The Russian Manufacture Petrodvorets

of Saint Petersburg

can only be found in Paris at

Fréret-Roy!

In 1961 the brand "Raketa" ("rocket" in Russian) was launched in honour of the first manned flight into space by the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

Raketa watches are manufactured in the Petrodvorets factory in Peterhof, a stone's throw from the summer palace of Tsar Peter the Great.
The historic manufactore has been completely renovated in recent years and the new collections of Raketa watches are now available in France.
The Factory is one of the few factories in the world to produce its own mechanisms from A to Z. The plans for the "Raketa-Avtomat" 2624 automatic caliber were sleeping in the old Petrodvorets factory, abandoned ... The caliber, which has been rediscovered and brought up to date and improved, was launched in 2014 and is manufactured entirely in the Petrodvorets factory, together with the escapement and spring, making the Raketa brand a true watch Manufacture.

The brand is the partner of celebrities such as the film director Emir Kusturica for the Avant-Garde model, the cosmonauts Alexander Ivanchenkov for the Copernicus and Sergueï Krikalev for the Baïkonur...

You'll find the full range of Raketa collections at Fréret Roy, including the latest pieces from certain limited series and models exclusive to the Boutique that are impossible to find elsewhere.

Raketa "Avtomat" calibers

Raketa watches are created around

Russian mechanical movements

produced in our Peterhof manufacture!

The components of Raketa movements are not produced by computer numerical machines (CNCs). They are produced by hand using traditional "Russian-style" methods by men and women who put a little bit of their soul into every component they produce. You can visit the Raketa Watch Factory and see with your own eyes how they work.

A few figures to give you an idea of how the Raketa Classic "Big Zero" is made:
8,201 operations are required to produce this watch.
103 specialists are needed to produce all the components of this watch.
242 components are on your wrist when you wear this watch model.

The Avtomat 2615 caliber equips all Raketa watches with 12-hour display, in different finishes depending on the model:
Big Zero, Copernicus, Amphibia, Avant-Garde.

This caliber is also available in a modified Avtomat 2615R version, which turns backwards and equips the "Russian Code" models.

The Avtomat 2624 caliber equips all watches with 24-hour display, one of Raketa's specialties.

The characteristics of these different calibers are presented below.

The 12 hours caliber

Avtomat 2615

Number of jewels: 24
Testing positions: 4
Average rate (s/d): -10+20
Average running time (h): 40
Frequency/hour:18.000 / 2.5Hz
Bi-directional automatic winding: Yes
Stop of self-winding unit activated during manual winding: Yes

According to the models, the proposed termination and decoration of the movements differ significantly.

Raketa watch assembly

Below a Big Zero 12H model

The 24 Hours Caliber

Avtomat 2624
equips all Raketa 24 H watches

Number of jewels: 24
Testing positions: 4
Average rate (s/d): -10+20
Average running time (h): 40
Frequency/hour: 18.000 / 2.5Hz
Bi-directional automatic winding: Yes
Stop of self-winding unit activated during manual winding: Yes

The finishes offered vary considerably from one model to another...

In picture below, the assembly of the caliber with specific finishes for the Sputnik-1 model.

Below, the latest pieces available
exclusively at Fréret-Roy !

These models are sold out at the Raketa Manufacture !

 Raketa Watches

12H

Avtomat Caliber 2615

"Raketa Big Zero"



New cushion-shaped case 40 mm in diameter and 14.05 mm thick, round bezel, sapphire crystal, crown with underlying ruby, transparent back.

Presented with a white dial with multi-layer lacquered black numerals in 2022, the new Big Zero with a black dial has just been launched at the end of 2023!

This time, the numerals and hour-markers are again in multi-layer lacquer, but very luminescent!

The original design of this watch dates back to the 1970s, an elegant mechanical watch that has become a Raketa icon. During an official visit to Italy, journalists asked Mikhaïl Gorbachev what Perestroïka meant for the URSS. Gorbachev replied that Russia has embarked on an entirely new start, from zero, and using his hands to emphasise his point, he showed the figure “0” marked in place of “12” on his Raketa watch.  From that date, the hour figures on Raketa watches always start with "0", one of Raketa’s signature.

