Volmax Russian Aviators

Russian Aviator - Ivan Kozhedub

Volmax's Russian Aviators series succeeds two similar series released by Poljot in the early-2000s. The four commemorated pilots in this series are identical to the original series (2002), but this time the watches are fitted with a cal. 3105 movement instead or the standard cal. 2614 or cal. 2612 w/alarm function. There are a combined total of 16 collectable watches in the original series, as well as dozens more created after the original series were sold out.

A combination of at least two components are necessary to acquire one of the original pieces: A cal. 2416 or cal. 2612 movement, and the Poljot crown logo stamped on the crown(s). Newer, but still very nice, remakes of watches in this collection have been fitted with the Japanese Miyota mechanism.

Another cool feature of this particular watch is the box that it came in. It has been signed by the president of Volmax, Valentin Volodko. When I created my username on the the Watchuseek forum, I switched the "V" in Volmax to "P", as my collection is predominantly Poljot branded, and of course predominantly made up of chronographs featuring the cal. 3133 mechanism (i.e. "polmax3133"). Of course, I collect other variants, such as this watch, as well.

100 years -Russian Air Fleet

These case backs are by far the best of the Russian Aviator series as each one in the series of four has a deeply etched display of one of the principle aircraft flown by the commemorated pilot.

MakTIme cal. 3105

This beautifully decorated movement is identical to the cal. 3133 minus the chronograph function. Being that it can support a chronograph function, the movement has power to spare and will run for many years even without lubricants. I would highly recommend the cal. 3105 to anyone looking for a robust and reliable timepiece without the extra pizazz, and physical height, of the chronograph function.

Ivan Kozhedub

Ivan Kozhedub began his military career in 1941 when enlisted by the Red Army. Having learnt how to fly during the years leading up the the war, Kozhedub was admitted into the Military Pilots Aviation School where he went on to graduated with honours as an aviation instructor.

Kozhedub would remain an instructor until the end of 1942, when a new fighter plane, the Lavochkin LA-5, was brought into service, and he was ordered to learn how to fly it. Subsequently, and upon his own request, Kozhedub was put into active service at the front lines flying variants of the LA-5 and LA-7 fighter planes, where he would eventually become the greatest Soviet fighter ace of The Great Patriotic War.

By October '43, Kozhedub had brought down 20 German aircraft; by mid-1944, another 28! By wars end, Kozhedub had downed 62 enemy aircraft and won the Hero of the Soviet Union award three times in the process.