Russian Watch Award 2025: Nominations

The Swiss are not the only ones: Moscow to choose the best Russian watch of the year.

The Swiss are no longer the only calling card for a man's timepiece: watches that people line up for are now also being made in Russia. Over the past few years, projects have emerged whose models on the secondary market are worth several times their original price. They are chosen by collectors, entrepreneurs, and even the country's top officials: the president has switched to an "Aurus" car and wears a Russian watch.

In 2025, the Russian Watch Award is breaking records, with 76 models from 36 manufacturers submitted—the highest number in the project's history. The list of participants includes both well-known brands and small workshops that work with unique techniques such as enamel, guilloché, skeletonization, and manual engraving. Many of their creations exist as one-of-a-kind or limited-edition pieces and have become collectible items.

Russian watches have overcome the stage of nostalgia for the USSR. Today, we're seeing more and more original models that are becoming symbols of style and a sound investment," says Vyacheslav Medvedev, the competition's organizer and founder of Watch Media.

The waitlist for some Russian watches today can be up to two years," notes Pavel Grankin, president of the National Watchmakers Association.

Voting and Exhibition

Winners are determined by a public vote on the website watchaward.ru (September 20 – October 4) and the opinion of an expert jury, which includes more than 40 heads of watch companies and leading journalists.

Contest models can be viewed offline: from September 20 to October 4, an exhibition of the competition models will be held in Moscow at the Museum of Time and Clocks (1 Rusakovskaya St.). Admission is free, and the museum is open daily from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Winners are chosen by both the public and professionals. This format makes the competition unique: it combines the voice of the market with the voice of the consumer.

The awards ceremony will take place on October 8 at the Moscow Watch Expo, the main professional platform for the country's watch market.

Nominations

The competition is held across 11 key nominations, including:

• Russian Mechanical Watch

• Heritage

• Ladies' Watch

• Men's Watch

• Sports Watch

• Independent Watchmakers

• Craftsmanship and Ideas

Reference

The Russian Watch Award has been held since 2022, initiated by Watch Media and the National Watchmakers Association. The project is supported by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.

The competition has already become a crucial stimulus for the development of watchmaking in Russia. It annually brings together more than 30 companies and independent masters, with up to 30,000 people participating in the online vote. The competition has become a space where professionals, enthusiasts, and people simply looking for "that perfect watch" for themselves can all meet.

Organizers of the Competition

• Watch Media — The oldest watch media group in Russia (since 2000), creator of the websites MyWatch.ru and Timeseller.ru, as well as expert watch channels.

• National Watchmakers Association — Unites over 20 manufacturing and retail companies in the industry.

• Moscow Watch Expo — The largest watch exhibition in Russia, held since 2011, annually gathering around 2,000 professionals and hundreds of private collectors.

• The Museum of Time and Clocks - Established in 2022 by the company AllTime in collaboration with the "Watchmaking Heritage" Foundation. Here, visitors can learn about the history and development of watchmaking in Russia.

Here are the key activities for the competition:

• September 18: Press presentation of the competition models at the "Museum of Time and Clocks."

• September 20 – October 4: Exhibition of the competition models at the "Museum of Time and Clocks."

• September 20 – October 4: Public voting on the website watchaward.ru.

• October 8 at 6:00 PM: Awards ceremony at the Moscow Watch Expo.

• Meetings and interviews with competition participants: Available upon request.

The website for both information and public voting is: www.watchaward.ru

Voting

To vote, please follow this link: https://watchaward.ru/vote

Vote for the watches you believe are the best in each of the nominations!

To prevent fraudulent voting, we ask that you provide and verify your email address to participate. Enter your email, click "Confirm," and an email will be sent to your address. Click the link in the email, and you'll then be able to vote for your favorite models.

Only votes from visitors who have voted in 3 or more nominations will be counted.

Voting will take place from September 20 to October 3, 2025. The winning models will be announced on October 8.

From September 19 to October 4, you can see the competition models at the "Museum of Time and Clocks" (1 Rusakovskaya St., AllTime showroom, 3rd floor, from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, free admission).

Nominations

Heritage

Russian Mechanical Watch

Men's Watch

Ladies' Watch

Sports Watch

Craftsmanship and Ideas

The 'Craftsmanship and Ideas' category includes these models:

Akula "Dmitriy Donskoy"

Reference: 2432.01/88808Г

Limited edition of 500 pieces

Dimensions: 44.40 х 46.10 х 15 mm

Bronze single-hand watch "Akula" by the Chistopol Watch Factory "Vostok" in honor of Soviet and Russian nuclear strategic submarines. The "Dmitriy Donskoy" model is dedicated to the submarine of the same name (the radiation symbol recalls the Project 941 nuclear submarines). This largest nuclear submarine in the world was launched in 1980. The most affordable watch in this category combines a central minute hand, a central window for 24-hour time indication, and a day/night indicator window.

AGAT Florentine Mosaic "Tiger"

Dimensions: 46 х 17 mm

"Tiger" from the Zlatoust Watch Factory AGAT featuring Florentine mosaic enclosed in the famous powerful monocoque case (46 x 17 mm). The image of the roaring predator is made from natural stones, laid into a seamless canvas. The "Tiger," with its finest handwork, is a special model even for a factory whose portfolio includes a multitude of original materials (from meteorites and mokume-gane to Damascus titanium). At the same time, the DNA of the authentic "divers" is preserved: water resistance of 750 meters.

Kosmos "Winged Predator"

Reference: К 213.10

Dimensions: 49 x 42 х 12.50 mm

"Kosmos" has enclosed a dial with a powerful soaring sea eagle above a lake in its original square case with rounded corners. For the "Winged Predator" model, a combination of the finest lacquer miniature painting and gold foil as a background was used (thanks to it, not only the bright sky but also the reflection of the Moon in the water looks spectacular). One plot from the series requires up to 50 hours of manual work, and each dial is created in a single copy.

