FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE • KEVIN CUREAU

Decipher The "Russian Code"

 Did you ever stop to think about why we read the time on a watch the way we do? The conventional pattern of time-reading is what we call “Clockwise,” with the hands making a full 360 degrees revolution around the dial, starting at 12 o’clock and going from right to left.

 Why is this the norm in watchmaking? We can probably trace the origins of this decision to the 16th century and the historical use of sundials where our ancestors would read the time clockwise following the shadows that the Sun would create on the floor as it moved in the sky. 

But what if we got it all wrong?

Just look at our beloved planet Earth and all the other planets in our Solar system, they actually turn in a counterclockwise direction around the Sun. What if we had a watch that did the same thing, and offered a way to read the time that worked harmoniously with the natural movement of the Earth and the other planets?

 For that we turn to the historical Russian brand Raketa and its limited edition “Russian Code” timepiece, which offers an evolution of time-reading and challenges the normal conventions by telling the time in reverse!

To achieve this result, Raketa uses a special automatic movement, made in-house at their manufacture in Saint Petersburg, which allows for all the hands of the watch to move in the opposite direction around the dial. Look closer and you could be mistaken for thinking that the seconds hand is a so-called “lollipop” hand, but it is in reality the moon that’s at the tip and it turns counterclockwise around the central Earth globe, just as it does in reality.

Setting and winding the watch is also done in a “reverse” way by turning the crown towards you, or counterclockwise.

With this watch strapped to your wrist, you’re ready to take a step forward and be ahead

IG Kevin Cureau

Content Producer for Phillips Watches