The must-have Macro Loupe for all watch lovers

Iconic watch art prints. Made in Switzerland, lifetime guarantee

Fleux is a small Canadian brand that offers convincingly affordable neo-vintage timepieces. The brand name, pronounced "Flouksse," is a tribute to diving pioneer Henri Fleuss (1851–1933).

Of course, when we talk about neo-vintage, we find familiar elements from iconic watches in horological history, but the "neo" signifies something new, something fundamentally different. This model is entirely devoid of numerals or minute track. It's an abstraction: a black disc on a white background, divided into four sections by thin white bands. It could be Suprematism, abstract art. A Malevich or Mondrian dream. Even the bezel has no markings, just a simple dot; it's bidirectional, click-free, yet stable, allowing you to place a marker on the hour disc.

For me, it's a successful watch. It evokes a sense of déjà vu, a fleeting feeling of familiarity even if you've never seen it before, and simultaneously, a sense of novelty in its ascetic simplicity. It has the soul of a diver's watch, but mounted on a leather-Cordura strap. In fact, the strap is the only truly flawed element. It's a Spanish strap from Seaqual made from recycled material. It's too stiff and doesn't fit the wrist well. I replaced it with a black French Sibra strap, which is a much better fit. The domed crystal is made of Hesalite, which complements the overall vintage feel, but it does have the drawback of scratching easily. The FLX004 is the fourth watch from this young brand, concluding their efforts to revisit the skin diver aesthetic. It measures 39 mm in diameter and 14 mm in thickness (12 mm case + 2 mm crystal). The movement is a Seiko NH38A at 3Hz. The luminescent coating is Super-LumiNova C3 "Old Radium," which offers a superb contrast with the deep black of the dial.

The soundtrack could be the music of Panov Stelar, a patchwork of reminiscences yet a fully original work in its own right, captivating and invigorating: https://youtu.be/ljKdbYGO62Q?si=Zwk2WMfZYTt0jo8M&t=2041

Adjective: Dreamlike, classy, abstract, danceable, grounded, minimalist

The past revisited

Circula is a small German family brand that was resurrected a few years ago in the third generation. The models are quite well-crafted and there is an interesting community spirit around the brand. Customers are consulted on the choices made for the development of new models.

The Protrail is a military field watch released in 2022. It comes in 3 versions. Sand, Black and limited edition Black old radium. It is the latter that seduced me with its simplicity, going so far as to reduce the numbers to the four essential ones, its extreme readability in all conditions.

The case is quite massive (40mm in diameter and 12 millimeters thick for 100g with a leather/fabric strap) due to the anti-magnetic shielding. But the watch also knows how to be forgotten, it is black and even more than black, its color always fascinates me. It may be because it comes from the Black Forest or because it has a DLC (Diamond-like-Carbon) coating that gives it robustness.

Depending on the lighting conditions and the distance at which you stand, you can see the circular streaks in the center of the dial, which add a nuance in keeping with the brand name, which sometimes make you think of an old vinyl, a Chuck Berry record that you would put on the turntable. And there, daydreaming about old memories, you tell yourself that time is definitely passing and that you are already old. Chuck Berry is already dead and we don't play vinyl anymore, we are in another era. Making people dream of another era while being firmly anchored in the 21st century is the bet of Cornelius Huber who was able to resuscitate Huber & Co in Pforzheim at the time when he himself became a father.

This unclassifiable watch that I bought for a reason that I did not understand myself, I like it a lot, what is more this series limited to 99 copies and numbered and by the greatest of chances I came across my favorite number. The movement is a Sellita SW 200-1 Elaboré (COMPATIBLE ETA 2824), it has a discreet but clear noise at 4Hz. There is no date, so as not to compromise the antimagnetic shielding. Of course there are many Field watches that have a long military experience with which this watch is not really comparable, and yet it brings an air of freshness so pleasant.