The new case with short horns design was developed to highlight the lacquered white dial with multi-layer black figures. This compact case preserves the roundness of its original Soviet-era design, even if its architecture is now articulated around a “cushion shape” design: a volume that offers a lot of surface where brushed sides contrast with polished ones.

Last but not least, a ruby shines behind the logo of the Raketa factory, which is cut into the crown, reminding us of the lapidary origins of the factory founded in Peterhof, a stone's throw from the palace of Peter the Great, 300 years ago.

Old vintage Big Zero "Gorbachev" model next to the new Big Zero !

Raketa Big Zero

"White" 0283

White lacquered dial , black multi-layer figures

Raketa Big Zero

"Black" 0296

The dial is deep black
Numerals and hour-markers

in multi-layer lacquer, highly luminescent!
Classic without being classic

Raketa's most emblematic model - the Big Zero - returns with new colors: white numerals on a black dial!

The strong Superluminova coating on the oversized hands and numerals highlights the original, bold aesthetics of this minimalist design, while ensuring perfect night-time legibility.

The Big Zero is one of the few Soviet-era watch designs to have crossed borders and time.

By conventional standards, this is not a classic design. However, it has become a Raketa classic thanks to its unique, timeless quality!

The caseback reveals a Raketa automatic movement, entirely created by the Raketa watchmaking factory in St. Petersburg.

"Raketa Big LOVE"

0295

In the new cushion-shaped Big Zero case,
The Big LOVE model is distinguished by its four letters, which replace the 12, 3, 6 and 9.
The watch is delivered with four straps of the different colors shown below.

Everything starts with love!

(Especially on these troubled times!)

To mark the International Women’s Day on 8th March, Raketa releases a watch for ladies dedicated to the most beautiful feeling: Love.

Raketa “Big Love” offers a new interpretation of femininity. A watch as a mood, as a feeling, as love. This model symbolizes the essence of Raketa’s “Big Zero” model: everything starts from 0. The hands of Raketa “Big Love” turn in a circle designating the word “LOVE” and each time the hour hand passes by the big “0” (or in this case the big letter “O”) everything restarts with LOVE!

The dial of Raketa “Big Love” embodies a minimalist design which is nevertheless full of feelings: a black and white dial with big letters L, O, V, E, crowned with the letter “O” (or with a zero - as you prefer). With its classic black and white dial design and its four different color leather straps, Raketa “Big Love” will match any style and mood. The white, bright reddish-orange as well as pastel shades of pink and blue straps will emphasize your personality in both casual and classic styles. The quick-change strap system allows you to easily change the straps depending on your current outfit or mood.

"Curiosities"

In this special line of original watches,

you will find in the new stainless steel case

The new

Avant Garde 0292

and

Russian Code 0302

now proposed as a permanent collection,

and the now classical "Copernicus" model.

Other Copernicus Ltd, Avant Garde and Sputnik 1 (in24H) are sold out!

Novelty June 2024

Raketa
“Avant-Garde”
Art in motion

Based on the original model with its famous red triangular hand, the new version of the Raketa ‘Avant-Garde’ watch has moved up a gear.

This model now has a multi-layer dial, a more sophisticated case and more striking hands which, thanks to Super-LumiNova, show the time even in the dark.

But one of the main design choices has been to replace the usual numbers with letters: zero, three, six, nine. The three main colours of avant-garde art - red, white and black - combined with the strict geometry of the hands and fonts serve to underline the beauty and uniqueness of each moment. Even a quick glance at your wrist will remind you of this, each time revealing a new work of art on the watch face.

Inspired by the idea that the Raketa ‘Avant-Garde’ model is art in motion, you can reinterpret the ever-changing composition on the dial in your own way, endowing it with new meanings.

