known in Russia for women watches, but is still better than Maktime for western market.

For example, in Italian, "Zarja" resembles to "zarina" (zar's wife), although its meaining is totally different. But it's still is an evocative name ("zar"), better than Maktime for sure, and suitable for men's watches too. There is much fun and play in creating new brands.

However, i would call watches and movements as "Makarov", with some small add if the brand is registered (as "CJIABA" did adding "Sozvezdie"). The reminiscence with pistols is too cool, and if the owner's surname is Makarov, why not?

They have very nice models, a new brand would valorize them. People is always searching for watches with in-house movements, why to waste this treasure with a banal brand?

 

[michele]

Re: News and Comments from MakTime: Aleksandr Makarov`s Exclusive Interview for WUS Russia

I agree I think Makarov would be a good name. It is a great sounding name. Not everyone would like the gun connection (I think it's kind of cool though), but given that it is not a house hold name it is unlikely that someone who dislikes such thinks would associate makarov pistols with makarov watches immediately.

Agree. I'm not a weapon enthusiast, but i find weapons kinda cool as mechanical stuff.

See here: http://www.kalashnikovwatches.com/site_e.html
Those watches have nothing of Russian though.

So, please Mr. Makarov, put your name on your watches and movements (it sounds well to our Western ears) and get rid of that cheap "Maktime". :-!

The rule "English names for English people" is not always valid, especially talking about things (like wristwatches) that must have much personality.

 

[michele]

Re: News and Comments from MakTime: Aleksandr Makarov`s Exclusive Interview for WUS Russia

Here is a very simple revisited brand b-)

Search for "Maktime Aviator" on Google Images, and tell me what is more fascinating ;-)

Well, probably we should open a marketing office :roll:

 

[michele]

Re: News and Comments from MakTime: Aleksandr Makarov`s Exclusive Interview for WUS Russia

So Maktime are rationalizing as much of their production on the 31mm base movement as possible, including a basic 3109 and 3114 (nice to see a new Russian manufacturer respecting the old numeric codes). Pity they didn't just drop an auto-winding module on the 3133, like what Sea-Gull did with the ST19. Might have saved them some expense, and provided a point of diferentiation from all the 7750-style movements out there.

I always thought that an automatic 3133 is not impossible to make, with the optimization of the V-shaped bridge height, or even with alternative solutions as a micro-rotor. Cheaper than a totally-new caliber for sure.

I'm doubtful about the success and the production of the caliber 30664. The market is plenty of 7750 clones, the 30664 would be just more expensive.

And they've bought up the Slava tooling to support the 30664. Well if it gets a new Russian calibre out there, then I guess it's worth it, but I really hope they removed any specific dies etc and stored them somewhere safe with the blueprints (maybe in a time-capsule?).

Silly choice. The Slava movement was an excellent basis. Double barrel, day-date with quick setting, and it was possible to upgrade it to 32 jewels with a new (old project) ball-bearing rotor. Very, very bad decision.

Anyway, i wonder about the incoming P3109 by Maktime (no date version). Considering that all the 3133 have already a big power reserve, and that ALL of them stop working at 23.30 'o clock (when the date mechanism starts to engage), i think that the 3109, with the same maispring and without the "obstacle" of the date mechanism, will be a real marathon runner! :-!

 

[michele]

Re: News and Comments from MakTime: Aleksandr Makarov`s Exclusive Interview for WUS Russia

I am personally saddened to hear that the Molnija 36xx movements are history...very sad. :-(

That's a major loss. I would expected the purchase of the production by Maktime of other companies. It was the only alternative to Unitas about pocket watch movements, and it was also much more pleasantly designed.

The ZIM-Pobeda movements were worthy to be rescued too - try to imagine them well-finished (as the early versions) and fitted in classic-design cases.

I bet that many manufacturers (official or "underground" ones) will continue to produce watches with Molnija movements, refurbished and/or swapped from NOS cheap pocket watches.

 

[michele]

Re: News and Comments from MakTime: Aleksandr Makarov`s Exclusive Interview for WUS Russia

....someone had better move quick before the chinese movements become the norm.

Unfortunately, watch production is a mirror of the transformation of the society (at least talking about Europe). High-end or low-end, no middle way.
Moreover, for many people, watch means "Swiss only". Luxury marketing-driven masses have no taste for more original things.

About low-end watches, Chinese factories have an incredible flexibility and they are capable to produce an huge range of complications (power reserve, retrograde seconds, etc.), while Russians are still not able to add the quick-setting date! o|

 

[michele]

Re: News and Comments from MakTime: Aleksandr Makarov`s Exclusive Interview for WUS Russia

Caro amico, Michele!

Don`t forget that since the 80-s our home watch industry has lived in the state of a permanent crisis almost without a moment's respite: quartz revolution, crash of the Union, the wild 90-s, and two economical crisis running (the local Russian crisis and now the world one). And after all that we can only wonder how it still is alive.

Only one quartz revolution almost distressed all the Swiss watchmakers greatly.

I agree. However, those are minor changes that do not require huge modifications.

To add the quick-setting date, Slava created a clever system back in the years - they incorporated a long two-pieces lever in the metal (then plastic) spacer, with a final "finger" that pulls the date disk.

Almost no modifications to the base module, reduced costs. Why Maktime dropped them? o| Systems like that could be added on Vostoks too, but in the 2010 i'm forced to rotate the hands continuously to set the date.

And i still remember my Aviator 26669, day-date with a crazy setting (everything had to be adjusted rotating the hands in different ranges of hours, a real hell).

It's a also a matter of choices. Dropping the Slava movements, Maktime trashed a very useful product.