All Rocket Factory Bashny.Net

"Rocket" - the legendary Soviet brand of watches manufactured Petrodvorets Watch Factory, which was founded by Peter I in 1721. For a long time the plant was on the verge of extinction, but recently it became known that the plant is reborn ...
10 ph via etoday / chronoscope





Russian aristocracy took up the restoration of the old watch factory in the country. It is located at Peterhof, he was almost three hundred years, and founded his Tsar Peter I. In Soviet times it was called "Rocket". There were times when there were produced hundreds of thousands of chronometers per month. Although this light of his past master is now only recall the plant is still among the few companies that self-create all the components of its watches. On the bright future "Missiles" Chronoscope magazine questioned the chairman
directors and creative director of the brand Count Jacques von Polje.



Jack, tell me about yourself, you're French, you ended up in Russia?

University exchange, I was here in the Economic Institute, the famous "Plekhanovka." The ancestors of my Russian family, though the French, but arrived here with the troops of Napoleon. Over 200 years of life, it is highly Russified. For example, a grandmother in my Russian. But after the revolution ancestors went away from communism, until World War II lived in Germany, and then went to France. My decision to return to Russia was not easy for the family. This happened in 1995, when the USSR had disappeared, but even my grandmother, who spoke in Russian, was against the move. She said: "If you go to Russia and will work from the Communists, then I will not talk with you." We're not talking six months.



There is information that the restoration of the brand "Rocket" do and Russian aristocratic families? Is it true?

The board of directors is Prince Rostislav Romanov, his great-grandmother - the sister of Nicholas II, and great-grandfather - the son of Nicholas I. The young Romanov decided to return to live in Russia, he was very Western-educated and came here to learn Russian. He is interested in participating in the reconstruction of "Rocket" because his ancestor, Tsar Peter the Great created this plant. Count Palen, it helps to seek investors. He is also the representative of the famous Russian family, his ancestors participated in the overthrow of Tsar Paul I. We have Palena enterprises in Russia and Switzerland, and his wife belongs to the Agnelli family, which owns the Fiat and Ferrari. Palen was among the first emigrants who have returned to Russia. Since 1992, he's here. These people are very helpful "missiles" with the search for investment.

And what he did to you, "Rockets»?

I engage in business and traveled extensively. Especially a lot since 1998, when I lost in the crisis. Then my friends and I traveled to the Russian car from Paris to Shanghai and back, it took us a whole year. Russia, Central Asia, Mongolia, Afghanistan and China - all of these countries, we have seen and it wrote a book entitled "Come." In France, it has been successful, it is also one of the first books, from which Western man could know the status of the former Soviet Union and its republics. After this trip, I for some time he worked in the financial sector. But by nature I am more of an artist than a financier. "Rocket" - a creative project, and my financial background is helping to work effectively with them. For him, because you need to earn money. Even if we have small budgets compared to other watch brands, it is still a budget and you need to look at his finances.



Why did you decided to do what all hours? Did you have some background to this?

I had not worked for hours and I'm not an expert in this area, not a watchmaker. But I feel a creative person, and "Rocket" as a project gives me the opportunity to realize themselves. Two years ago I had a conversation about the hours of "Flight", the brand purchased oligarch Sergei Pugachev. A member of the Pugachev asked me what I would have personally made a "flight". This is an interesting brand with a history, and thanks to him the first time I seriously thought about the construction of the watch brand. But the "flight" complex situation, more legal problems. Now on the basis of the name registered many fake brands - Flight Elite, Flight Classic, Flight International and so on. Secondly, there is no production, no plant, leaving only a small company that makes a month for a couple of chronometers. "Rocket" is less well known than the "flight", but the brand survived and left the production, so I tackled it.

Do you think that the clock under the Russian brand to someone may be interested?

Russian tired of sushi and pizza, they want to eat soup. It will be the fashion for Russian in five years. And "Rocket" is focused on this time. Russia is a unique country, because of the Soviet power, and then the privatization of many of the old brand is dead. In addition, over twenty years no one wanted to buy domestic, all chasing foreign. Today, this trend is changing, but there is almost no companies that could meet the demand for Russian. One of the few survivors - a factory "Rocket". It is not as big as before, in the 1970s, but it is a real brand with great history. This plant, which produces everything himself, including the balance sheet and spiral - the most difficult elements in the movement. A year ago, we had to make an important decision - to maintain production or to do everything - buying arrangements from ETA and sell them under the brand name "Rocket". It would be easier, cheaper, and we would probably have earned. But we decided to keep everything and invest in the development of production. We hope that in the future people will appreciate it, even if the clock will not be cheap.



"Rocket" will be fashion-brand or do you intend to do "serious" chronometers?

There are several types of watch brands. The first - a purely design, people are buying these watches because of their appearance and the label in this case is not very important. There are fashion brands that are under its own brand produce anything: clothes, perfumes, accessories and watches as well. His watch-making they have, they bought everything on the side. Their timepieces are designed for fashion victims, who want to have all the same than if only the logo was written by Gucci or Armani. And finally, the main group - a traditional watch brands, they are mostly Swiss. But even among them, very few companies that make their own arrangements. Of the five thousand companies are only four or five make yourself absolutely every detail. "Rocket" is just such a company. But we do not do only the clock will be also all kinds of fashion accessories. On the basis of "Missiles" will be built a powerful brand with a variety of directions.

How much is the production of watches in Russia?

