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The watch I will present is not the best watch I own. But it is actually not a rotation watch as well. Because it obsessed almost fully the wrist time and became my daily beater since more than a year.
STRELA
I like the retro-design. Mostly from 1960-ties +/- a decade. I have interests in history of science and technics, and a watch from this period, known to be the first "Space" watch (used in EVA, outside a space ship) is definitely irresistible. Well, it's not that watch, but a modern re-issue of the Poljot's classic called "Strela".
The original "Strela" was a mechanical chronograph, powered by Poljot 3017 movement (derived from Venus, also the father of the popular ST19 of today). It was the mostly used chronograph during the space missions of USSR from early 60-ties till mid of 70-ties. The chromed case and lack of shock and water resistance, plus the sought-after prices, are not making this watch a daily beater. On the other hand, several re-issues, from different Poljot successors exist on the market. They use the robust Poljot 3133 chronograph movement and are cased in solid stainless steel bodies. The first re-issue came from Poljot-International already in 2001, followed by so-called "generic Strela" from Poljot (later produced by Maktime) in 2004 and Sturmanskie Strela from Volmax in 2008. The beater in my case is the "generic Strela 3133".
STRELA 3133
The design of the re-issue follows the original very closely. Of course there are obvious differences, but the spirit of the Strela is definitely there. The case is solid steel, brushed on the sides. I would really prefer acrylic domed glass, but it is mineral. Good they keep it domed. The guilloshed dial looks more modern, but the black-red markings are really sending you back in time :)
The watch feels very solid, without having any macho-look. You can freely wear it with a suit like a dress watch. The mineral crystal is not at all so bad, as many posts suggest. The Poljot 3133 movement is well known among the watch enthusiast and there is not much more to say - precision of mine is about 2 sec. per day, the power reserve is more than 60 hours, the winding is smooth like a silk, the ticking sound is loud and nice. On the negative side (it should be such) - you need really strong press to operate the chrono. The quick date change requires moving the hands back and forth, which is not very comfortable if the watch is in rotation. Among the Strela family I would rate the fit and finish like that Poljot-International Strela -> Sturmanskie Strela -> Strela from this review. Nevertheless, the watch looks and feels very well by it's own, and comparable to watches way above it's price tag.
AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR
The pictures are from today. I am careful with my watches, but nevertheless - the watch is in daily use, in rare occasions I change it with another one. Looking at the wear and tear for this period (or almost lack of such) of the Strela, I can conclude - it's a very solid chronograph, suitable for all occasions (except swiming, due to the low WR). The precision was set in the first month and till now is still unchanged. The Poljot 3133 movements, circulating since 1976 around, suggest a long-term keeper.
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