Objects of Interest/Part 3/The Paketa Watch

I bought the below watch at a flea market while holidaying in Rome a few years ago. It reminded me of something a mathematician would wear, which is probably what attracted me to it (I'm no good at maths but wish I was). The watch is actually older than me as the lower rotating date dial goes back to 1980. The only instruction I was given by the tall bearded Russian who sold it to me was not to get it wet. This strict instruction has since resulted in years of repetitive dreams of me swimming with the watch on and seeing all the numbers and hands washing away in the water. Paketa watches are made in Russia and date back to the Communist era (see tiny CCCP on bottom of dial). They are mostly automatic which is great as there's never any battery costs.

If you search these watches on the Internet you'll find some are called Paketa and some Raketa. The latter are made outside of Russia and are replicas of the original Paketas.

I have mixed feelings about posting this info as I haven't ever met another person interested in these watches until I show them mine. I'm sure they will become very sought after and prices will sky rocket (paketa translates to rocket by the way).