This Chaika ladies watch is one of the smallest from the two watches that I got at the last week of 2025. It was from the owner’s parent and was in storage for sometime, the owner’s relatives and friends picked the watches they wanted from the storage lot and this one got left out.

Background

Chaika was produced by the Uglich Watch Factory in the USSR. The brand focused heavily on compact mechanical movements, particularly for women’s watches, prioritising reliability and simplicity over decoration or complication.

Chaika Brand & Movement Timeline

1963 — The Chaika name becomes official.
After Valentina Tereshkova’s historic spaceflight on Vostok-6, her radio callsign “Chaika” was adopted as the brand name by the Uglich Watch Factory, and from that point all watches from the factory carried the Chaika label. 

Mid-1960s — Small calibers introduced.
Around this time the factory developed one of its smallest mechanical calibres (the “Chaika 1200”, at approx. 6 × 9 mm), establishing a design direction for ultra-small ladies’ watches that continued for decades. 

Late 1960s – 1970s — Expansion of models.
Chaika produced numerous small ladies’ mechanical watches with 17-jewel movements throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s. Many surviving examples from this era look very similar to your piece. 

1980s – 1990s — Continued production of mechanical ladies’ models and later quartz versions.
Chaika was still producing mechanical ladies’ watches with small 17-jewel manual-wind movements through the early 1990s, alongside newer quartz models. 

2006–2009 — End of mass production of Soviet-era mechanical watches, followed by bankruptcy and reorganisation

Condition on Inspection

On arrival, the watch presented in honest vintage condition:

• Blue dial with Roman numerals, looks well preserved but could be some blemishes as scratched crystal is obscuring the view
• Original hands intact
• Acrylic crystal heavily marked with surface scratches
• Case and bracelet showing expected wear for age
• No visible corrosion
• Setting the time and the crown is hard to turn (likely some motion works issue)

Crucially, the watch was running. That immediately ruled out any major intervention and shifted the focus toward preservation rather than restoration.

Under the Dial: What’s Inside

“Inside the case beats a Chaika calibre 1601A, a small manual-wind movement with 17 jewels and a roughly 40-hour power reserve. These movements were purpose-built for compact ladies’ watches and are known for straightforward, durable construction. The shock-protected balance and relatively high beat rate reflect the design priorities of Soviet watchmaking for reliable everyday use.”

Case Size and Proportions

Measured without the crown, the case is approximately 17–18 mm in diameter. This is extremely small by modern standards, but entirely correct for a Soviet ladies watch from the 1960s–1970s.

At this size, the watch wears more like a bracelet than a contemporary wristwatch. The proportions are deliberate and reinforce the original design intent.

Disassembly, Investigation and Outcome

I initially removed the crown stem and the screws holding the movement form the case back and movement won’t fall off. Then I realize there is a small gap in the side of the movement to indicate it could only be removed from the front.

The aim was to return the watch to a usable state without altering its character.

• Case and bracelet were gently cleaned
• Case has some bit of oxidation and easily removed with some metal polisher
• Acrylic crystal was polished to reduce scratching and improve legibility
• Basic functional checks were carried out to confirm winding, setting, and consistent operation
  • There was an issue with the setting system upon opening and needs a parts replacement
  • With the setting issue the crown tends to unthread when turning counter clockwise so I used a bit of loctite to put it back in.

The motion works is not fully functional and need the minute wheel replaced.

• One the teeth is broken in the minute wheel which is likely the cause for the issue with the pinion which sits on the top of wheel that is machine fitted have fallen off.

Notes

Despite its small size and broken motion work, the movement runs confidently and has shown good timekeeping in testing.

This isn’t a rare or high-value watch, and the parts are so small on this watch. Learned most ladies watches are front loaded to remove the movement. And I get to use my watch press to put it back together to make it easier.

Summary

This Chaika now sits clean though not fully functional, the motion work is unusable. Either I source out some parts or just sell the watch as is for parts or repair.

---

Specifications

• Brand: Chaika (USSR)
• Era: c. 1960s–1970s
• Movement: Mechanical, hand-wound, 17 jewels
• Case diameter: ~17–18 mm (excluding crown)
• Case thickness: ~7 mm
• Crystal: Acrylic
• Functions: Hours and minutes
• Dial: Blue with Roman numerals
• Bracelet: Period-correct metal bracelet