A watch oxymoron, a clash of generations

I've already reviewed the Raketa 821129. Well, the 821130 is the same thing, but in a night version. It's worth noting that Raketa models often come in two versions: a daytime version in light colors or white, and a nighttime version in black. Here, the dial is black like night, but also textured in a matrix pattern, like an organization present in the shadows. It's not visible except under specific lighting. The hours are indicated by indices, except for the 6 and the 12. December 6th is Ukrainian Armed Forces Day, a reference to December 6, 1919. The sound of the 2609 movement is rather loud; it's audible as soon as the watch is close to the face or in a quiet environment, but its frequency is quite pleasant to the ear. The perfect soundtrack to listen to with it would be this version of the popular song "Viorne Rouge" by Oleg Skypka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha4xNf-iTTw

The Matrix of Night

I quite like this little watch, which is so pretentious for what it is that it's no longer laughable, but truly admirable. The Samara factory makes watches as a cover for its military activities, and they've kept the old Pobeda brand and the old small-hand movement inherited from pre-war LIP watches. Watches are clearly not their priority. And yet, with this, they can offer a wide variety of models. This one is a "CV Chronograph," judging by the bezel, but if you look more closely—because it's true that a chronograph without buttons seems strange—it turns out to be just the calendar complication with the month and day of the week... and the small seconds. Of course, there are no hands for the month and day; you have to place them mentally. It's a mental exercise to do every morning. So, of course, the graduated bezel isn't bidirectional, or even unidirectional; it doesn't move, which is safer. You have to rotate it mentally—it's good for your memory.

If you open the snap-on case back, you'll find an antediluvian ZIM 2602 movement. Naturally, there are no calendar or chronograph complications on this type of movement. In short, the sheer audacity of it is impressive.

The soundtrack to listen to is Ostap Bender's song from "The Twelve Chairs." Con artists fascinate us; we see exactly what they're doing, how convincing they are, and yet we still fall for it. https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=vUV4ewHmDVM Adjectives: inventive, simple, imaginative, deceptive, astounding

Gros bluff

The watch is rather imposing, although not particularly wide. It's a 1551 chrome-plated brass case, 35mm wide and 42cm lug to lug. The case back is screwed down with a four-pronged ring; it's marked as water-resistant thanks to a gasket, and the Soviet quality logo is on the case back so as not to detract from the spectacle on the dial.

The dial is indeed a spectacle, in shades of greenish gold, somewhere between the color of medals and that of the fatigues just arriving in Afghanistan, with the Olympic rings above a proud "Moskva 80." It's a derivative product, which wasn't so common during the Brezhnev era. But the Olympics were such a prestigious event for the USSR that many watches featured the Olympic logo or the mascot, the little bear Misha. So much so that in 2025 some are even creating neo-vintage watches inspired by the 1980s Olympics, perhaps fueled by nostalgia for a golden age of the Afghan War, envied today, and by a fascination with a mascot that is supposedly purely Russian, unlike the equally cute cartoon character Cheburashka, whose ethnic origin is clearly a point of contention in the Moscow parliament right now.

The perfect soundtrack for this watch is, of course, the closing ceremony of the Olympics:
https://youtu.be/jZizBjioDm4?si=LjkK7IOsv08KY16J&t=111
With all the saccharine sweetness of the song accompanying the mascot Misha in the form of a giant balloon.

"...Let us wish each other success,
Kindness and boundless love
The resounding echo of the Olympic Games
Still echoes in poetry and in hearts.
Goodbye, Moscow, goodbye!
Olympic fairy tale, farewell!"