The abstract geometric shapes on the dial are moved by a Raketa automatic movement designed and manufactured at the Raketa watch factory in Saint Petersburg. The transparent caseback reveals the elegance of the movement and its harmonious operation.

See photos of this new Raketa Avant Garde 0292 watch in the slideshow below...

New
Raketa

"Russian Code 0302"

Avtomat Caliber 2615 R

Change direction with this watch
which turns anti-clockwise clockwise!

Live in the beat of the Universe!

The “Russian Code”, one of Raketa’s most recognizable models with a counterclockwise movement, is finally launched as part of Raketa’s main collection.

The watch is crafted in an all-new case: a combination of sharp facets and rounded curves are enhanced by a mix of satin-brushed finishing with polished edges, while the sapphire glass has a more complex domed shape. A synthetic ruby is yet another update of the case: it ​​glows behind Raketa factory’s logo carved on the side of the crown.

The centre of the dial displays the constellations over St. Petersburg on the morning of April 12, 1961, when Yuri Gagarin made history by becoming the first man to fly into space. Textured polished indexes with two types of coatings (light rhodium on even and dark on odd numerals) convey an extra 3-dimensional aspect to the already multilayered dial.

Behind the elegant design lies the revolutionary concept that time should move in harmony with the natural counterclockwise movement of the planets in our Solar System. Therefore, just like the planets around the Sun, the hands of the Raketa “Russian Code” rotate in a counterclockwise direction around the dial.

The case back reveals a beautifully decorated automatic movement entirely manufactured and assembled at the Raketa Watch Factory in Saint-Petersburg. 

Are you ready to move on to the new generation of watches that tick to the beat of the Universe?

A watch that invites you to be different!

To wear this watch, you will have to break free from the most fundamental rule of time-reading — the clockwise movement of time that was taught to us from ancestral times.

Indeed, early people read the time with sundials by observing the clockwise movement of the sun in the sky (from left to right) and of the corresponding shade on the dial (from right to left). When our ancestors finally invented the concept of hands (instead of shade) moving around a dial, they naturally decided to keep this clockwise movement that they observed in nature.

However, there is a serious flaw in this decision: the Sun doesn't move clockwise in the sky. It's an illusion,  it actually doesn’t move at all. It is the Earth that moves in a counterclockwise direction around the Sun!

The sun follows a clockwise movement in the sky when it is seen from the Earth’s northern hemisphere: in the southern hemisphere, it goes in the opposite direction. The reason why early watchmakers decided to replicate on dials the clockwise movement as seen in the northern hemisphere is simply because this is where they always lived (and as a matter of fact where 90% of the world population has always lived).

The Raketa Watch Factory corrected this mistake by designing a watch where the movement of time follows the natural movement in the Universe.

This watch is certainly not for the faint-hearted but rather for people who are willing to stand out from the crowd and be different!

A watch that is true to Raketa’s DNA

By following the movement in the Solar System, this watch underlines the link between Raketa and the Cosmos: the brand Raketa (which means “Space Rocket” in Russian) was created in 1961 in honour of the first manned space flight by the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Since then, Raketa’s designers and engineers were always inspired by space and regularly made watches for cosmonauts and watches celebrating the Solar System.

A watch with a very special movement

The counterclockwise movement of the hands is powered by a very special Raketa automatic movement (2615R). The engineers of the Raketa Watch Factory inverted the movement of the hands by changing the construction of the 2 most important parts of the mechanical movement: the mainspring barrel and the anchor module! This engineering feat could only be accomplished because Raketa produces in-house 100% of these parts.

Discover the pictures of this new Raketa Russian Code 0302 watch in the slideshow below...

Other pictures of the Russian Code 0302

in high definition:

New Russian Code 0302 on my 6,5 inches wrist

 Nouvelty October 2024

Raketa

Copernicus 0307

A poetic interpretation of the Cosmos

The Raketa Copernicus, with its dial and hands designed as planets revolving around the Sun, pays tribute to the great scientist whose name it bears while at the same time offering a poetic interpretation of the Cosmos. The dial is made of aventurine, a stone that looks like a starry sky, while the Sun is represented in the centre with a circle of agate stone.

