Dr. Strangelove

The incredible thing of our time is the possibility to watch any of your preferred movies on your PC, at your leasure, from a DVD or any suitable compressed digitalized files! I have about 30 a these magical disks covering classical cinema of my preference.

On a Linux box, you may need a special "libdvdcss" library, usually not installed by default, to decode what you normaly and honestly paid for watching your movies.

My Linux box Shinkaze, a pure Microsoft-free PC (see my initial post on this blog)

My interest in computer history, watches, and navigational devices maybe gave me a specific reason to be specialy interested in the unforgetable Stanley Kubrick's Chef d'Oeuvre Dr. Strangelove or : How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, and the astonishing Peter Sellers in his triple roles of the President Muffley, President of the United States of America, the smart British officer Group Captain Mandrake, and the mysterious nuclear expert Dr. Strangelove.

President Muffley trying to explain to the Soviet Premier "Dimitri" how a certain General Ripper "became a little funny in his head" and decided to launch a sneak nuclear attack on USSR!

In 1964, everything is already on the scene : as the concept of interconnected computers (the "Doom machine"...), the economy race in which USSR has some trouble to follow. The dialogs are a pure piece of art and perfection all along the film.

The enigmatic nuclear expert Dr. Strangelove explaining the principle a the "Doom machine"

Should we really stop worrying, even now?

Watch "experiments", August 2005

Fascinating wrist watch "computers"

A watch is indeed a fascinating computer. By definition, a watch accumulates, in different registries, its time-based units : as seconds, minutes, hours, days, years...It could be done electronically quite precisely, but how we could not be fascinated by the way of how a mechanical watch, especialy a wrist chronograph is doing this?

Associated to the human individuals, it follows their life, works, travels, sports.It is really amazing to see this apparently delicate machineries operating for years in very difficults condition (temperature, shocks, vibration, humidity) for the most rugged one. Their precisions is sometime approaching the electronical watches, but it is so pleasent to see them functioning without a single electronic component and a tighten spring as sole energy source!

During this August month, I did new horological "experiences" with some of my watches, especially with my preferred Russian ones. Theses "experiences" are not at all technical nor scientific. It was just consisting to try different watch combos with bracelets or bands (nothing really mechanically adventurous!) but it maked also very good occasions to photograph them.

Extension of my Russian watches collection

What's more, I received two new beautiful Russian exemplaries : A Vostock "Blue Diver" and the famous Poljot chronograph Komansdirskie OKEAH (Ocean). This later is a re-issued version of the military chronograph released by Poljot as the new precision standard in 1976. This chrono is based on the same Poljot 3133 movement as initially. This watch (I mean this series) went to space as nicely described here by Strela a member of the Watchuseek forum.

My Russian watch team in August,2005

A watch combo and set

The sensation to wear a wrist watch is very depending of the complete set : the complete watch case and the bracelet, or the band, associated to it. With a bicycle, one says that you could change many things : the saddle, the handle bar, the brakes, the pedals, even the wheels, you would keep the same bicycle, but if you change the frame, you get a new bicycle!

It is likely the same with a wrist watch. The "frame" role is played by the watch case plus the dial. The rest could be changed without the feeling to change of watch. The other important element, in straight contact with the skin, is the bracelet, the band, the strap.

The Poljot Sturmanskie set: the original stainless steel bracelet, a blue skark skin band, and a 70's style "rally" black leather band

Steel bracelets or leather bands?

Functionnaly, there are no really choices. A good quality stainless-steel bracelet is almost mandatory if the watch have to be worn in a hot and humid climate and/or if you have physical acivities. The swear and the humidity would ruin in a few weeks the most of leather bands. A nylon and tissue strap can be washed and may be a bit more durable but not easy to keep clean, for sure. A stainless steel bracelet, is however necessarily more heavy and massive, in particular those of the high-end quality with their links machined in single pieces of steel.

The ensemble steel bracelet + the chrono case weights a lot on the arm. It is recommended to leave the space of a finger (the small one is enought) and not to adjust the bracelet too tight to compensate the wrist size change during the day. This makes the watch a bit floppy on the wrist but once trained, it is like a familiar presence.

One can wear a leather band in the same way. It is always more comfortable as long as the leather is not humid. The watch is not floppy even with the band not tightened. As far as I am concerned a steel bracelet is necessary during summertime and I am pleased to have alternative bands for the rest of the time.

The "experiences"

Vostock Blue Diver

Let's see now these beauties, first the Vostosk Blue Diver mounted on a "mesh" baracelet (the original one is a blach 18mm leather band) :

The OKEAH (OCEAN) Chronograph

The OKEAH chrono is a very special "pillow shaped" watch design, typical of the 70's. Pictures and discussion on Watchuseek forum, give some example of what kind of bands/bracelet can be used to match this design. I tried the mesh bracelet but it looked a bt too narrow (18 mm for the band) and thin for this watch.

A stainless steel bracelet mounted on the OKEAH chrono.

The original black leather band I got with the watch, is signed Poljot both on the band and the buckle.

I tried first a "Royal" blue shark skin band fitted with a butterfly deployant :

It inspired a "marine" series of pictures :

And another series with the help of a navigation rule (a French type called "Amiral Jean Cras")

The rule is officialy agreed by the French Air Ministry, not the watch...

Then, it tested a less flashy shark skin given as "blue" but likely grey-blue. The band is a bit more thcker padded than the previous one:

The "Breitling" Pilot-style bracelet is a chinese fabrication (have a look to an original one....it costs about 950 US $) :

Note the special lug design.

"Komandirskie * VMF *" (Vojenno Morskoj Flot)

Poljot watches, fully constructed in Moscow factory will be no longer issued under this brand name. Volmax brand is now issuing Aviator, Sturmanskie and Buran series on a new assembly managment...at more expensive rates.

As final choices the original band, the grey shark skin, and the Breitling Pilot-style bracelet are now parts of the OKEAH set :

The Sturmanskie "Sinn 6000 replica"

The final experience concerned the Poljot "Sinn 6000" replica (as not really masked by Poljot itself). The original steel bracelet is polished as the watch case. Some other version of this watch were also mat satin. A previous post on this blog gives already a complete set of this original combo. I tried the royal-blue shark skin first on this watch :

The second experience was with a "rally"-style black leather band that recalls the 60-70's :

The corresponding posts on Watchuseek fora can be found here.

Most of the pictures published here can be found at higher resolution from my preferred pictures galleries at topcities.com.

Russian watch fascination

The Poljot factory officially closed in Moscow at the end of the past year (see this WUS recent discussion). The new factory Maktime is producing now more high-end models as the Aviator/Sturmanskie/Buran series. The Russian production of mechanical watches still remains fascinating by its diversity, its traditional and historical links to the associated human enterprises. To have the best idea of this industry, one can recommend the Michele Cuoccio's web site and his impressive collection of Russian watches.