Watches With a History: Finds and Tips of a Collector Vitaly Buzoverya

Every watch collector dreams of coming across a rare and valuable item. In the 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR, it was easier to find precious Soviet watches than now. Owners would sell them at an affordable price on flea markets and in thrift stores. However, even then, it was rare luck to discover a rarity among hundreds or thousands of items on offer. Vitaliy Buzoverya, a renowned collector and an expert in Soviet watches, shares his personal experience and tips for aspiring connoisseurs.

Most Sought-After Soviet Watch Models

Collectors from the former USSR and abroad are particularly interested in specific watch models. The ones released in limited editions or for awards are always in high demand. Apart from them, watch aficionados would hardly miss their chance to purchase the following pieces:

• Vostok Amphibia, manufactured for submariners;
• Strela, produced for military pilots;
• Pobeda, released in the late 1940s to commemorate the victory in the World War II;
• Navigator, almost identical to the one that Yuri Gagarin chose for his debut space flight;
• Raketa Polar, created for explorers of the Far North;
• Raketa 3031, which is one of the most technically challenging models made in the USSR.

Vitaliy Buzoverya admits: "Soviet designers made one-of-a-kind mechanisms. For instance, Raketa received a gold medal at the 1966 Leipzig exhibition, and the next year, it was awarded the Grand Prix in Montreal". No wonder collectors from all over the world consider watches from the USSR a worthy investment.

Personal Story of Coming Across a True Gem

The pivotal point in Vitaliy Buzoverya’s biography took place in 1992. Back then, the young man could barely realize how much that day would mean for his future life. At a flea market, he came across the Raketa 3031 Alarm Clock and purchased this model at an unbelievably low price. Neither the buyer nor the seller was aware of the object’s real worth. Now, this model costs around USD 6,000 and still remains in the expert’s collection, noticeably standing out from around 150 other items.

It was rare luck to discover such a gem among the multitude of old household objects put on sale after the collapse of the USSR. However, Vitaliy Buzoverya had enough theoretical background and hands-on skills to detect the treasure. At the moment of finding it, he was studying history at the Leningrad State University, with excellent grades. The young man understood a thing or two about rarities.

Plus, the discovery happened at the Sennoy Market — the one that Vitaliy Buzoverya had known inside out since his childhood. As a kid, he would visit this place almost every weekend together with his mother, Margarita. She was a history teacher at school and a connoisseur of antiques. At a glance, she was able to identify the most worthy items and assess their value. Her son learned a lot from her and developed the professional intuition that is necessary for a serious collector.

Vitaliy Buzoverya’s father, Grigory, was not a stranger to the watchmaking industry either. He got a secondary technical education and worked at the legendary Raketa factory in Petrodvorets — first, as a turner, and after completing retraining at the enterprise in 1980, as a watchmaker. Other staff members would frequently come to his house to discuss their craft, as well as the industry’s state and challenges. Vitaliy Buzoverya would listen to their conversations and expand his knowledge. It was after the factory’s closure in 2000 that he began to collect watches, in the loving memory of his father and the latter’s colleagues.

Vitaliy’s Tips on Looking for Valuable Watches

When searching for the most coveted models, collectors should keep in mind a set of recommendations. Even better, they should resort to the services of a professional appraiser to avoid costly mistakes.

The first tip might seem obvious, but people tend to neglect it when they are overwhelmed with emotions. A rare model can not be cheap. Before the Internet became commonplace, it was not that easy for owners to discover the real price of the item. Now, anyone can check similar offers online and assess the approximate cost of the object in just a few minutes.

If the seller states that they came up with the bargain because they need the money urgently, the buyer should become twice as suspicious. Honest owners avoid accelerating the deal. They give one time to think thoroughly and agree to make as many additional photos of the watch as necessary, in bright light and from different angles.

Another aspect to pay major attention to is the weight. When one takes a watch in their hand, it should not feel too light. The genuine Soviet items were made of high-quality materials, which were rather heavy.

There should be no visible production flaws, such as uneven spaces between the hour marks or backlashes at the strap fastening. Sloppiness usually hints at counterfeit. Soviet manufacturers were very demanding of the results of their work, and it would not be an overestimation to call them perfectionists.

It would be ideal if every vintage or antique watch on sale preserved its original box and documentation. Unfortunately, it is not always the case — and if these elements are present, they might be forged. To check the originality of the papers, one should compare them with the standards of the epoch in which the watch was originally released. In the USSR, factories used paper and prints that are close to impossible to falsify today.

The trickiest aspect of determining the authenticity of a watch is evaluating its mechanism. Only trained experts can cope with this task. Fraudsters might insert modern Chinese mechanisms in Soviet watches or combine cheap details from several different manufacturers. However, there are some aspects that anyone can assess. For instance, the second hand should move smoothly, without jerks or stops. The sound that the watch produces should be soft and uniform, without sharp clicks or extraneous noise.

Expert’s Biography and Background

Born in 1974, Vitaliy Buzoverya developed a taste for antiques and watches at a tender age. When he was studying in the first grade, his parents gave him the book “About Watches” by Igor Melnikov as a gift. The information from it became an opportune addition to the conversations about watches that the kid frequently heard at home. He was well acquainted with the life of the Raketa factory where his father worked, and was proud of the successes of the Soviet watch industry.

Until 1991, the boy studied at the 416th school in Leningrad, where his mother worked as a teacher. He got married while still being a student, and later, his wife gave birth to two sons. By now, the spouses have split up, but they stay in touch and take care of their kids — the younger one will finish school soon, and the elder one works in the IT field.

In 1996, Vitaliy Buzoverya graduated from the Leningrad State University. The first job that he landed was at the Anna Akhmatova Museum in the Fountain House. Unfortunately, the salary there was not competitive, so the young man quit this position in less than two years.

From 1998 to 2003, he earned his daily bread as a private history tutor, working from home. The next five years, he was busy conducting individual tours across the city — he had completed courses for young guides when studying at secondary school. To differentiate himself from hundreds of other tour guides in the center of tourist attraction, he drafted custom programs for clients.

In 2009, the time came for him to settle down in thrift stores in the Petrogradsky and the Central districts of the city. First, he used to be a salesman, and then, he was promoted to the position of a manager. These occupations kept him busy for a full decade.

It was in 2019 when Vitaliy Buzoverya’s biography took the crucial turn. He stopped working as an employee and switched to earning money on his own. Since then, he has specialized in collecting, appraising, and repairing Soviet watches. Thanks to extensive expertise and solid reputation, he has amassed a substantial client base and does not need any other side jobs.

The expert is always happy to make new professional connections. He is present on major international social media, where anyone can get in touch with him to discuss watches. Plus, he has a blog where he shares insights and opinions about the niche to which he decided to devote his life.