The Chaika 1601A is a vintage Soviet-era mechanical wristwatch designed for children, featuring a charming and nostalgic illustration of the lion from the beloved USSR cartoon "How the Little Lion and the Turtle Sang a Song" on its dial. This watch captures the playful and carefree spirit of the cartoon with a detailed, colorful depiction of the lion, making it a delightful keepsake for fans of Soviet animation and retro collectibles.
Manufactured in the USSR, the Chaika 1601A showcases the durability and precision typical of Soviet watchmaking, with a mechanical movement that requires manual winding. Its compact design is perfectly suited for a child’s wrist, while the bright, cheerful dial ensures it remains a standout piece.
This watch is not just a timepiece but a nostalgic connection to the rich cultural heritage of the Soviet Union, bringing fond memories of a simpler era where animated tales like "How the Little Lion and the Turtle Sang a Song" warmed hearts across generations.
DEFECTS: small traces of use
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USSR
MANUFACTURER: Uglich Watch Factory (Chaika, Russian: Угличский часовой завод)
OVERALL CONDITION (10-point scale): 8-9
CASE
Condition (10-point scale): 8-9
GLASS
Condition (10-point scale): 8-9
DIAL
Condition (10-point scale): 8-9
Inscriptions on the dial: made in USSR and Lion from the USSR cartoon "How the Little Lion And the Turtle Sang a Song"
STRAP
New PU leather strap as a gift!
MOVEMENT
Mechanical: hand-winding
Caliber Chaika 1601.A
ranfft.org/caliber/1824-Chaika-1601A
Features
manual wind
option: sub second
Data
7''', Dm= 16.0mm, Do= 16.4mm
H= 3.3mm
F= 0.4mm
T= 1.3mm
17/18 jewels
f = 21600 A/h
power reserve 40h
Balance staff U3078 / U3089
roller 0.37 / 0.32mm
Stem W3066
Hands
1.00 x 0.46 / 0.15mm
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT, FUNCTIONS
Width |
1.44 inch (36.5 mm) |
Width with crown |
1.50 inch (38.0 mm) |
Length |
1.73 inch (44.0 mm) |
Depth |
0.39 inch (10.0 mm) |
Crystal |
1.22 inch (31.0 mm) |
Weight |
1.73 oz (49.0 g) |
Function |
Hours, minute |
Country made |
USSR |
Dimensions of watches

HISTORY
Chaika (Russian: чайка, meaning "seagull") watches are a women's brand made in the Soviet Union and Russia. The factory making Chaika watches was founded in 1940 as Volga in the city of Uglich for the production of precision technical stones and watch jewels. The factory subsequently made watches with small calibres (16 mm).
In 1956, the company changed its name to Chaika, marketing watches under two brand names – Chaika and Volga. The brand name Chaika was in honor of the first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, as that was her call sign.
Chaika no longer manufactures movements. Quality problems have plagued the company since the breakup of the Soviet Union, causing Chaika to source most of the movements to Asian manufacturers; Miyota Citizen in particular.
RECOMMENDATIONS
All Antique watches are mechanical. Many repairs will not be cheap, as most likely they will require replacement of non-standard parts (unlike most late model watches).
- Antique watches should not be beaten or dropped - because repairs may be expensive.
- Antique watches are generally NOT waterproof. This is because waterproofing was not in general production until the middle of the 20th century for most watches. Therefore you should protect your antique watch from exposure to moisture.
- If your watch becomes wet it should be dried off quickly. Carefully open all covers and use a hair drier to blow dry the movement, dial, covers, crown. This will reduce the amount of rust.
- If your watch becomes wet with any kind of salt water you should immediately immerse or spray your watch with fresh (no-salt) water to remove all the salt from the works before drying the watch completely. Any salt left in the watch will combine with moisture in the air to rust metal components of the movement, case etc.
- Winding any mechanical watch tight may break the mainspring. If you can avoid it do not wind the watch hard.
- When adjusting the hands of your watch, move them in a clockwise direction only. Counter-clockwise adjustments may damage the movement. It is desirable to adjust the hands of your watch at the same time every day. An automatic or self-winding watch should be worn for at least 8 hours a day. It is a mechanical watch in which the mainspring is wound automatically as a result of natural motion of the wearer's arm, to provide energy to run the watch, making manual winding unnecessary.
- If you must adjust counter-clockwise make it for small adjustments only (i.e. for minutes, NOT hours).
- Be careful and gentle when adjusting the movement speed (faster or slower). Don't make sharp movements, and don't touch other components in the movement especially the pendulum mechanism.
- Every 2-3 years it is necessary to service and oil vintage watches. If the course of your watches is worsening and the accuracy of the reduction in the duration of the clock (autonomy) from one fully wound spring - it need a service.
- IF the watch is dirty - allow the watch to run down, don't wind it again until you have it serviced by a qualified watch repair expert. Dust will absorb and remove important lubricants and cause the movement pieces to wear down.
- To clean the case, dial and crystal you should use a cloth that does NOT leave fibers as these may get caught up in the movement. Check with your Watch repair expert to get an appropriate cloth.
- Keep your antiques watch away from magnets. Strong magnetic fields may affect the accuracy of your watch since some vintage watches were made with iron based components in the movement.
- Most Cases and Covers are fine components and will not handle abuse well. The watch should not be shaken, beaten, or stressed.
- Antique watches generally experience an error of up to 5-7 minutes a day. Any accuracy of +- 5 minutes is very good.
- Mechanical watch is not recommended to use for engage in extreme sports, and expose them to excessive vibration loads. Recoil force, which take on the clock, affect their reliability and precision. No matter how perfect was not anti-shock mechanism, there is always the chance of excessive load that details of the mechanism can not survive.
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Watch with calendar. It is not recommended to adjust, the date between 20.00 and 06.00, because at this time involved a mechanism for automatic adjustment date. Translation pointers calendars manually in this position arrows may damage the mechanism. Date changes should be made, relegating pre-clockwise to lower sector of the dial (for example, to position 6 (18.00) hours).
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Chronograph watches. In most cases, these watches contain the "start/stop" button and "reset" button. It is strongly recommended not to press the "reset" if the chronograph is running. Before you use the "Reset" button need to stop the chronograph by button "start/stop". Using the "reset" when running chronograph can damage the mechanism of most models of watches.
PAYMENT
- Total amount due includes the final auction price plus Shipping.
- Shipping will be determined based upon the SHIP TO address.
PLEASE NOTE: Shipping does not include duties, local taxes or any other importation fees.
SHIPPING
We ship to any country. This item will be shipped to you from Europe (Ukraine) via registered airmail with tracking number and insurance within 7-14 days (except for the weekends and holidays) after the payment is fully received.
Typical Delivery Time
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European Countries: about 7-10 days;
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USA, Japan & other: about 10-14 days.
NOTE: Delivery time may increase because of postal services and/or customs. Please, don't worry and check location of your parcel using provided tracking number. In spite of delays all our previous lots have been successfully delivered!
The item will be packed very carefully!
RETURNS/REFUNDS
- You have 3 days to contact us and 5 days to return it from the date it was received. If this item is in your possession more than 3 days, it is considered used and we will not issue you a refund or replacement. There are no exceptions!
- All returned items must be in the original packaging and you must provide us with the shipping tracking number, specific reason for the return, and your eBay ID.
- We will refund your full winning bid amount, upon receipt of the item in its original condition and packaging with all components and accessories included, after both Buyer and Seller cancel the transaction from eBay or you may choose to have a replacement.
- Return shipping is to be paid by the Buyer.
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