Opinions on this Raketa 24

did you find it on ebay?

sold by reckness?

phillyj said:

This isn't the fancy 2 time zone ones I seen but it is very clean. I like the color but the height of the glass seems a bit too much. What do you guys think?

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The Glass seems so big. Is this the same for the 2 crown watches?
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To be honest, I never saw this kind of dial before, and the shape of the crown looks strange. But I am not certain, you need comments from more experienced members.

Judging by the appearance it just does not look "right". The case is a common and original Raketa case with correct crystal, used in many models, but the content - at least the dial and hands - appears to be lifted from a 24-hour "Polar Explorer" without the outer rotating ring. I do not feel comfortable with it at all.

Seele said:

Judging by the appearance it just does not look "right". The case is a common and original Raketa case with correct crystal, used in many models, but the content - at least the dial and hands - appears to be lifted from a 24-hour "Polar Explorer" without the outer rotating ring. I do not feel comfortable with it at all.

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Agree! I found a couple of similar Raketas sold by a Russian seller on the bay (I guess they're either fake or franken). On their dials, the word 'Paketa' is right below the number 24

you're right about the seller (reckness). I did look nice.

Why is it so hard to find a paketa 24 hr now? Were they not made so much?

phillyj,

The double-crown ones have the revolving outer ring for a variety of purposes; this extra feature, along with the larger case size, makes it more appealing to buyers today, explaining the higher price and comparative scarcity.

The single-crown ones are often fraudulent as they use regular Raketa cases, and on eBay, it is likely that most of the "NOS" pieces are fraudulent. It should be helpful to check those offered by an authorized dealer, such as M-watches; it should give at least a rough idea, and if genuine, also an idea of price too. But then, I do not feel totally at ease with the three pictured. It is one of the reasons why buying from an AD is a good thing.

phillyj said:

you're right about the seller (reckness). I did look nice.

Why is it so hard to find a paketa 24 hr now? Were they not made so much?

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I don't think it is really hard to find one, problem is that you need to be patient enough to get one in decent condition at a fair price, as lots of Raketa 24hrs on the bay are way too overpriced.

It took me around 1 month to finally find the one I wanted at a fair price ($50) and close to mint condition, so it's not so hard.
The hard part is to find one in great condition for a bargain price

pcke2000 said:

I don't think it is really hard to find one, problem is that you need to be patient enough to get one in decent condition at a fair price, as lots of Raketa 24hrs on the bay are way too overpriced.

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My theory is that, if prospective buyers see "NOS Raketas" at $30 they would get suspicious, so the vendors of the fraudulent pieces just put up the prices to give an illusion that they are genuine!

Seele said:

My theory is that, if prospective buyers see "NOS Raketas" at $30 they would get suspicious, so the vendors of the fraudulent pieces just put up the prices to give an illusion that they are genuine!

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unfortunately, more and more sellers are using this trick

The crystal on that 24hr watch (the first one) looks WAY too high to me; it also looks badly fitted (near the crown) although this may just be because of the angle.

I don't have many Raketa 24hrs, mainly because I don't trust any of the new-looking ones on eBay. But on the ones I have (various cases; some two-crown, some single crown), the crystal is always a sensible height. The one in the picture looks like the bottom half of a jam jar!

I hesitate to offer an opinion on authenticity but this Raketa just looks wrong to me. The huge dome of a crystal is the most obvious thing but the font and proportions of the dial layout don't look right to me either. I''m still a newbie but for what it's worth, I would not buy this watch but hold out instead for something that passes the smell test in the forum.

I do have an authentic Raketa with a big dome crystal exactly like that, so that is nothing to worry about.

Mark Gordon has one Raketa with a similar dial design, item 0840. [http://www.ussrtime.com] The dial has the same hour and minute markings and the same font but in his example they are pulled further towards the center whereas the one from this thread has the marking closer to the perimeter of the dial. (This might be a lensing effect from the bulbous domed crystal).

The case and hands are different also, although the hands of Mark's example look peculiar to me and don't seem to relate to the markings on the dial, aesthetically or functionally.

phillyj said:

I found another one and I was so happy until I noticed that it's missing a second hand? I talked to the seller(100%, but doesn't deal in watches) and he has no idea. I guess he doesn't know much about watches in general.
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Original owner so he has papers. Said he bought it 20 years ago

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phillyj, you're right, the second hand is missing, I also contacted the seller, and he told me the watch was not new when he bought it. Plus, do you think the shipping cost listed is too much ( for CONUS)??

pcke2000 said:

phillyj, you're right, the second hand is missing, I also contacted the seller, and he told me the watch was not new when he bought it. Plus, do you think the shipping cost listed is too much ( for CONUS)??

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Yes, it is a bit high but judging from his other items(fragile china,...) , he may also give insurance, etc.

My max is $50 including shipping so I'm still taking my time