The First Moscow Watch Factory On December 1927, the secret about the founding of a watch factory in U.S.S.R. was made public. In April of 1930, construction began and on November 7, the first fifty pocket watches were finished. In 1935, the 'tune of the Russian revolutionary S.M. Kirov was added to the factory name, to make it First Moscow Watch Factory-Kirov. The name change coincided with a restructuring, resulting hr an increase of output to 450'000 pieces per year. The first watches for automobiles and airplanes were developed during this period. After the Second World War, since about 1950, the watches have been marketed un the label Pobeda. By 1955, production had been inc reased to 1.1 million watches per year. After 1960, watches with complicated movements were produced under the names Moskwa, Majak and Kirowskie. After the first flight in space by luri Gagarin, the watches were sold under the label Poljot. In 1992, the First Moscow Watch Factory returned to its original name. The yearly production is approx. 6 million pieces and the company employs approx. 6000 people. The Soviet cosmonauts worn many Poljot, Sekonda and Poljot Chronographs in space.