A Very Interesting Poljot cal. 3133 Chronograph

[polmax3133]

OKEAH, it's difficult to say whether or not the dial was replaced, as it could be original ca. 1981. All of the other parts on your chronograph looks to be ca. 1981, but the hands are from a Sturmanskie and the case appears to be stainless steel? Therefore, a damaged Sturmanskie dial may have been replaced at some point with this one. If the dial is original, it would have been one of the very first with the serif font.

[polmax3133]

Oh, and based on the guesstimated number of cal. 3133 chronographs produced, the #0012 serial number could come up every few years, so the small number doesn't necessarily mean the chronograph is older than a similar model with a higher number.

[JRMTactical]

Very neat stuff Polmax! I am always interested in the variations found on the 3133's out there.. Knowing the watch came from a wrist (most likely) of a Soviet officer or 'advisor' in Afghanistan, or was traded across the border for who knows what. If the watches could only talk, eh?!

[OKEAH]

Comrade polmax3133, this is very interesting. So they reset the serial to zero every few years? I am not sure I understand...Why would they do that? On what occasion? (since there is no date stamp on these until late 80's) Could you please say more on this?

How can one correlate years with serial numbers on early 3133 (silver chrono wheels)? Also the serial numbers on mine face a different way than the ones you show. When did this change occur?

[polmax3133]

I think we have to look at the bigger picture in order to get some true understanding of how many of these chronographs were produced in the initial period between 1975-1982. If the cal. 3017 was discontinued in 1979, and the cal.3133 was not available to the public until 1982, then what was available to the general public for those three years? Nothing? Also, it's obvious that the 3017 was being exported to other countries, so it's hard to imagine that all of a sudden Poljot would just cease exporting chronographs.

It may be more likely that the cal. 3133 was available a few years earlier that what has previously been stated. There's almost no difference at all between the very first production cal. 3133 and the 1982 version, so why wait seven years to release it? Plus, why are we seeing 1970s civilian dials with sans-serif font? Judging by all of the Poljot 1980 Olympic watches that I have seen, the conversion between the sans-serif and serif style font happened around that time. If a cal. 3133 chronograph has serif font on the dial, it is certainly post-1979, and if the plate has the small Poljot crown stamped beside the balance assembly, then it is also post-1979.

Regarding the serial numbers, judging by the total production of the cal. 3017 divided by the total number of years produced, it is not hard to imagine the production numbers of the cal.3133 being much the same if not more (i.e. in excess of 5000 pieces per year). Therefore, with a 4-digit serial number you can only produce 9999 units before the number is reset to zero. Whether or not it was reset once per year, or simply rolled over to 0000 is anybody's guess. You can also see that in the images posted below of movements from this period, that the serial numbers are up and down throughout the five year period.

1: "00778" - see image 1
2: "01622" - see image 1
3: "01736" - pallet fork bridge cut-out
4: "7045" - 4-digit serial number, serial number mirrored
5: "7730"
6. "3139" - crown removed, serial number mirrored
7: "5098" - serial number mirrored
8. "1711" - plate crown, hollowed stem release button

It's possible numbers 4 through 7 could be in another order, as the mirrored/cast-about serial numbers is still a mystery. I believe the order above is probably the most likely. However, you could argue that the crown was removed for a short period and #6, followed by #7, where produced before #4 and #5; which would make more sense as far as the serial numbers are stamped with only the one change to the positioning/mirroring of the number. The problem with this theory is the crown stamp on the chrono-bridge is removed for a short period and then returns for another short period of time.

From some of the chronographs in my collection, and some other movement images from this thread, you can see the evolution of changes made during this period:










Original stem release circled.

Edit: This movement image with chrono-bridge crown and mirrored serial number gives my theory more credibility:



But then again, you could argue that the above is the older of movements with the crown stamped on chrono-bridge.





Edit: Small crown on plate, solid winding stem release button.



This is the dial from the above chronograph:



This is the final version of the cal. 3133 with silver chrono wheels.

[YG1]

My guess is that serials were reset 2 times: first - after removal of logo, and second - after modernisation.

[OKEAH]

Comrade Moderators, this should be moved to the Articles Section! Many thanks Comrade polmax3133, this is very valuable information for all Soviet watch addicts. I now have to open my OKEAH and Sturman 3133 to compare them to this information.

[Ham2]

Comrade Moderators, this should be moved to the Articles Section! Many thanks Comrade polmax3133, this is very valuable information for all Soviet watch addicts. I now have to open my OKEAH and Sturman 3133 to compare them to this information.

I second that motion and will also have to spend several hours looking at my vintage 3133s :)

[WelshWatchNut]

Very interesting and informative article. Thanks very much Polmax!

[Steel200]

Hey polmax3133,
Can you help me date this 3133 OKEAH:Auctiva Image Hosting

I'm assuming it was from below 1979 and it clearly resembled the one in the picture that said "the final version of 3133 with silver chrono wheels".Thanks.
And this post is very informative.Thank you for sharing your knowledge about the 3133.