What Raketa does

Raketa is a Russian watch manufacturer (Petrodvorets Watch Factory, founded 1721/1724) that produces luxury mechanical and automatic watches with entirely in-house movement manufacture at its St. Petersburg facility. The company is one of very few watch manufacturers worldwide that produces its movements from A to Z internally, including a proprietary balance spring manufactured in a secret Russian alloy at 0.5-micron precision. Its product portfolio spans three collections — Classic, Curiosity, and Tool — encompassing the flagship BIG ZERO line (which reimagines the dial with "0" instead of "12"), the Russian Code (Cyrillic numerals), Amphibia (200m dive watch), Polar, Pilot/Letchik, Baikonur (space-themed), Sonar (submariner), Avant-garde, Copernicus, Sovremennik, and Golden Key, alongside a recurring pipeline of limited editions (typically 50–500 pieces).

Raketa's business model is direct-to-consumer hardware sales of premium-priced mechanical timepieces, distributed through its own e-commerce platform (world.raketa.com) shipping globally from an EU warehouse via FedEx, and a network of owned retail boutiques spanning Russia, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Japan. International operations are conducted via RAKETA INTERNATIONAL LTD, registered in Pleven, Bulgaria, while domestic Russian sales are managed through LLC «Amphibia» in Moscow. Pricing is unit-based with a 1000 EUR free-shipping threshold, two-year warranty on automatic movements, and the company pursues a limited-edition drop model layered with cultural collaborations to drive urgency and editorial coverage.

The brand targets luxury watch collectors, diving and maritime professionals, and aviation enthusiasts, and pursues a differentiation strategy built on Russian cultural heritage, in-house manufacture, and culturally themed limited editions with partners such as the State Russian Museum, Sukhoi Design Bureau, Art Lebedev Studio, and CTB Film Company. The Managing Director is David Henderson-Stewart. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no public listing.

Name

Raketa

Legal name

RAKETA INTERNATIONAL LTD

Website

https://raketa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1724

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Raketa is a Russian watch manufacturer producing in-house mechanical movements at its St. Petersburg factory, selling luxury timepieces direct-to-consumer via e-commerce and retail boutiques in 14 countries to collectors, divers, and aviation enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Watches

NAICS

Jewelry Retailers (458310)

SIC

Retail-Jewelry Stores (5944)

akta.pro primary industry

Watch Manufacturing (Movements, Cases, Dials, Assembly) (CRAKADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury Mechanical Watches (CRAKADAA), Watch Retail (Authorized Dealers, Boutiques, Omnichannel) (CRAKADAL), Watch & Timepiece Retail (CRAKAGAD)

Keywords

• Luxury watch manufacturing
• Mechanical watch movements
• Automatic timepieces
• Dive watches
• Pilot watches

Headquarters

HQ city

Peterhof

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Luxury Watch Sales: Raketa generates revenue primarily from direct sales of mechanical and automatic watches through its owned e-commerce platform (world.raketa.com) and retail boutiques. Products range from core collection models to limited-edition pieces sold at premium prices. Revenue is one-time purchase driven (not subscription), with accessories (straps) sold as add-ons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Raketa manufactures and sells mechanical and automatic luxury watches under three collections (Classic, Curiosity and Tool) at its St. Petersburg factory, where it produces its own movements entirely in-house including the proprietary balance spring. The portfolio includes dress watches, the flagship BIG ZERO line with its zero-indexed dial, dive watches (Amphibia, 200m), pilot watches, and limited-edition collector pieces developed with cultural partners. Watch straps and accessories are sold as add-on items.

