Raketa: Early Export Braille Watch (Petrodvorez)

 Back in 2022, one interesting specimen was found during my regular watches hunting.

The early Raketa Braille watch with export inscriptions - the word 'Petrodvorez' is in English instead of Cyrillic (петродворец). So the transliteration for петродворец can either be Petrodvorets or Petrodvorez since the last alphabet 'ц' can be translated to 'ts' or 'z', thought z is less commonly used.

Another interesting observation of this enamel dial is the Raketa logo, it makes the dial looks cuter. 

The minute / hour hands are thicker, and all the indices are raising / protruding so the user can feel the surface of the dial to tell time.

The back cover is blank, and according to collectors from watch.ru forum, the early release of Raketa Braille watch should have blank back cover.

Nuff said and let the images do the talking ...

PETRODVOREZ with the cool Raketa Logo

Press the button at two o'clock position and the cover opens

One can touch the dial to feel / know the time

The blank back cover

There is one interesting reference (Ogonyok Magazine - January 1959 issue) found by collector (Alchron) in watch.ru for early release of Raketa / Petrodvorets Braille watch -

http://forum.watch.ru/showpost.php?p=4019115&postcount=79

Here are the translated texts -

Time to touch

A man on the bus turned to his neighbor and said loudly: 

- It's already half past two, I don't want to be late.

And then everyone noticed that both passengers were blind.

<<Petrodvorets>> - is the name of a special wristwatch produced for people who have lost their sight. They are created and manufactured at the Petrodvorets factory by order of the All-Union Society of the Blind. 

This watch differs from ordinary watches as it has the top hinged glass cover and a special dial made with enamel, which is not afraid of corrosion and dirt from touching hands. On the dial next to the numbers there are identifying enamel protrusions. By opening the cover with the help of a button located near the winding crown, a person feels the position of the hands in relation to the protrusions and determines the time with an accuracy of one minute. For convenience, the minute and hour hands are installed slightly higher than other mechanisms. 

M. Friedman.

  

To be honest I have tried to feel the dial and it really tell times with eyes closed, enjoy ;)