This model brings us back to the origins of time reading by looking at the celestial bodies, as our ancestors did. To read the time, you will need to watch the planet-shaped hands move and identify their position relative to the Sun and to each other, enjoying this incredible cosmic dance against myriads of sparkling stars in the background.

The back of the watch reveals the beautifully decorated automatic movement which is entirely produced by the Raketa Watch Factory in Saint-Petersburg.

Raketa Copernicus 0307

Reference: W-13-16-13-0307,

The features specific to this model are detailed above.
Avtomat 2615 automatic caliber.
39.5mm satin-finish polished steel case, domed sapphire crystal, transparent caseback.
The dial is in aventurine and the sun is symbolized by an agate disc. Delivered on a stainless steel Milanese mesh bracelet.
Price: €2,200 incl. VAT, available to order!

"Raketa Copernicus"

An original line of unusual watches!

A two-piece case measuring 40.5 mm in diameter,

with an integrated bezel and domed sapphire crystal

and, above all, unusual calibres and displays.

Inspired by a Soviet model, this automatic watch pays tribute to the science of the universe.

The first Raketa "Copernicus" watch was launched in the early 1980s, and it is no coincidence that it bears the name of the famous astronomer.

Its design is inspired by the Copernican conception of the Universe, which in the 16th century provoked a real revolution of consciousness:
at the center of the system is the Sun, while the Earth and the Moon revolve around it (and not the other way around, as previously believed).
The large circle (the minute hand) symbolizes the Earth orbiting the sun in 1 year, while the small circle (the hour hand) symbolizes Jupiter orbiting the sun 12 times slower: indeed, the hour hand turns 12 times slower than the minute hand!
The calibre that equips Copernicus watches is the classic Avtomat 2615, visible through the window opening on the back of the steel case.

Copernicus 0230

W-05-16-10-0230

Caliber Avtomat 2615, 40.5mm steel case, steel back, domed sapphire crystal, blue leather strap.

Price 1550 € incl. VAT, available

Copernicus 0231

W-05-16-30-0231

Avtomat 2615 Automatic Caliber, 40.5mm steel case, steel back, domed sapphire crystal, full stainless steel band.
Price 1650 € incl. VAT, sold out !

Copernicus

W-05-16-10-0232

Available only at the Fréret Roy boutique

Caliber Avtomat 2615, 40.5mm black PVD steel case, steel back, sapphire dome, black leather strap.
Price 1650 € incl. VAT. Available

 Raketa Watches

 24 H

Caliber 24 hours Avtomat 2624

Number of jewels: 24
Testing positions: 4
Average rate (s/d): -10+20
Average running time (h): 40
Frequency/hour: 18.000 / 2.5Hz
Bi-directional automatic winding: Yes
Stop of self-winding unit activated during manual winding: Yes

The termination of the movements differ from one model to another...

The Raketa Sonar on my 6,5 inchs wrist

Compared to the Sonar watch, the bezel is in titanium and engraved with the name of the submarine

Raketa “Sonar Kashalot" 0288

Reference: W-45-17-20-0288,

Limited Edition 500 pieces

Supplied with a submarine

and a special aluminium case

- The bezel of Raketa "Sonar Kashalot" is made from titanium of the submarine K-322 “Kashalot” built in the Soviet Union in 1986. The metal was obtained during the submarine’s deconstruction at the Amur Shipbuilding Plant and was officially given to the Raketa Watch Factory.

For other specifications, see the general presentation of the Sonar model at the head of this section.
44mm steel case, sapphire crystal, transparent caseback, 14.70 mm thick, 24-hour Avtomat 2624 caliber, delivered with a silicone strap and a leather strap.
Price: €2800 incl. VAT, two sets expected at the end of  September 2024 !

Don't hesitate to book it - there won't be enough for everyone!

