It was a recent gift from my grandfather. He told me that it had been given to him by his uncle, who fought in WWII. Grandpa’s uncle was notoriously tight-lipped about his service, so grandpa never did find out how he acquired it.
Can anyone read Russian? Any idea what it commemorates?
The back of the watch says “Great Patriotic 1941-1945” It commemorates the USSR’s participation in WW2. I can’t say I’ve ever seen one of these before.
Here are some similiar ones:
http://images.google.com/images?q=russian+victory+pocket+watch&btnG=Search&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=
Modern dupes are being manufactured by the Molnija factory outside of Moscow. I have one just like it (only a copy). There are several companies that are importing them from Russia.