Specifications
Movement: Slava 2427 Automatic 3-Hand with Date | 18000 bph | 27 Jewel
Power Reserve: 40 hours
Case Diameter: 40 mm
Lug to Lug: 47.8 mm
Case Thickness: 13 mm
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Dial: Brown | Baton Hands | Luminescence
Crystal: Hardened Mineral
Strap: Milanese | Stainless Steel
Water Resistance: 10ATM | 100M | 330 ft.
Functions | Complications: Date # 3 o'clock
Movement
There is very little information that I could find on the Slava 2427 movement, in fact here is some of the history that I can find on this interesting Russian Movement.
The Moscow Slava movement factory closed down years ago, I could not find the entire chain of ownership, but from my research it seems to have fallen into the hands of German watchmaker Alexander Shorokoff. Apparently he sold off most of the movements to CCCP, these movements were in bad shape and needed quite a bit of restoration work and new parts in order for them to function properly. In that process CCCP partnered with a Chinese manufacturer in order to reproduce the Slava movements in order to keep the nostalgic feel of the CCCP timepieces.
In terms of Russian-made movements, the Slava 2427 is among the simpler and less expensive historic Russian movements that you can find. It operates at 18,000 bph and was intended to be an entry-level work horse caliber.
Dial & Design
The dial is a nice sunburst almost root beer brown color, with applied minute indices, and the hour markers and date box are outlined with polished boarders - filled with luminescence. The date window is located at the 3 o'clock position, it is easily read and with the polished border it is easy to locate on the dial. The dial is very simplistic and I would say the most successful element of the Gromov.
Both the front and back of the case feature the same hardened mineral crystal, with the back being in red - for obvious aesthetic reasons. Through the case back's red mineral crystal you can make out the Slava's industrial looking movement
Case & Details
The Gromov case is at 40 mm with a lug to lug of 47.8 mm, it is thin at 13 mm - at least for my collection which makes it very light. The case is manufactured very nicely, there are no sharp edges or design flaws that I have seen as of yet, and the finish is in a highly polished look that goes well with the aesthetic of the dial and the Milanese bracelet. The crown is very basic, with a simple star etched on the side. The crown is a little on the small side, making it a little difficult to manage with my large hands. At first, I thought that the crown was a screw down - I was wrong - it is just a push | pull crown. The date and the time are easily set, and there were no issues with doing so.
On The Wrist Experience
The Milanese Mesh watchband is a very nice bonus with this watch, as I have large wrists the adjustability of the band make for a very wearable timepiece. The Gromov is very comfortable to wear, and will be a great daily business environment watch.
Sales & Customer Service Experience
So far, the only interaction that I have had with CCCP time is for the registration of the watch. I did not purchase the watch directly from CCCP, so I am not familiar with how the customer communication is during | after purchase | shipping | and after shipping is handled - I actually won this on a Wheel of Watches from the Watch Gang.
Final Thoughts & Recommendations
The brand name is sufficiently easy to understand where the designers are getting their inspirations, but make no mistake about "CCCP" is by no means a Russian brand, it is based in Hong Kong and has only been in existence for about a decade.
The CCCP Gromov comes is a fairly classic cardboard box all dressed in red with the CCCP logo with its four stars embossed on the top and front of the case. The interior of the box is nicely designed also, with a black and red multi-section suede-like covering and a suede-like pillow. The Gromov looks very good in the box, nice size at 40 mm, which is on the smaller side for me, but still very impressive.
With everything that I have said in regards to the CCCP Gromov, unfortunately the MSRP knocks the scores of this timepiece down quite a bit - with a MSRP of $540 it is priced a little high for the faux history and the overall aesthetics of the watch. I would not have purchased this for the MSRP price, and with the basic Slava 2427 movement as well as the mineral crystals - I am glad that I won it on a Wheel of Watches spin.
Scores 3 out of 5 Stars
MSRP $540.00
Comments