Nostalgia sequence

Rekord is a Moscow brand that hasn't left a significant mark on history. And yet, it's not very old and it had high sales volumes in Russia. That was in the 2000s.
The watch doesn't seem particularly bulky, even though the case is 42mm in diameter and 12mm thick. The dial reminds me of an administrative form; the indices and minute track are easily legible, while the numerals fade due to the lack of contrast between the salad green and the surrounding white. In the dark, the greenish hue stands out, however, as it's luminescent. The "Standard-Automatic-23 jewels" markings are there to reassure, while the "Russia" is almost hidden at the edge at 6 o'clock. Perhaps also for reassurance. The movement, by the way, isn't even Russian; it's visible through an openworked case back where the brand name is stamped on the crystal. The watch gives a strange impression, an indefinable banality that corresponds quite well to its name, "Standard," and yet it is precisely this banality that seems to distinguish it. Soundtrack: the Brigada theme music orchestrated for a symphonic concert in 2017. This series is firmly rooted in the spirit of the 2000s, even though the action takes place in the 80s and 90s. I can easily picture this watch, instead of Swiss watches and the brand-new Rado, going haywire at the imminent explosion of the car, for example, in a cult scene from the first episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcUbTteXgwA

The rage of immeasurable boredom

The Russian watch brand Raketa, founded in 1961, has its roots in the Imperial Manufacture of Peterhof, established in 1721 by Tsar Peter the Great. This factory, located in Saint Petersburg, is the oldest in Russia still in operation. Initially specializing in cutting precious and semi-precious stones, it contributed to iconic works such as the 1924 Lenin Mausoleum and the Kremlin ruby ​​stars.
<h2 dir="ltr">The Beginnings of Watchmaking</h2>
After the Second World War, the Petrodvorets factory diversified its activities by launching into watchmaking. In 1945, it began assembling watches under the brands Zvezda ("Star") and Pobeda ("Victory"), the latter celebrating the victory over Nazi Germany.
<h2 dir="ltr">Birth of the Raketa Brand</h2>
In 1961, in homage to the first manned space flight by Yuri Gagarin, the "Raketa" brand (which means "rocket" in Russian) was created. This initiative reflects the spirit of innovation and space conquest of the Soviet era.
<h2 dir="ltr">Expansion et Production</h2>
At the peak of its production, in the 1970s, the factory employed around 8,000 people and produced up to 5 million mechanical watches per year. These watches were intended for civilians as well as soldiers, cosmonauts, polar explorers and Olympic athletes.
<h2 dir="ltr">Post-Soviet Challenges and Renaissance</h2>
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Raketa went through a difficult period, but was able to revive itself by modernizing its facilities and collaborating with international experts. Today, the manufacture produces its own movements in-house, including hairsprings and escapements, which is rare in the global watch industry.
<h2 dir="ltr">Iconic Models</h2>
Among Raketa's emblematic models, we find the "Polar", designed for polar explorers with a 24-hour dial, and the "Ba&iuml;konur", dedicated to cosmonauts. Raketa is one of the few global watch brands to entirely produce its own mechanical movements. Its range includes models such as the<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/raketa/baikonur"> Raketa Baikonur</a>, the<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/raketa/avant-garde"> Raketa Avant-Garde</a> or even the<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/raketa/polar"> Raketa Polar</a>.
<h2 dir="ltr">How much does a Raketa watch cost?</h2>
The price of Raketa watches evolve and differ depending on the model. Most cost between 1,600 &euro; and 2,200 &euro; depending on the models and finishes. An Avant-Garde Raketa costs &euro;1,950, while a &ldquo;Sonar&rdquo; Raketa is priced at &euro;2,000. The second-hand and vintage markets are also an opportunity to find cheaper Soviet-era watches.
<h2 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h2>
Raketa is owned by the Pobeda brand and produces around 7,000 watches per year, all models combined. To choose a Raketa that suits you best, Dialicious owners&rsquo; reviews are a valuable resource for evaluating each of the different models through real customer experience.
(Updated November 2024)


Watches are generally designed to work even if they are damaged by a shock (anti-shock device or even G-shock), or if the ambient conditions deteriorate (luminescent paint to go down deep, away from the sun's rays), but they do not anticipate that the owner's abilities will diminish. Now whether it is the Raketa Big Zero or this tactile watch, they anticipate the case where the owner's eyesight deteriorates significantly, or even disappears completely.

