seikosematic
·Purchased this the other day. Checked the dial today to test authenticity. Best condition I've seen these.
After 3 days of wandering around the Tirana university looking for a department with a Geiger counter to authenticate this watch, I met a physics professor who recommended a colleague to meet at a coffee shop. This Soviet watch (circa late 50s-early 60s, never commercially available and given only to Soviet cosmonauts and air force pilots--the first type of watch worn in space: Sturmanskie type 2) is highly radioactive from the radium dial, and is thus authentic (inside etc matches). The radium decays into radon gas, which are alpha particles, which are blocked by the crystal and even human skin, so if you don't go licking the dial it's generally safe-ish. However, if you wore this 24/7 for a year, it'd be like getting a few 10+ extra x-rays on your body.
Picture 2 gives the reading of gamma particles that escape the watch case.
Also photos of the back casing and interior mechanism. Anyone familiar with the serial numbers of Soviet watches know the exact date on this guy?
After 3 days of wandering around the Tirana university looking for a department with a Geiger counter to authenticate this watch, I met a physics professor who recommended a colleague to meet at a coffee shop. This Soviet watch (circa late 50s-early 60s, never commercially available and given only to Soviet cosmonauts and air force pilots--the first type of watch worn in space: Sturmanskie type 2) is highly radioactive from the radium dial, and is thus authentic (inside etc matches). The radium decays into radon gas, which are alpha particles, which are blocked by the crystal and even human skin, so if you don't go licking the dial it's generally safe-ish. However, if you wore this 24/7 for a year, it'd be like getting a few 10+ extra x-rays on your body.
Picture 2 gives the reading of gamma particles that escape the watch case.
Also photos of the back casing and interior mechanism. Anyone familiar with the serial numbers of Soviet watches know the exact date on this guy?