medical slava

[mihu004]

Usually I'm more of a Vostok collector but got this Slava recently
from the fleabay. Haven't seen in any collection before.
It's the usual slava movement with a tiny pusher at 2 o'clock
for fast date adjustment that you can press with a finger nail.
Obviously designed to help doctors and nurses in picking up the pulse:
Start when the second hands is at 12 or 6 and count until 15 heart
beats are done. The tachymeter scala then tells you the beats per
minute.
Caution: Might raise the pulse of some collectors !

Regards,

Michael

[TZAG]

Congrats! I have one too. Very practical I can tell.

[Mark Gordon]

Caution: Might raise the pulse of some collectors !
Regards,
Michael

Yes, Michael this is a beautiful watch.

The Soviet system has a long history producing specialized watches for professional and social service. It probably has to do with the socialist/utopian mythology that brought the communists to power... "From each according to their ability, to each according to their need" Etc. Etc.

For example, many different model watches were produced for the blind over the years by several factories. See my post a few weeks ago.

Several other Soviet factories produced watches for medical professionals with the same basic dial that is on your Slava. In addition to the mechanical 'medical' Slava, I also have a 'medical' Chaika, produced by the Uglich factory and a 'medical' Raketa. Both of these watches contain a caliber 2356 quartz movement and were probably made in the 1980s. See the photos below.

There were also special watches for nurses, but I don't have one in my collection. The dial on these brooch watches was 'upside down' so a nurse could look down at the watch hanging from her blouse or tunic and easily read it while her hands were busy talking a pulse or adjusting a drip.

Good catch. Beautiful watch.

-- Mark

PS. A couple of years ago I gave one of these medical Slava's to a friend of mine who is a prominant liver surgeon in the UK. He tells me it is his favorite watch and he wears it several times a week.

[michele]

Yes, Michael this is a beautiful watch.

The Soviet system has a long history producing specialized watches for professional and social service. It probably has to do with the socialist/utopian mythology that brought the communists to power... "From each according to their ability, to each according to their need" Etc. Etc.

For example, many different model watches were produced for the blind over the years by several factories. See my post a few weeks ago.

Several other Soviet factories produced watches for medical professionals with the same basic dial that is on your Slava. In addition to the mechanical 'medical' Slava, I also have a 'medical' Chaika, produced by the Uglich factory and a 'medical' Raketa. Both of these watches contain a caliber 2356 quartz movement and were probably made in the 1980s. See the photos below.

There were also special watches for nurses, but I don't have one in my collection. The dial on these brooch watches was 'upside down' so a nurse could look down at the watch hanging from her blouse or tunic and easily read it while her hands were busy talking a pulse or adjusting a drip.

Good catch. Beautiful watch.
-- Mark

There are some other interesting pieces too. Here are the pics, taken from old auctions (i have an HUGE folder for the auction pics that i keep as reference ):

-First pic: Agat medical stopwatch. Strictly derived from the basic, small Agat stopwatch, with a big dial and three screws on the back to apply it of medical equipments.
-Second pic: Chaika medical quartz watch for woman, very small size (less than 30 mm) with rotating bezel.
-Third pic: Luch medical watch, quartz. I own it, but with a worn crown and on a Bund strap, very nice. By the way, it's the most precise among my Russian watches, 1 second per month!
-Fourth/fifth pics: Zarja pendant watch for nurses, hand-wind (already mentioned by Mark). It was applied upside-down on the pocket on the chest, allowing to read the time simply pulling it. Very small, it should look like a little medal on the chest.

[michele]

Congrats! I have one too. Very practical I can tell.

I recognize that pic I have the same watch...it's one of my favourite watches.

[Pete Fiandra]

Yes, I resisted purchasing one of these also, until I came across an NOS on ebay at the right price. This watch is not very photogenic, looks much better in person. Congratulations.

[ill-phill]

Nice watch , I wonder why they are allways quite expensive
I mean it's an interesting watch but not really a rare piece

Phil

[mihu004]

Nice watch , I wonder why they are allways quite expensive
I mean it's an interesting watch but not really a rare piece

Phil

First of all, congratulations to all of you having such collections !
Mine is growing rapidly since I started 18 months ago.
Currently my count is Vostok 130, Ostwok 7, Poljot chronos 6,
Raketa 10, Slava movements 3.
Most wanted: Poljot Okean, Vostok Radio Room Amphibia
By the way, anyone's got a rough idea about how many different dials
has been made by Vostok ?

Regarding Phil's comment:
I guess it is the "aura" around medical doctors that makes all these
things more expensive than usual. Consider medical textbooks or
pharmaceutical drugs. "Pharmacy prices" as we refer to, here.

[Mark Gordon]

Regarding Phil's comment:
I guess it is the "aura" around medical doctors that makes all these
things more expensive than usual. Consider medical textbooks or
pharmaceutical drugs. "Pharmacy prices" as we refer to, here.

If that's the reason, it would be ironic, since the Soviet Union mass produced doctors and they did not have a particularly high status in Soviet society. They were regarded as just another type of civil servant. Typically, they were sent to clinics across the country, where they worked for modest salaries.
-- Mark

[tiyok]

First of all, congratulations to all of you having such collections !
Mine is growing rapidly since I started 18 months ago.
Currently my count is Vostok 130, Ostwok 7, Poljot chronos 6,
Raketa 10, Slava movements 3.

..in 18 months?? wow, you've got very acute disease.. your slava medical would be very useful then..