This watch, the Raketa Braille, or Raketa for the blind, therefore has a glass that can be opened, like a washing machine by pressing the button on the crown and tactile indexes, 12,3,6 and 9 being doubled indexes to help you find your way around. There are, however, numbers and a railroad in black on a cream background, for the sighted. So it is not a watch reserved for the blind, but is perfectly suited to those who are afraid of becoming blind, or those who sometimes have their eyes occupied elsewhere and are not against a tactile experience. I appreciate its readability although it is small (34mm). It has a chrome case and a 2601 movement. The musician Ray Charles wore one, there were probably few tactile watches on the market at that time, the watch was released in 1966. (https://youtu.be/8uhsJMmdKFg?si=AiseBf5-YJdpuW5k). Obviously with such a music monster as its illustrious owner, this model can only make you dream.
Adjective: accessible, respectful, inclusive, musical, magical, tactile, readable, clever,

A watch that is always readable, even if you can no longer read it

La marque&nbsp;Serica a &eacute;t&eacute; cr&eacute;&eacute;e en 2019 par J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Burget et 3 amis &agrave; Paris, en France. Le nom Serica vient d'une r&eacute;gion perdue au bout de l'Extr&ecirc;me-Orient que les Grecs et les Romains avaient baptis&eacute;e ainsi. Ce lieu fait &eacute;cho &agrave; la gen&egrave;se de la marque, qui vise &agrave; concevoir des montres m&eacute;caniques de qualit&eacute; au style n&eacute;or&eacute;tro, pr&ecirc;tes &agrave; vous suivre aux confins du monde.
La gamme comprend des montres telles que la <a title="Page Serica 4512" href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/4512">Serica 4512</a>, la <a title="Page Serica 5303" href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/5303">Serica 5303</a> et la <a title="Page Serica 8315 GMT Chronom&egrave;tre" href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/8315">Serica 8315</a>. L'une des particularit&eacute;s de cette marque est que son nom n'appara&icirc;t nulle part sur le cadran, afin de pousser le passionn&eacute; &agrave; acheter un design, des finitions et des proportions, et pas seulement un nom. En juillet 2023, Serica a lanc&eacute; la Serica 5303 COSC une version chronom&egrave;tre certifi&eacute;e par le Contr&ocirc;le Officiel Suisse des Chronom&egrave;tres.
Leur avant-dernier mod&egrave;le est la <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/6190">Serica 6190</a> surfant sur les bases de la 1&egrave;re r&eacute;f&eacute;rence de la marque, la Serica 4512. Cette 6190 &eacute;pouse les codes stylistiques de la marque, des anses lyres, un choix de cadrans diff&eacute;rents et la possibilit&eacute; de choisir la position de la couronne &agrave; 3 heures ou en mode "Destro" &agrave; 9 heures. Cette Serica 6190 est &eacute;quip&eacute; du calibre Soprod M100 certifi&eacute; COSC (Contr&ocirc;le Officiel Suisse des Chronom&egrave;tres) &agrave; l'intar des productions actuelles des autres mod&egrave;les 5303 et 8315.&nbsp;
Depuis le 21 novembre 2024, Serica propose une nouvelle collection tr&egrave;s audacieuse...&nbsp;Une montre habill&eacute;e sortant des sentiers battus nomm&eacute;e "Parade" sous la r&eacute;f&eacute;rence 1174. Ces 4 chiffres, comme toutes les autres r&eacute;f&eacute;rences Serica, propose une symbolique issue du nombre d'or ou divines proportions dont le ratio entre la longeur et la largeur sont de 1,174... Une nouveaut&eacute; propos&eacute;e en pr&eacute;-commande &agrave; 1,490 &euro; pour une livraison pr&eacute;vue en Mars 2025...
<h2>Quel est le prix d'une montre Serica ?</h2>
Les prix des montres Serica &eacute;voluent et diff&eacute;rent selon les mod&egrave;les. La plupart co&ucirc;tent entre 990 &euro; et 1,890 &euro; selon les mod&egrave;les et finitions. Le mod&egrave;le GMT de la marque, Serica 8315 GMT Chronom&egrave;tre co&ucirc;te 1,890 &euro; tandis que le dernier mod&egrave;le lanc&eacute; par Serica, la r&eacute;f&eacute;rence <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/serica/6190">6190</a> est propos&eacute;e &agrave; 990 &euro;.
Serica est ind&eacute;pendante et produit environ 5,000 montres par an, tous mod&egrave;les confondus. Serica fait partie du <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/top/les_meilleures_marques_de_montres_francaises">Top 10 des marques de montres fran&ccedil;aises les plus populaires</a>, ainsi que du <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/top/les_meilleures_micro_marques_de_montres">Classement des meilleures micro-marques de montres</a>. Pour choisir le mod&egrave;le Serica qui vous correspond le mieux,&nbsp;les avis clients Dialicious sont une ressource essentielle pour &eacute;valuer les diff&eacute;rents mod&egrave;les &agrave; travers l'exp&eacute;rience r&eacute;elle des clients
(Mise &agrave; jour Novembre 2024)

