Raketa Kopernik (Copernicus)

The Raketa Kopernik (Copernicus) is a famous Soviet-era mechanical wristwatch produced by the Petrodvorets Watch Factory in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and named after the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. [1]

Design and How It Tells Time

Sun and Moon Hands: The golden disc hour hand represents the Sun, and the larger round black-ring minute hand represents the Moon or Earth (orbiting in a heliocentric design). [1, 2]
The Eclipse Effect: As the hands move around the dial, they overlap once an hour to create a visual "eclipse". [1, 2]
Dial and Casing: Vintage models feature a grainy or matte cosmic dial (in black, white, or gray) with metallic indices that sparkle like stars. [1, 2, 3]

Movement & Specifications

Vintage Models (1980s–1990s): Powered by the manual-winding Raketa Calibre 2609.HП (19 jewels, 18,000 vph, with roughly a 45-hour power reserve). They typically feature a ~35mm chrome or black case with an 18mm lug width. [1, 2, 3]
Modern Recreations: The Raketa factory in Saint Petersburg later revived and updated the design into modern automatic versions (such as the 39.5mm–40.5mm Copernicus) featuring a Calibre 2615 automatic movement and sapphire crystal. [1, 2]

Collector Tips & Authenticity

Market Value: Vintage working pieces generally range from €80 to €200 ($90–$220 USD), while modern reissues from Raketa sell for upwards of $1,150–$1,900 USD. [1, 2, 3]
Watch out for Fakes: As noted by collectors on Reddit r/Watches, many vintage Kopernik watches found online (especially colorful or custom variants) are "frankenwatches" or redials made with non-original parts. Authentic vintage models typically feature plain, solid metal case backs rather than glass display backs

...........

///////////////////////