Cool, congratz! It looks great, but that price is a killer if you ask me. Wear it in good health :-!

 

Thanks sq100

Agreed about the price… I'd never have bought it myself at this price point (especially in my current financial situtation :-x ) but it's a damn fine watch for sure ;-)

 

Beautiful! I love the caseback. That is an interesting design. Agreed about price, a little too salty for me. A very nice gift.

 

Thanks jmreynolds

Yes, the caseback is nice |>

That dial is stunning. If I could find one of these for a good price I would definitely pick one up.

The dial is amazing indeed. I really need to take better pictures of this mesmerizing green…

Very jealous. Wear it in good health!

Thanks t.g ;-)

Your post made me look at their online store again. Looks like the Raketa Sochi is back available! They ran into legal troubles with the olympic committee and had to halt sales late last year.

EDIT: Also noticed their prices if shipping internationally are 30% higher than the domestic prices. The new modern Big Zero is $450 shipped to Russia and $605 shipped abroad.

Yup. It's much better to purchase these watches within Russia :-/

Its really a beauty. Price a little steep for me though.

Love the dial color and some really great shots (as usual) through your lens.

Thanks a lot putra3007, but I'm really not pleased about this first shooting… I'll try to take better ones this morning.

Wonderful well thought out present Reno.
Many congrats mate. Happy Birthday. One to remember with such a beautiful gift too.
Thanks for sharing. Not many of their new models posted.

Thanks mate (but it was just a souvenir) ; my birthday is not until next February ;-)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK. Thank you everybody for the kind words… I think the consensus is the prices for these new Raketa are going to be a problem for the "regular" russian watch collector (including me).

The quality is there, there's no arguing ; but psychologically, it's problematic to pay more than 200€ for what remains a "basic" 3-hands watch.

Now, there's an in-house movement, which is to consider, if you compare to a Swiss counterpart.

And there's the strap issue… they should really improve this :-x

I was wondering… can any of you guys read Russian ? Can somebody translate this ? :think:

I really wonder if this strap is really made of leather ? :think:

 

That dial is stunning. If I could find one of these for a good price I would definitely pick one up.

 

Very jealous. Wear it in good health!

 

Your post made me look at their online store again. Looks like the Raketa Sochi is back available! They ran into legal troubles with the olympic committee and had to halt sales late last year.

EDIT: Also noticed their prices if shipping internationally are 30% higher than the domestic prices. The new modern Big Zero is $450 shipped to Russia and $605 shipped abroad.

 

Its really a beauty. Price a little steep for me though.

Love the dial color and some really great shots (as usual) through your lens.

 

Wonderful well thought out present Reno.
Many congrats mate. Happy Birthday. One to remember with such a beautiful gift too.
Thanks for sharing. Not many of their new models posted.

 

It says "natural leather". Congrats btw! ;-)

 

Thanks hb5.

Wow I guess I expected something like "Synthetic Rubber" :-d

Very nice watch, great dial and interesting lume. Bit overpriced though, IMO.

Thanks NLT

Yup. Price is gonna be a problem methinks :think:

Thanks for posting. Great pics, and I love the green dial.

Thanks a lot cabfrank

The green dial is striking, and the applied elements are very nice too :-!

 

Very nice watch, great dial and interesting lume. Bit overpriced though, IMO.

 

Thanks for posting. Great pics, and I love the green dial.

 

Sooooooo… I changed the leather/rubber strap this morning for a bracelet… much better for my taste

I tried to take better pictures with natural light, but hard luck. I think this marvelous green dial is going to be impossible to capture, at least with my humble camera :-(

 

That looks spectacular!!

I also think it's great that Raketa is making new watches, and marketing them well, looking at their site and printed materials.

However... not sure how viable at the current price point. You'd think they would sell a lot more (and make more money) if they cut the price in half (or so). On the other hand, it's more likely to remain a highly exclusive watch; chances are you'll never meet anyone else with the same watch in your lifetime.

Anyway, its great-uncle says Hello.

(I 'accidentally' won it on eBay when my low-ball bid fell to me anyway. It ran 3-4 minutes slow per day so had to take it in for service. Shop completely took it apart, re-oiled, etc. which is affordable where I am. And got a new strap. I kind of like it now. ( Not in the same league, I know, but.. same movement! )

 

That looks spectacular!!

I also think it's great that Raketa is making new watches, and marketing them well, looking at their site and printed materials.

However... not sure how viable at the current price point. You'd think they would sell a lot more (and make more money) if they cut the price in half (or so). On the other hand, it's more likely to remain a highly exclusive watch; chances are you'll never meet anyone else with the same watch in your lifetime.

I share your concern, and I know we're not the only ones :-/

Anyway, its great-uncle says Hello.

View attachment 1573370

(I 'accidentally' won it on eBay when my low-ball bid fell to me anyway. It ran 3-4 minutes slow per day so had to take it in for service. Shop completely took it apart, re-oiled, etc. which is affordable where I am. And got a new strap. I kind of like it now. ( Not in the same league, I know, but.. same movement! )

Very nice, hantms :-!