The brand Serica was created in 2019 by J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Burget and 3 friends in Paris, France. The name Serica comes from a lost region at the end of the Far East that the Greeks and Romans named it like this. This place echoes the genesis of the brand, which aims to design quality mechanical watches in a neo-retro style, ready to follow you to the ends of the world.
The range includes watches such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/4512">Serica 4512</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/5303">Serica 5303</a> and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/8315">Serica 8315</a>. One of the particularities of this brand is that its name does not appear anywhere on the dial, in order to encourage the enthusiast to buy a design, finishes and proportions, and not just a name. In July 2023, Serica launched the Serica 5303 COSC, a chronometer version certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute.
The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/6190">Serica 6190</a> surfing on the bases of the brand's first reference, the Serica 4512. This 6190 follows the stylistic codes of the brand, lyre lugs, a choice of different dials and the possibility of choosing the position of the crown at 3 o'clock or at &ldquo;Destro&rdquo; mode at 9 o&rsquo;clock. This Serica 6190 is powered with the Soprod M100 caliber COSC (Official Swiss Chronometer Certification) certified, like the current productions of the other 5303 and 8315 models.&nbsp;
Since November 21, 2024, Serica has been offering a very daring new collection... A dress watch off the beaten track called &ldquo;Parade&rdquo; under the reference 1174. These 4 figures, like all other Serica references, offer a symbolism derived from the golden number or divine proportions whose ratio between length and width is 1.174... A novelty offered for pre-order at &euro; 1,490 for one delivery planned for March 2025...
<h2 dir="ltr">How much does a Serica watch cost?</h2>
The prices of Serica watches change and differ depending on the model. Most cost between &euro; 990 and &euro; 1,890 depending on the models and finishes. The brand's GMT model, Serica 8315 GMT Chronometer costs &euro; 1,890 while the latest model launched by Serica, the reference&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/6190">6190</a> is offered to &euro; 990.
Serica is independent and produces around 5,000 watches per year, all models combined. Serica is part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://preprod.dialicious.com/en/top/the_best_french_watch_brands">Top 10 most popular French watch brands</a>, as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/top/the_best_micro_watch_brands">ranking the best micro watch brands</a>. To choose the Serica model that best suits you, <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/5303">Serica 5303 reviews</a>, <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/4512">Serica 4512 reviews</a>, <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/6190">Serica 6190 reviews</a> or <a href="https://www.dialicious.com/en/serica/8315">Serica 8315 reviews</a> are an #1 resource for evaluating different models through real customer experience.
(Updated December 2025)

Raketa Owner Review : Soothing, concrete and readable

A watch that is always readable, even if you can no longer read it

Pros & Cons for this watch

Where to buy your Raketa?

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Raketa Owner Review : Soothing, concrete and readable

A watch that is always readable, even if you can no longer read it

Pros & Cons for this watch

Where to buy your Raketa?

YOU ARE :

Other reviews published by Wind of change

Fleux

CirculaProTrail

Raketa

Pobeda

Poljot

Customize your Raketa with our selection of accessories:

Eagle Eye Watches

Iconic Switzerland

Circula
ProTrail