The Raketa Sonar Kashalot with its special titanium bezel on my 6,5 inchs wrist

The Polar Circle

Raketa Polar

Nouvelty April 2024

Raketa

"Polar 0300"

Avtomat Caliber 2624A

New case, new style,

New full luminescent dial!

For polar expeditions!

Following its long tradition of making watches for polar explorers, Raketa has developed a model for people who want to discover the boundless polar territories by land or by sea.

The 24-hour dial is essential to distinguish day from night during the long polar nights and days that last up to 6 months each. During polar maritime expeditions, crewmembers can keep count of their shifts with the six lines dividing the perimeter of the dial into 6 quarters (4 hours each). The entire surface of the dial and hands is covered with Superluminova, ensuring a perfect legibility during total polar darkness.

The rotating bezel is engraved and enameled with the names of all the Arctic ocean seas set out according to their respective time zones, allowing to use the GMT function. The rotating bezel can be also used as a solar compass both in the northern and southern hemispheres.

The back of the watch reveals the beautifully decorated 24 hour automatic movement which is entirely produced by the Raketa Watch Factory in Saint-Petersburg. The finishing of the rotor is reminiscent of northern lights.

Each Raketa Polar watch has a certificate confirming that the watch can be used in the harshest natural conditions of polar regions. The certificate is delivered by an official Russian laboratory within the frame of the “Arctic voluntary certification system”.

Discover the pictures of this new Raketa Polar 0300 watch in the slideshow below...

Below:

Raketa Polar 0242

The bluish dial and finely sunrayed Avtomat 2624 Caliber are both inspired

by the "Aurora borealis".

The Raketa "Polar" is inspired by the brand's mythical model, specially produced in 1970 for Soviet explorers on mission in the Antarctic who faced extreme living conditions. The dial is divided into 24 hours, allowing the exact time to be known even beyond the Arctic Circle, where day and night are indistinguishable. The current model is even more powerful. The 44 mm steel case, water-resistant to 20 atm, features a screw-down crown and an ultra-resistant sapphire crystal that protects the dial. Thanks to the luminescent coating on the hands and numerals, the time can be read even in polar darkness.

The Raketa "Polar" has been officially certified by the Russian Federal Agency for Regulations and Metrology as complying with all the requirements necessary for survival in extreme polar conditions.

Polar 0241

W-45-17-10-0241

44mm stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, transparent back, Avotmat 2624 automatic 24H caliber, stainless steel bracelet and one extra strap to be choosen below.
Price 1650 € incl. VAT, lats pieces available

These last pieces available are sold

with a second strap as shows below:

Polar 0242

W-45-17-10-0242
On grey crocodile pattern printed leather strap.

Subject to availability

Polar 0242

W-45-17-10-0242
On silicone strap with pin buckle

Subject to availability

Polar 24 hours, W-45-17-30-0241 night view with the dial and its Suprluminove material.

The marine universe!

Raketa Seaman 0218

Limited edition

A limited series of automatic Russian watches dedicated to sea lovers. The dial of this "Seaman" watch bears the maritime cardinal marks used to delimit dangerous zones, as well as the names of the watches with the corresponding time intervals during which Russian sailors are on watch. The word "RAKETA" and the numbers from "0" to "9" are written using the flags of the "Maritime Alphabet" which is used in the navy to transmit messages between ships. The 24-hour dial allows the watch to be used as a solar compass (by aligning the hour hand with the sun) which is useful in case the electronic compass on the ship no longer works. The 44mm watch case is water-resistant to 200 meters, making it perfectly suitable for use by "sailors". The calibre is decorated with painted marine motifs.

Raketa "Seaman" 0218

W-50-17-30-0218

Caliber 24 H Avtomat 2624, the movement's plate and rotor are painted with marine motifs. Silvered dial, 44mm stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, transparent back, on steel bracelet.

Price 2000 € incl. VAT, last piece available !

Raketa "Seaman" 0214

W-50-17-40-0268

Extra grey fabrics strap is available for this model.

Raketa "Seaman" 0214

W-50-17-20-0264
Extra black silicone strap is available for this model.