The Sturmanskie was a Soviet pilot's watch that the First Moscow Watch Factory made from 1949 for Air Force pilots, and it never went on public sale. Collectors split the early watches into Type 1 and Type 2, and it was a Type 2 that Yuri Gagarin wore into orbit in 1961.
Type 1 (1949–1954) has a 15-jewel movement with hacking seconds, no shock protection and a snap-on caseback with a date stamp.
Type 2 (1954 to the late 1950s) has a 17-jewel movement with shock protection, a screw-down caseback, a larger crown and redesigned hands. Both types share the same 33 mm case size.
Neither name appears on the watch itself. Collectors came up with "Type 1" and "Type 2" later to tell the two early versions apart. If you want the story of the flight itself, read our guide to Yuri Gagarin's watch, the first watch in space.
When a Sturmanskie arrives, I open the caseback before I look at anything else. A snap-on back points to a Type 1 and a screw-down back points to a Type 2, and from there I check whether the movement inside agrees.
Sturmanskie Type 1 vs Type 2 at a Glance
The table puts the two versions side by side. The caseback and the jewel count are the two details you can check yourself without a watchmaker.
| Detail | Type 1 | Type 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Years made | 1949–1954 | 1954 to the late 1950s |
| Movement | Caliber 2608, 15 jewels | 17 jewels |
| Shock protection | None | Yes |
| Caseback | Snap-on, unsealed | Screw-down |
| Date on caseback | Always | Until about 1957, then none |
| Case | 33 mm, chrome-plated brass | 33 mm, chrome-plated brass |
| Crown and hands | Smaller crown, blued hands | Larger, rounder crown, new hand shape |
Sturmanskie Type 1: The Original Pilot's Watch (1949–1954)
The first Sturmanskie watches left the factory in the third quarter of 1949. Inside sits the caliber 2608, a version of the K-26 movement that the factory also used in the Pobeda. The K-26 itself goes back to the French LIP R26.
The 2608 added hacking seconds to that base. When the pilot pulled the crown out, the seconds hand stopped, so a whole crew could set their watches to the same second before a flight. The Pobeda version of the movement had no such feature.
The Type 1 has a 33 mm chrome-plated brass case, blued steel hands, a red seconds hand and radium on the numerals and hands. Its snap-on caseback has no seal, which left the movement open to dust and damp, and the 15-jewel movement has no shock protection.
The factory stamped a production date on every Type 1 caseback, written as quarter and year. Our own Type 1 below reads "3-49", which means the third quarter of 1949 and puts it in the first production batch. If you're thinking about wearing a radium dial every day, read our guide on whether it's safe to wear a radium watch first.
Sturmanskie Type 2: The Watch That Went to Space (1954 to the late 1950s)
The factory stopped making the 15-jewel Type 1 in 1954 and replaced it with a 17-jewel version. The case kept its 33 mm size, but almost everything else changed. The new movement had shock protection, and the case got a screw-down back that kept out dust and moisture far better than the old snap-on lid.
You can also spot a Type 2 from the front. The crown grew larger and rounder for easier handling, and the hands took on a new, more refined shape. The red seconds hand and radium numerals stayed.
Collectors argue about dates on Type 2 casebacks, and the answer is that both versions are correct. Watches from 1954 to about 1957 carry a production date, and the factory dropped the stamp on later watches. An undated screw-down back doesn't make a Type 2 suspect.
Which Type Did Gagarin Wear?
Gagarin received his Sturmanskie in 1957, when he graduated from the Soviet Air Force flight school. That date falls inside the Type 2 years, and he wore that watch on Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961.
The full account of the flight, and of where the watch is today, is in our guide to Sturmanskie watches and the first watch in space. Four years later, Alexei Leonov wore a different Soviet watch on the first spacewalk, the Strela chronograph.
How to Tell a Type 1 from a Type 2
We check every Sturmanskie in the same order before we list it. You can follow the same steps with a seller's photos.
- The caseback. A snap-on back belongs on a Type 1, and a screw-down back belongs on a Type 2. A Type 1 should always show a quarter-and-year date.
- The jewel count. Ask for a photo of the movement. A Type 1 movement reads 15 jewels and a Type 2 reads 17.
- The crown. A small crown on a screw-down case, or a large round crown on a snap-on case, means someone has swapped parts.
- The dial. Look for even aging across the numerals and hands. Fresh white lume next to brown radium hands points to a reprinted dial or replaced hands.
- The movement against the case. We see original dials fitted to the wrong movement more than any other problem, so the dial, case and movement all need to agree on one type.
A reprinted dial isn't always a problem, as long as the seller says so. The watch below has an original Soviet movement and a reprinted dial, we say exactly that in the listing, and it suits someone who wants the look for daily wear.
The UK watch repairer Watchguy shows a Sturmanskie with the caliber 2608 dated first quarter 1954 in a Sturmanskie service write-up, with photos of the non-shock-protected balance.
Our 3-49 Type 1 came with the original identification card of the pilot who received it, and that card is the reason we priced it above the Type 1 we sold for $1,946. Paperwork that ties a Sturmanskie to a real pilot is rare, and buyers ask about it first.
Customers who write to us about a Sturmanskie ask about Gagarin more than any other topic, and we answer by sending a photo of the caseback. A Type 2 with an undated screw-down back can come from the same years as his watch.
Sturmanskie Watches We've Sold
Every watch we list stays on our site after it's sold, so you can still see the photos and details. These two early Sturmanskie watches have found new owners.
Sturmanskie · Type 2
Original Radium Dial, 1950s
Sold for $2,273
Sturmanskie · Type 1
Original Radium Dial, 1950s
Sold for $1,946
You can see every Soviet watch we have now in our vintage Soviet watches collection, with prices as of October 2026.
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