Ruslan Skiutte "The Tin Woodman"

Dimensions: 40 х 12 mm

Skiutte watch's "The Tin Woodman" design with its "googly-eyed" look is reminiscent of the well-known fairytale character. The watchmaker from Arkhangelsk continues to explore the possibilities of extraordinary time indication: you'll rarely find central hands in his watches. In this regulator, Ruslan Skiutte has turned the eye sockets into hour and minute indicators, and the woodman smiles with a curved scale for date indication. The dial of this steel model is decorated with black wood (grenadilla) and has a silver trim.

Uglich Watch Fabric Art - Gardens of the Emperor

Reference: 8931

Dimensions: 37 х 11 mm

"Gardens of the Emperor" is the first collection of models from the Uglich Watch Factory to feature dials created using the hot enamel technique. The watches were inspired by ancient Chinese cloisonné art from the Ming and Qing dynasties and were created in collaboration with enamellist Maria Yeskina. The dials feature shades of turquoise, a dominant color in Chinese enamels from the 16th to 19th centuries.

Briller - Gardez

Dimensions: 50 х 43 х 10.70 mm

"Gardez" by Briller, in an unusual case with red enamel inserts, is dedicated to the theme of chess (the name refers to the chess term for an attack on the queen). The watch is filled with original, author's details. The lacquer miniature on the chess watch dial was created by Victoria Sinelnikova (her watch "I'll give you a star..." is familiar to connoisseurs from last year's competition), the basis of the dial and the ruby enamel by jeweler Alexey Lavlinsky, and the themed hands by Sergey Valkovoy.

IRO M-7 Stereogram

Dimensions: 44 х 10.50 мм

The dial of the IRO M7 model is a mammoth tusk, decorated with a stereogram in the form of a 3D engraving. Identical patterns give rise to an encrypted image, accessible only to the watch's owner (the customer can choose the picture themselves). The creators of the model (there are only three people in the company) note the amazing combination of the watch as a symbol of the fleetingness of time and the tusk, whose strength has stood the test of time.

MV - Solnce (Sun) 36mm

Dimensions: 36 x 10.50 mm

The dial of the "Sun" model by the MV brand is hand-painted by a master of Kholuy lacquer miniature. The colorful image of the celestial body, a powerful ancient symbol of life, is made with tempera paints and gold leaf, and covered with lacquer.

ZOTIME (Zaykin Organic Time) Tobacco Watch

Dimensions: 42 х 11 mm

The ZOTIME (Zaykin Organic Time) project by eco-design enthusiast Andrey Zaykin brings together watches made from plant-based materials (for example, the portfolio includes models made from hemp fiber or Pu'erh tea). The model submitted for the competition features a case made from Virginia Gold pipe tobacco. Its dial is crafted from the outer wrapper leaf of a Cuban cigar, and the caseback is made of rosewood.

Independent Watchmakers

Russian Project

Interior Clock

Precious Metal Watch

Unique Watch

Morzo - Art Object, Model No. 2

Its dial is a hand-painted acrylic miniature. On it, the artist once again returns to his favorite theme: a country road, a sun-drenched field, and stalks of rye. A boundless tranquility conceals the scene described above. Polished hands and ground-finish screws securing the dial are designed to emphasize the shimmer and variety of gold hues in the rye stalks and the brightness of the sun's rays. The reverse side of the clock reveals the manual-wind movement, decorated with an artistic hand-engraving technique with added dimension, first presented by the Morzo brand on Model No. 1.

Skelentonized bridges and gears are complemented by overlays made of nickel silver and brass, with inlaid elements of silver and gold. The screws securing the bridges are hand-polished. The decorative motif of the movement re-enacts an element of the story where a small mouse finally manages to leave its home and enjoy the moment, basking in the warm sun's rays. The palette of these watches is expressed by a strap made of cowhide and crocodile leather on the front, and camel leather on the reverse side. The strap is sewn with a two-color thread, playing on the contrast of the colors used. The decorated elements are encased in a 41mm stainless steel case and covered with sapphire glass. The watch's case is a sculpture by a hereditary master, made from several precious wood species. It depicts the moment when a fox almost catches its prey mid-jump, and the mouse barely manages to hide in its shelter.

Artists from across Russia who participated in the creation of these art watches:

• Tatyana Lyubimova — Miniature Painting Artist (Kostroma)

• Andrey Chernitsin — Hand Engraving Artist (Izhevsk)

• Anton Podgursky — Leather Craftsman (Moscow)

• Semyon Belugin — Sculptor, Product Designer (St. Petersburg)

Key Features:

• Case Size & Material: 41 mm, Stainless Steel

• Case Thickness: 12 mm

• Water Resistance: 3 ATM

• Glass: Synthetic Sapphire

• Movement: Manual-wind movement "Chay-Ka" ST36.2.RG with a 38-hour power reserve.

• Strap: Genuine crocodile, camel, and cowhide leather

• Clasp: Deployment buckle (butterfly type)

• Set Includes: Watch and sculpture-case

To vote, please follow this link: https://watchaward.ru/vote

Vote for the watches you believe are the best in each of the nominations!

To prevent fraudulent voting, we ask that you provide and verify your email address to participate. Enter your email, click "Confirm," and an email will be sent to your address. Click the link in the email, and you'll then be able to vote for your favorite models.

Only votes from visitors who have voted in 3 or more nominations will be counted.

Voting will take place from September 20 to October 3, 2025. The winning models will be announced on October 8.

From September 19 to October 4, you can see the competition models at the "Museum of Time and Clocks" (1 Rusakovskaya St., AllTime showroom, 3rd floor, from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, free admission).