Bronnikoff was a sculptor with thorough mechanical knowledge, famous in the second half of the 19th century for his skill in working wood and bone to make charms, decorative objects, and watches. He lived in Vjatka, a small town which today has a population of just over 400,000. It is located on, and named after, the river Vjatka, an tributary of the Kama, between the Volga and the Oural. The town enjoys what the Russians call a continental climate, hot in summer and a minus 40°C in winter. Between 1939 an1991, the town was renamed Kirov but with Perestroïka, it regained its original name. Vjatka is an important metallurgical centre, which suggests that it was not for the lack of metal in the area that Bronikoff made wooden watches. Indeed, it would appear that the craftsman's predilection for wood and bone was the result of a specific and deliberate choice since, as opposed to metal, wood is not subject to the thermal variations created by very warm and extremely cold temperatures.