Product overview

Raketa is a Russian watch manufacturer offering mechanical and automatic timepieces through three main collections: Classic (Классические), Curiosity (Исключительные), and Tool (Специализированные). The flagship BIG ZERO line features the innovative concept of starting time from zero instead of twelve. Core products include Russian Code (with Cyrillic numerals), Amphibia (diver's watch to 200m), Polar (polar exploration themed), Raketa Su (Sukhoi collaboration), Pilot (aviator's watch), Baikonur (space-themed), Sonar (submariner), Copernicus (astronomical), Avant-garde, Sovremennik, and Golden Key. The portfolio includes numerous limited editions and collaborations with Artemy Lebedev Studio, Sukhoi Design Bureau, Sergey Obraztsov Puppet Theatre, Avgvst jewelry brand, and the State Russian Museum. Raketa manufactures its own movements in-house at the St. Petersburg factory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BIG ZERO Flagship Raketa watch featuring the brand's iconic BIG ZERO dial, where 0 sits at the 12 o'clock position instead of the conventional 12, reflecting the philosophy that time always begins from zero. Sold in multiple dial, bracelet and limited-edition variants.
• BIG ZERO Blue BIG ZERO variant with a blue dial, space-inspired design and the 0-at-12 dial concept.
• BIG ZERO Black BIG ZERO variant with an all-black dial and the 0-at-12 dial concept.
• BIG ZERO Arabic BIG ZERO variant featuring Arabic numerals on the 0-at-12 dial.
• BIG ZERO YANKOVSKAYA Limited BIG ZERO collaboration with the YANKOVSKAYA brand, reinterpreted design of the flagship 0-at-12 model.
• BIG ZERO Lebedev Limited edition (300 pieces) BIG ZERO collaboration with Artemy Lebedev Studio featuring a black-on-black matte design, tinted case-back glass and a customisable rubber strap with QR-linked adjustment tutorial.
• BIG ZERO Grey BIG ZERO variant with a metallic grey dial on a stainless steel bracelet, limited to 200 timepieces.
• BIG ZERO Brother 2 Limited edition (50 numbered pieces) BIG ZERO tribute to the 25th anniversary of the film 'Brother 2', with red accent markers forming '25' and a VHS-styled case.
• Russian Code Mechanical watch featuring Cyrillic numerals on the dial whose characters also function as Russian letters, encoding the Russian alphabet into the time display.
• Russian Code – Meridian Russian Code variant with a meridian-themed design incorporating the Cyrillic numeral concept.
• Russian Code – Qatar Edition Limited regional edition of the Russian Code for the Qatari market with localised design elements.
• Amphibia Professional diver's watch with 200m water resistance, screw-in crown, unidirectional bezel and Super-LumiNova markers, drawing on more than half a century of Raketa's Soviet-era diving heritage.
• Polar (Полярные) Watch inspired by Russian polar expeditions and the Metelitsa women's polar expedition team, themed around cold-weather exploration.
• Raketa Su Limited-edition pilot watch created in collaboration with the Sukhoi Design Bureau, inspired by the Su-57 fighter jet, with stealth-themed black PVD case, Su-57 livery rotor and themed packaging.
• Pilot (Летчик) Aviator watch with a masculine design, high-contrast dial, Super-LumiNova luminescent coating and water resistance up to 200m, drawing on Soviet/Russian aviation heritage.
• Baikonur Space-themed watch named after the Baikonur cosmodrome, celebrating Russian space exploration achievements.
• Copernicus Watch themed around the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, featuring astronomical design elements on the dial.
• Sonar (Подводник) Submariner watch inspired by submarine sonar systems, designed for underwater timekeeping and themed around maritime/submarine heritage.
• Avant-garde Watch with an avant-garde artistic dial design from Raketa's permanent collection.
• Sovremennik Classic-style mechanical watch from Raketa's permanent collection.
• Golden Key (Золотой ключик) Watch themed around the Golden Key fairy tale, from Raketa's permanent collection.
• Raketa x Theatre Limited edition (100 numbered pieces) created with the Moscow Sergey Obraztsov Puppet Theatre, with a dial inspired by the theatre's pediment animal clock and avant-garde reinterpretation of the figurines.
• Raketa Malevich Triptych Limited-edition three-model collection (500 pieces each) created with the State Russian Museum, featuring Malevich's Black Square, Black Cross and Black Circle designs on dials cut from genuine semi-precious agate stones.
• Raketa x Avgvst Square-shaped watch (quartz movement) created with the Avgvst jewellery brand, inspired by archival 1950s–60s modernist watch designs preserved at the factory.
• Straps and Accessories Replacement straps and bracelets for Raketa watches, including leather, silicone and metal options, sold separately.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Art Lebedev StudioflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRaketa and Art Lebedev Studio released the Big Zero Lebedev — a limited edition of 300 models inspired by the iconic Big Zero model. The collaboration marks the 30th anniversary of Artemy Lebedev's studio. The design features a black-on-black scheme with matte markers, tinted back glass revealing the Studio's logo on a black rotor, and a rubber strap with customizable length. The watch was designed by Artemy Lebedev with a QR code linking to his strap-adjustment tutorial.
• Sergey Obraztsov Puppet TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRaketa collaborated with the famous Moscow Sergey Obraztsov Puppet Theatre to create the Raketa Theatre — a limited series of 100 individually numbered pieces. The dial is inspired by the famous pediment clock on the theatre's facade where each hour corresponds to an animal figurine. Each figurine was reinterpreted by Raketa's designers in a modern avant-garde aesthetic. The dial features avant-garde design, multicolored printing on the rotor, and contrasting stitching on the leather strap.
• CTB Film CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRaketa partnered with the CTB film company to release the BIG ZERO Brother 2 — a limited edition of 50 numbered pieces dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Aleksei Balabanov's film 'Brother 2. On the way home'. The watch case is styled as a VHS tape with 'Брат 2-25' inscription. The dial features red-highlighted '2' and '5' markers forming '25', and the strap carries quotes from the film including 'Sila v pravde' (Strength lies in truth).
• Russian Museum (State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRaketa collaborated with the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg to create the Malevich Triptych collection — a 500-piece limited edition of each of three models. The collection features Malevich's entire geometric cycle: Black Square, Black Cross, and Black Circle. Dials are made from genuine semi-precious stones (black, white, and transparent agate with tinting) selected for visual resemblance to the original paintings.
• Avgvst (Jewelry Brand)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRaketa and the Avgvst jewelry brand collaborated on a second square-shaped watch collection inspired by archival modernist watch designs from the 1950s–1960s preserved at the factory. The collection includes models in steel with white dial and dual-tone leather straps (yellow and grey — Avgvst's signature colors), steel with black dial and crocodile-textured leather, and gold PVD-coated case with white dial and black nappa leather.
• Sukhoi Design BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRaketa and the Sukhoi Design Bureau collaborated on the Raketa Su — a limited-edition pilot watch inspired by the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jet. The watch features a black PVD-coated case, matte black dial with convex glossy aircraft silhouette, Su-57 livery-inspired rotor prints, and comes in a special metal case with 'Remove Before Flight' safety ribbons. The set includes a 1:100 scale metal model of the Sukhoi Su-57.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Seiko: Japanese incumbent that, like Raketa, manufactures movements entirely in-house and competes across dress, dive (Prospex), and pilot/aviator (Presage, Prospex) categories. Comparable as a vertically integrated, multi-category mechanical watchmaker with broad global distribution.
• Hamilton: Swiss-made brand with American heritage (military, aviation, dive categories) producing mechanical watches. Comparable to Raketa on aviation/pilot watch heritage storytelling and mechanical movement positioning.
• Tissot: Swiss accessible-luxury mechanical watchmaker (Swatch Group) competing in a similar price band to Raketa with broad global dealer networks. Comparable on price positioning and mechanical/automatic product mix.