Expensive. If we do 1000-2000 hours per month, it is much more expensive than buying a ready mechanism at the Swatch Group. Good movement ETA sold for 20-40 dollars, to produce a simple mechanism for "Rocket" without complications costs at least $ 50-60. This price is only one mechanism, plus the need to add to this bracelet, housing and other details. This amount does not include salaries and operating, marketing and design of the watch. Expensive, of course. For the price of "Missiles" sell high-quality Swiss watches. But we do not think the Swiss our competitors, we focus on those who want to buy something real, not fake, made in Russia.



Bureaucratic obstacles are felt?

Produced in Russia is very difficult, I would not advise anyone to do this, if only because it is necessary to five times a day to go to the notary - to sign some papers ridiculous. My father is now 75 years old, he is an active businessman in France and he is in all his life was a notary 1 time - when his father died. In Russia, too much paperwork, it makes it a hundred times more complex than in any country.

What are you people? In the former Soviet factories, most artists - deep pensioners, it is difficult to synchronize with this.

Yes, many craftsmen work on "Missiles" has for 50 years. Very honored. One watchmaker participated in the siege of Leningrad, the other extinguished Chernobyl, a third live in the North or South Pole, I do not remember. One of the main tasks for us was to find young watchmakers. We cooperate with the Leningrad Engineering College named Kotin. Open a single school in the Russian watchmakers, it learns to 9 students. They receive a general technical education with specialization in watchmaking. Their old coach watchmakers. The training includes theory, practice at the plant, the history of watchmaking.



Swiss attract to restore the factory?

Yes, to re-establish production processes, we have attracted foreign engineers. One of them - the former chief engineer of Breguet, the other was responsible for internal logistics in
Rolex, a third worked as a designer
in Hautelence. We have long searched for them, but, thank God, not so long ago in the Swiss watch industry was a small crisis. It is somewhat easier for us to find. Although at first all refused to work in Russia. One of the engineers agreed just to go to St. Petersburg to see the factory. He saw it as a tourist trip. Upon arrival, of course, I was shocked, because in Switzerland at the time the plants are very clean, all working in white coats. On the "Rocket" it was far from sterile. But when he learned that the factory workers themselves produce spiral and balance, he wondered, and he agreed to cooperate. And this engineer who worked in the Breguet, brought with him two more people. Incidentally, he worked on a complex mechanism Memoire 1, which was created by Maurice Lacroix. This mechanic, which has a memory property. He led this
project! Now Swiss engineers provide consulting services, they are in the factory one week per month, and in the rest of the time involved in the videoconference. They are involved in the computerization of production transferred to the tracing paper drawings on computers and so on.

It probably stood Equipment Mesozoic era?

We have now the old machines, but buying new ones - a priority for the "Missiles". On the other hand, in recent years, the mechanism has not changed much over 50 years is nothing special in this case has not occurred. We do not want to do tourbillons, for us it is important to produce a simple, reliable as a Kalashnikov rifle clock. Modern machines can
do absolutely any details - only needed program. But they do not work better with them simply more convenient. In traditional production to produce all parts of hours, you need to have a whole set of machines. For the production of about 200 components of which make the mechanism of "Missiles" need approximately 300 different units. And to the equipment ground under a certain item to start doing the other, will have to spend 2-3 days on customizing it. At the current unit simply press. Therefore, we will gradually move them.



But with the transition to the new machine, you will begin to make new arrangements? By the way how much you own caliber?

Now we use a base caliber. On the basis of produced several mechanisms: the date; date and day of the week; the lunar calendar; hours for 24 hours and 12 hours; Watch three small dials that show the date, day of the week and 24 hours. On the basis of the same mechanism after a while start to make avtopodzavodyaschiesya hours. The "Rocket" there is no purpose to simulate the complicated Swiss watches, our business - it is a simple, high-quality watch. After all, the complexity does not give greater accuracy. In general, we have drawings of different mechanisms, we have a rich history.

What will be the design of the new "Rocket"? You will work in a retro theme, or create something entirely new?

We now have a temporary collection - is just modernized the clock thirty years ago with a slightly redrawn dials. Coming soon, and the new collection. But something fundamentally different, we do not want to do. For us it is very important that all our models are based on the previous models and new things appear in the course of natural evolution. The plant is almost 300 years and we are just a small piece of the story. I can not afford to destroy our heritage. We have thousands of sketches hours. Few brands with a broad base and we start from the roots, and the design was developed in accordance with the historical logic. This does not mean that we will be doing retro, we simply support the smooth progress of history. "Rocket", for example, is known for its clock with 24 hour dial and will continue to do them.

Above the corporate style of work? In order not to get lost among the other watch companies, it is necessary to make the "Rocket" was recognizable at a glance.

Even from a distance you can easily define the Rolex. With the "Rocket" more difficult. We had a lot of different designs and it was difficult to identify a single style. We thought how to make them recognizable and came to the conclusion that our trademark will be zero on the dial (where there is usually a mark "12 hours").

The main question - how much will sell?

If you just go to the Old Arbat and see Russian watch for 50 bucks that says KGB - rest assured that it is a fake. Such prices have mechanical watches made in Russia can not be. The reality is that they can not cost less than 200 dollars. Our timepieces are priced at $ 200 for quartz and $ 350-400 for mechanics. The highest bracket is somewhere at around $ 800. Hours of our time collection sold for $ 300.



With stars you somehow tied up, looking after Mark?

We have a small budget, so we can not use the star life. But many people like our project, for example, there is a car racing team, serving under the banner of "Rocket", the mass of athletes support us. If we talk about the stars, the main partner - Natalia Vodianova. I have her personal friendships, I know her for a long time. A year ago, I asked how she felt about the brand "Rocket" and she was eager to help us. She agreed to do the design hours. Part of the profit from their sales, we will send it to the charity.



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