Those vintage russians are great :-!

My "Big0" also has the same movement ;-)

 

 

Great watch and review |> Thanky you!
I believe you are lucky having such parents ;-)

BTW in the middle row on the right hand side you can spot my Raketa :-d

Phil

 

It's an amazing watch congrats!!! the green dial is very interesting and it looks very eye catching! Waiting for your new Gallery photos!

 

Thanks a lot timanthes !

The Image Gallery is available here : RAKETA "ATOM"

 

Congratulations for the watch. Wear it in health and happiness. And be proud, that you are one of the few members around owning modern Raketa watch
The price was discussed several times and there are two quite concrete aspects here:
- You can get an Orient with in-house caliber and unquestionable quality for much lower price;
- You can get NOMOS with basic Alpha 3-hand caliber for much higher price;
Orient is much better purchase in terms of value/money ratio, thanks to their higher volumes and effective model management.
NOMOS were creating their image almost 20 years before they reached the level of confidence of the customers, continuously increasing their prices overtime. They also were very active to promote their watches during many reviews in the thematic magazines, on-line resources, contest participation (they are winning watch of the year since years in Germany for example), etc. I think Raketa still don't address their marketing strategy so effective and can learn a lot from new brands like Nomos, Damasko, Mühle (not so new, but on the wristwatches scene), etc.

 

Congratulations for the watch. Wear it in health and happiness. And be proud, that you are one of the few members around owning modern Raketa watch

Thanks sci

The price was discussed several times and there are two quite concrete aspects here:
- You can get an Orient with in-house caliber and unquestionable quality for much lower price;
- You can get NOMOS with basic Alpha 3-hand caliber for much higher price;
Orient is much better purchase in terms of value/money ratio, thanks to their higher volumes and effective model management.
NOMOS were creating their image almost 20 years before they reached the level of confidence of the customers, continuously increasing their prices overtime. They also were very active to promote their watches during many reviews in the thematic magazines, on-line resources, contest participation (they are winning watch of the year since years in Germany for example), etc. I think Raketa still don't address their marketing strategy so effective and can learn a lot from new brands like Nomos, Damasko, Mühle (not so new, but on the wristwatches scene), etc.

Agreed on this diagnostic. I think it's gonna be hard for Raketa to sell these watches… unless they address new customers, who don't care about the price, unlike "old" russian watches collectors.

 

your mom has great taste.
congrats 'tis an elegantly cool watch. enjoy.

 

Well they did just this year sell their first ever in-house automatic movement. I'd say that's a big accomplishment, even if it is based on prototypes from decades ago.

I do agree they are priced too high for our market, hence why you hardly see any on here. I may eventually try to get one. But I find their old designs more compelling anyways.

I think they are really trying to tap into the domestic high-income market in Russia. That's a hard sell though, as those people can also afford Swiss/Japanese quality watches and prefer them in many cases. I think Russians are re-awakening to Russian horological history, but even reading forum.watch.ru I really get the sense that the enthusiasts here have more respect for Russian-designed and -produced watches than the Russians themselves. And I am talking about watch enthusiasts here, not the general public.

 

If I recall correctly the "new" movement is simply the old, Soviet era Raketa 2627 with a new rotor design. Not much new, and the 2627 was regular production.

 

THAT's the Reno photography that I've been waiting for! :-!

A bracelet is always good with a vivid-coloured dial. That's a great-looking watch and I love the case back design, too.

 

Thanks mate

 

Have I said 'gorgeous,' Reno? Just stunning pictures of a beautiful watch - your mum has great taste
Pricing wise it seems Raketa have done a Prim - another former Eastern bloc manufacturer who are producing new takes on their classics at premium prices
http://www.prim.cz/index.php?lang=en

 

Have I said 'gorgeous,' Reno? Just stunning pictures of a beautiful watch - your mum has great taste

Thanks mate, much appreciated

Pricing wise it seems Raketa have done a Prim - another former Eastern bloc manufacturer who are producing new takes on their classics at premium prices
?eské hodinky PRIM vyrobené ELTON hodiná?ská, a.s.

Gorgeous watches really, but… do I read the prices correctly ?

 

They are simply beautiful (the black Diplomat, sigh!) but priced at a silly Swiss level, from where I'm sitting

 

Indeed… that's too bad, because they're really gorgeous :-(

 

Hey Reno, I just found this thread that Atom is simply sublime and your pictures are stunning.
Enjoy and wear it in good health.
Cheers. Oh, I think it looks number 1 top dog on the shark mesh.

 

Thanks, lucky watch, glad you like it

What a beauty Comrade Reno - wear it in good health and much happiness!!!

Thanks mate ;-)

 

What a beauty Comrade Reno - wear it in good health and much happiness!!!

 

Sorry for ancient thread bump, but did anyone reading ever pick up a red one of these? I can't seem to any any genuine photos - just promotional images.

 

I have seen one in Russia and hold it in my hands. It is Ok but expensive. Even on sale it was more than $600.

 

Glad this thread was resurrected. Didn't know that Raketa was making a modern Atom. I just bought it's spiritual ancestor (seller's pic):