vant-garde art is all about having a different vision of the future, free from the shackles of conventionally accepted rules. At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian artists such as Malevich and Kandinsky moved away from mainstream classical art towards a radically new vision of art characterised by colourful abstract shapes. Unlike classical art where the artist usually imposes on you a certain message, this new form of art gives you absolute freedom of interpretation. With time, this Russian avant-garde art had a ground-breaking influence on modern art around the world.

The Raketa “Avant-Garde” watch follows this strong Russian pioneering tradition in avant-garde art and Raketa’s tradition of dabbling with the unconventional. It experiments with colourful abstract shapes on every single part of the watch: the hands, dial, strap and even the movement itself. The watch thus resembles an avant-garde painting.

Each of us is free to interpret the resulting picture as he wishes, to find his own meaning, depending on his mood and his imagination. This picture is not frozen in time. As time passes the picture is constantly changing, animated by the circular motion of the geometric shapes floating around the dial at different speeds.

This edition, limited to 300 pieces, is based on Raketa’s existing “Avant-Garde” collection. It differs from the existing collection by its black PVD case, its colourful strap, its open case back and the decoration on its automatic movement. This watch has three geometric shapes moving above the dial represent the hands: a triangle for the hour hand, a circle for the minute hand and a pointed line for the second hand.

The dial has a strong avant-garde graphic design, in particular with the words “Made in Russia” written in its center in the style of a slogan. The black leather strap has large circular openings along its length revealing the red linen usually hidden under the upper strap material. The automatic movement, entirely produced at the Raketa Watch Factory, is decorated with an avant-garde design printed not only on the rotor but also on the main bridge using a printing technique rarely used in watchmaking.

TECHNICAL DATA

• Calibre: 2615 • Functions: Automatic • Number of jewels: 24 • Testing positions: 4 • Average rate (s/d): -10+20 • Average running time (h): 40 • Frequency/hour: 18.000 / 2.5Hz • Bi-directional automatic winding • Stopper of self-winding unit activated during manual winding: • Decoration: Print (rotor, main bridge) • Case material: Stainless steel / PVD black • Diameter: 40,5 mm • Length (lug to lug): 45 mm • Front glass: Sapphire • Back glass: Mineral • Water resistance: 5 АТМ • Strap/bracelet: Genuine leather

Price (without VAT): €1,125