The Strela is the Soviet chronograph that Alexei Leonov wore on the first spacewalk in March 1965. Its hand-wound caliber 3017 also appears on dials signed Poljot and Sekonda, and this guide explains how the three versions differ, how to check one and what they cost.
The First Moscow Watch Factory made the caliber 3017 from 1959 to 1979. Watches from 1959 to 1964 carry "СТРЕЛА" in Cyrillic, watches from 1964 onward read "Poljot" in Latin letters, and from 1966 the factory sold an export version as Sekonda.
All three run on the same column-wheel movement with a 45-minute counter. The two original 3017 chronographs in our shop right now cost $2,711 and $4,534.
The first thing I check on a Strela is the counter on the right. If it stops at 45, I'm looking at a 3017, and then I open the back to see the column wheel for myself.
What Is a Strela Watch?
Strela (Стрела) is the Russian word for "arrow". The First Moscow Watch Factory, known as 1MWF, put the name on its first chronograph in 1959 and issued the watch to Soviet Air Force pilots.
Collectors use "Strela" for every watch with the caliber 3017, whatever the dial says. In 1964 the factory became Poljot and the dials changed to the new name. The factory kept building the 3017 until 1979 and then replaced it with the caliber 3133, a cam-lever chronograph that has nothing in common with the Swiss design behind the 3017.
Origins: From the Swiss Venus 150 to the 3017
The 3017 started as a Swiss movement. The Soviet Union bought the design and tooling for the Venus 150/152, a column-wheel chronograph caliber, around the time Venus retired it. That purchase gave 1MWF a proven chronograph without years of development work.
Soviet engineers did more than copy it. They raised the jewel count from 17 to 19 or 21, adapted parts to their own tooling and strengthened the movement for military use. 1MWF then produced it in Moscow as the caliber 3017.
The Strela in Space: Leonov's 1965 Spacewalk
The Strela wasn't the first watch in space. Yuri Gagarin had already worn a Sturmanskie on Vostok 1 in 1961, and our article on the first watch in space tells that story. The Strela made its own history four years later.
On March 18, 1965, Alexei Leonov left the Voskhod 2 capsule and spent about 12 minutes outside it, the first spacewalk in history. He wore a Strela chronograph. Ed White took an Omega Speedmaster on NASA's first spacewalk during Gemini 4 on June 3, 1965, so the Strela got there first by under three months. The Voskhod 2 mission record covers the flight in detail.
A hand-wound watch made sense for that job. A cosmonaut could wind it fully before the spacewalk, and it had no battery or electronics that a vacuum might affect. The Air Force had already issued the Strela to pilots, so the watch came with years of use at altitude behind it.
The Caliber 3017
The 3017 is a hand-wound chronograph with a column wheel, the part that controls start, stop and reset. A column wheel gives a smoother push on the buttons than the cheaper cam-lever system in the later 3133.
| Specification | Caliber 3017 |
|---|---|
| Winding | Manual |
| Chronograph control | Column wheel |
| Beat rate | 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz) |
| Jewels | 19 or 21, depending on year |
| Chronograph counter | 45 minutes |
| Dial layout | Running seconds at left, minute counter at right |
| Made | 1959–1979 |
The 45-minute counter is the quickest way to recognize a 3017, because the later 3133 and the modern reissues count to 30 minutes. The finish is plain, with no decorative stripes on the bridges.
Strela dials also carry a tachymeter and a telemeter scale. If you want to know how to use them, our guide to tachymeter and telemeter scales walks through both.
Strela, Poljot and Sekonda: How the Dials Differ
The movement stayed the same for 20 years, and the name on the dial is the quickest guide to when a watch left the factory.
| Name on dial | Years | Script | Dial colors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strela | 1959–1964 | Cyrillic | Silver, white or cream |
| Poljot | 1964–1979 | Latin | White, silver or grey |
| Sekonda | 1966–1979 | Latin, no Cyrillic | Includes black |
Strela: Cyrillic Dials, 1959–1964
The early watches say "СТРЕЛА" in Cyrillic. Their dials are always light, in silver, white or cream, with a blue telemeter scale and a red or black tachymeter scale. The case is chrome-plated brass, 36 mm across, with a snap-on caseback and a domed acrylic crystal.
No genuine Strela-signed watch has a black dial. If you see one, someone has changed the dial or the listing has the name wrong.
Poljot: Latin Script, from 1964
After the factory became Poljot in 1964, the dials switched to "Poljot" in Latin letters. The case and layout stayed close to the Strela, but the hands became broader paddles with luminous paint on them and on the hour markers. Dials stayed white or silver, and some grey dials started life as silver and darkened with age.
The Poljot watches also went beyond the Air Force, and civilian engineers and scientists used them.
Sekonda: The Export Version, from 1966
Sekonda was the name the Soviet export trade used for watches sold abroad, with the UK as its biggest market. Sekonda chronographs have no Cyrillic on the dial, and they were the first 3017 watches with black dials. Some came in stainless steel cases. The movement inside is the same 3017, sometimes with simpler engraving.
A Sekonda is a genuine 3017 chronograph, even though the Air Force never issued one.
Other Instruments with the 3017
The 3017 also ran stopwatches and panel instruments built by Molnija and the Chistopol Watch Factory (ChChZ). Labs, vehicles and the military used them for timing work. Their dials are simpler, with one or two subdials, high-contrast printing and factory markings in place of a brand name.
How to Date a Strela
You can estimate when a Strela left the factory from the serial number on its movement. We've put the full method and the year-by-year table in a separate guide: How to Date a Strela by Serial Number. Check that the date you get matches the name on the dial.
How to Spot a Wrong or Fake Strela
We run through these checks on every 3017 before we list it, and you can do the same with a seller's photos.
- The column wheel. A genuine 3017 always has one. A cam-lever movement such as the 3133 belongs to a later watch.
- The counter. The minute counter has to stop at 45. A 30-minute counter means a different movement, and modern reissues use one.
- The movement markings. Look for "3017", the jewel count and the factory logo, which is in Cyrillic on the early movements.
- The dial color against the name. A black dial is correct on a Sekonda and wrong on a Strela.
- The crystal. A vintage Strela has domed acrylic. Sapphire means a replacement or a modern watch.
- The wear. A 60-year-old chrome case shows some brass and scratches. If a watch looks brand new, someone has probably restored or rebuilt it.
- The parts. Some sellers fit surplus 3017 movements into new cases. Ask for photos of the movement, the inside of the caseback and any papers.
One of our early Strelas came with a 1960 pilot's certificate signed by a Soviet general of aviation, and it sold for $2,500. A Poljot without papers went for $1,250, and we put the gap down to the certificate.
Before we list a 3017, our watchmaker services the movement and tests the chronograph through start, stop and reset several times. A column wheel that skips or a reset that doesn't land on zero shows up in those tests and nowhere else.
What a Strela Costs
A Cyrillic Strela with an original dial costs the most, and papers that tie a watch to a pilot push the price higher still. Poljot and Sekonda watches sit lower, as long as the dial and movement are original. These are the 3017 chronographs in our shop now, with prices as of October 2026.
Every watch we list stays on our site after it's sold, so you can still see the photos and details. These three 3017 chronographs have found new owners.
Strela · Cal. 3017 With 1960 Pilot's Certificate Sold for $2,500 
Sekonda · Cal. 3017 Black Dial, All Original Sold for $1,921 
Poljot · Cal. 3017 Military Chronograph, 1960s Sold for $1,250
You can see every Soviet watch we have now in our vintage Soviet watches collection.
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