{"product_id":"kirova-type-1-world-war-ii-soviet-wristwatch-as02259","title":"Kirova Type 1 World War II Soviet Wristwatch","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003ePopular conception of World War II is so skewed toward the exploits of the United Kingdom or the United States—D-Day, the Battle of Britain, or the U.S. Marines’ heroic assault on Iwo Jima—that the events on the Eastern Front might as well be a giant question mark. And yet the Soviet Union served as a bulwark as Hitler’s forces encroached from the West. The story of the Eastern Front was not one of daring assaults or sweeping invasions, but a series of border wars, of hunkering down during the long lonely winters as the Nazis tried to invade the Motherland… and froze to death in the attempt. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eFor every British Tommy or American G.I. Joe, there was a nameless Soviet soldier doing his best to survive, to withstand the winters and push back against the threat of Fascism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eWhile his counterparts in the other Allied powers went to battle with watches made by Longines, IWC, Omega, or Hamilton strapped to their wrists, the Soviet soldier or pilot wore… none of these. Instead, what they wore were large—44mm, many of them—watches with chrome-plated brass cases and welded-on lugs. It was the type of watch that their grandfathers might have worn in the last war—the First World War, the “war to end all wars,” except it wasn’t, and these watches were still cranked out in factories throughout the Soviet Union until well after the Second World War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eMany of these watches became known as Kirova Type 1, and have become as alluring to collectors as the Dirty Dozen, the watches made for the British Ministry of Defense. Several different factories made these watches, the most well-known being MWF, who had factories in several different cities in central Russia. MWF began production of these watches in 1930 and continued until 1958, closing up shop when one factory was bombed by the Nazis, moving, then opening up again somewhere else.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eAlthough some of these Type 1’s had logos on the dial, most of them did not, like the one we offer here. The exterior of the watch shows no signs of origin, no hint as to where it was made, or when. But the case is worn, weathered, scarred from battle, as the man who wore it through the war might have been.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eAn inscription on the case back offers some clue as to his identity. The previous owner had the Cyrillic translated into English. Though much of the engraving has rubbed off from the years, these words can be made out:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e“Guards\u003cbr\u003eTechnician Lieutenant \u003cbr\u003eComrade Egnatovu N.N.\u003cbr\u003eFor exemplary performance \u003cbr\u003eOf assignment of commanding officers\u003cbr\u003e… \u003cbr\u003e10-1943”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eResearch indicates that the 100th, 127th, 153rd and 161st Rifle Divisions of the Soviet Union were redesigned as Soviet Guards after their heroic service during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eClearly, Comrade Egnatovu was part of one of those elite units, and must have served bravely to have deserved such a gift.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eWe’re not sure what transpired between October 1943 and now in Comrade Egnatovu’s life. Nor do we know why it ventured from its home deep within Russia to our Manhattan headquarters. But it’s here now, ticking away, a memorial to the man who—along with countless, nameless others—served gallantly in that great and terrible war.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kirova","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":5931143594014,"sku":null,"price":895.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0809\/1255\/products\/Sterile_Oversized_Soviet_Wristwatch_AS02259__1.jpg?v=1513871214","url":"https:\/\/www.analogshift.com\/products\/kirova-type-1-world-war-ii-soviet-wristwatch-as02259","provider":"Analog:Shift","version":"1.0","type":"link"}