This rare, Russian, USSR, Probeda (Victory) men's vintage military wristwatch would be an excellent and unique addition to your vintage watch collection!! Manufactured in the 1980's, at the Zim Maslyannikova factory, the antique bronze finished brass case measures 34 mm across, excluding crown and lugs, and surrounds a crisp white dial with red symbol for "glasnost", black hour and minute hands, large black Arabic numbers, black inner chapter, raised gold markers at 12 and 6 o'clock, and sub-second dial at the 6 o'clock position. The Zim 15 jewel, famous CAL 2602 manual wind Soviet movement has been recently professionally oiled, serviced, and adjusted, sets and winds smoothly, is running strong, and keeping good time. It has a snap-down back and has been fitted with a supple new 18 mm 1-piece genuine black leather strap with stainless hardware and buckle that suits it perfectly. STOCK CODE: P-21 About the Brand History of Zim Watch Movements ZIM / ??? (Maslennikova Watch Factory) In 1906, the Russian Emperor Nicholas II issued an official decree entitled, ?On the construction of military plants at public funds?. The result was the establishment of the Provisional Economic Commission for the construction of the Samara Pipe Factory. The same year, construction began on another plant which would produce aluminium tube and capsule sleeves for three-inch rapid-fire guns. By September, 1911, the factory was completed, and workers celebrated the grand opening of the Second Pipe Factory in Samara, Russia. The Second Pipe Factory staffed some 2500 workers and was primarily responsible for producing fuses for artillery shells. The factory was so large that a residential village was established nearby. This settlement was aptly named, ?Workers?. The plant closed briefly in 1918, then reopened in 1923 under a new name, Maslennikov, named after the first chairman of the Samara City Council, Alexander Maslennikov. (The full factory name, ????? ????? ????????????, is often abbreviated ???, or ZIM). During World War II, ZIM fulfilled orders from the Ministry of Defence to produce ammunition for the armed forces. After the war, ZIM began production of civilian goods, namely the caliber 2602 watch movement intended for Pobedas. This caliber entered production in 1950 and continued to be produced until the factory eventually shuttered in the early-2000s. With a production spanning over five decades, this made the ZIM caliber 2602 the longest-produced caliber of any Soviet watch movement. Beginning in the 1960s, production at ZIM expanded greatly to included electronic devices, medical equipment, sewing machines, and automobile parts. Specialized subdivisions of ZIM were responsible for building residential houses, schools, kindergartens, dormitories, restaurants, and sports facilities. Given the sheer size of the plant and the enormous number of factory employees, ZIM developed an urban transportation route including tram, bus, and trolley lines. In the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, ZIM was in deep financial crisis. By the late-90s, the plant?s total debt reached about 1 billion rubles. In 2005, the factory declared bankruptcy, and by June 30th, 2006, the factory had shuttered. While a few of the original buildings connected to the plant remain today, the majority of the factory now stands in ruins. ABOUT GLASNOST: In 1986, Soviet general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and his advisers adopted glasnost as a political slogan, together with the term perestroika. Alexander Yakovlev, Head of the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, is considered to be the intellectual force behind Gorbachev's reform program. Glasnost was taken to mean increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities in the Soviet Union (USSR). Glasnost reflected a commitment of the Gorbachev administration to allowing Soviet citizens to discuss publicly the problems of their system and potential solutions. Gorbachev encouraged popular scrutiny and criticism of leaders, as well as a certain level of exposure by the mass media. Some critics, especially among legal reformers and dissidents, regarded the Soviet authorities' new slogans as vague and limited alternatives to more basic liberties. Alexei Simonov, president of the Glasnost Defense Foundation, makes a critical definition of the term in suggesting it was "a tortoise crawling towards Freedom of Speech". We offer free, first class domestic shipping and ship worldwide Priority Mail to insure safe, swift, and reliable shipping to our international customers for a flat fee of $34.00. (Canada may be slightly less) Please note, we offer our items on multiple sites and will not be removed from other sites until payment has been received and rarely may mean that your selection may be sold out prior to your payment has posted. We are Stonehenge Watch Company and have been selling vintage timepieces and new watches on the internet for over 15 years with hundreds of happy, satisfied, often repeat, customers. Seller information stonehengewatchcompany (2962) We do our best to accurately describe items on our site and, if for any reason, you are disappointed in your purchase we will provide a swift and satisfactory resolution to your concern.