08.08.2021

HOW TO DISTINGUISH ORIGINAL STURMANSKIE WATCH FROM A FAKE?

Sturmanskie are watches of Soviet Union military, air force pilots and cosmonauts; since Gagarin's first space flight, this brand is well known almost all over the world. Sturmanskie watches are bought in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, USA, Canada, Germany, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and many other countries.

Same as any product that is in demand, the number of fakes increases. Here are just some of the fake Sturmanskie watches we found:

 

Impressive? The list could go on. 

That's why we decided to publish this article and tell you what to look for when buying Sturmanskie watch and how to quickly determine whether the watch is fake or authentic. 

Besides, a guide on Sturmanskie watches produced in the 1950s, i.e. the very same watches Yuri Gagarin was wearing when he flew into space can be found in our future article. There can be certain difficulties with identifying the authentic watch and a fake one. But these difficulties stand out from those related to modern Sturmanskie watches: there are many watches assembled from elements of various models and movements, i.e. the case may be from one watch, the hands from another, the movement from the third watch, and the dial may be printed on a 3d printer! The challenge of determining the watch authenticity is much more complex, so we decided to post another article for antique lovers and collectors of our brand. 

But for now, let us tell you how to distinguish the modern factory-made Sturmanskie watch produced by us, in the workshops of the 1 MWF, the sole owner of Sturmanskie brand, from fake watches. 

The modern Sturmanskie brand has quite a large model range: Gagarin, Arktika, Open Space, Sputnik, etc. There are more than a hundred references!

But it is a "Gagarin's" watch that is faked most often, since it's the most popular and well-known model and it is understandable - Gagarin was wearing this watch when he first flew to space; this is a chance to embrace the history.   

And it's simpler in this case. All Sturmanskie watches from the Gagarin collection are produced according to standard design and are essentially a copy of watches of that era. Soon we will publish a special article about the differences between Sturmanskie watches produced back then, in the Gagarin era, and those produced these days. 

It is pretty easy to spot the modern authentic watch.

This is how the original watch looks like!

Sturmanskie Gagarin watch on a red strap.


Keep your attention to these details: Hands of the original Sturmanskie watch

1. All Gagarin series watches have hands (minute and hour) of the same sword blades shape.
2. There are three graphic images on the dial: 

  • the inscription "Штурманские" (in steps or rainbow);

  • the stamp of the 1st Moscow Watch Factory (1 МЧЗ);

  • the logo of long-range aviation;

  • And the indispensable inscription: "Сделано в России" (Made in Russia). 

All these inscriptions are in the same place in all models of the Gagarin series: Distinctive features of the original Sturmanskie Gagarin watch

There should not be any additional inscriptions and functions. 

This information is enough to understand whether you are looking at a fake or original watch. 

Thus, the hands and inscriptions may be of different colors depending on specific design of the watch:Sturmanskie Gagarin watch’s dial colors


  Please note that there are two types of how logo "Штурманские" is written: staircase and rainbow - both are correct on modern models:

Correct spelling of the logo “Sturmanskie”

In addition, all Sturmanskie watches include an instruction booklet:
Sturmanskie watch’ passport

And this tag:

Original Sturmanskie nametag

If they are missing, this is a reason to suspect a fake.


As for the other Sturmanskie models, in the future, we plan to write similar articles about other collections that can be faked, such as the popular Ocean model, for example:Sturmanskie Ocean

Until then, certificates and tags are the main reference points for new watches!

And a very important point - ALL Sturmanskie WATCHES have an inscription СДЕЛАНО В РОССИИ (Made in Russia). If this inscription is missing, then THE WATCH IS NOT AUTHENTIC.