Direct peers

• Vostok: Russian heritage mechanical watch manufacturer also producing in-house movements (e.g., the Vostok 2416/2409) at accessible price points. Directly comparable as a fellow Russian-made mechanical watch brand with Soviet-era lineage and global enthusiast following.
• Junghans: German mechanical watchmaker with a strong heritage narrative (Bauhaus/avant-garde design) and in-house/caliber-modified movements. Comparable to Raketa on European-based manufacture, design-led storytelling, and limited-edition drops.
• Poljot (Moscow Time / Maktime): Historic Russian mechanical watch brand descended from the Soviet-era Poljot factory. Directly comparable to Raketa as a heritage Russian mechanical watchmaker with military/pilot lineage and an enthusiast collector base.
• Orient (Seiko Group): Japanese in-house mechanical watch manufacturer targeting accessible-luxury price points with strong enthusiast following. Comparable to Raketa on the value proposition of true in-house mechanical manufacture at a premium-but-accessible price band.

Emerging players

• Bremont: British mechanical watchmaker built around aviation/military heritage storytelling, limited editions, and in-house/movement modification. Comparable to Raketa's pilot-watch (Raketa Su) and limited-edition collaboration strategy.
• Pequignet: Independent French watchmaker producing its own in-house movements (Calibre Royal). Comparable to Raketa as a smaller, independent manufacturer competing in the European premium-mechanical segment through in-house manufacture and distinctive design.
• Bell & Ross: Aviation-themed luxury mechanical watch brand known for pilot/instrument designs. Comparable to Raketa's Pilot and Raketa Su collections on aviation heritage and tool-watch positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/raketawatches

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Raketa