The phenomenal story of Raketa Big Zero
In the 1980s, things weren't going well in the USSR. Leaders who saw that socialism wasn't working anymore and that renewal was necessary introduced the concept of Perestroika (перестройка). Initially voiced by Leonid Brezhnev, this concept can be briefly defined as restructuring and reform movements of the economic and political system. When Mikhail Gorbachev became president in 1988, he made significant efforts to implement Perestroika. He wrote books and went on foreign visits to explain the matter. During one of these visits, in Italy, journalists asked him, 'What does Perestroika mean for Russians?' Gorbatchev replied, 'It expresses Russians' determination to start their lives from 'zero,'' and he pointed to a watch on his wrist. Instead of the number '12,' there was a big '0' on that watch. That watch was a Raketa.
Gorbachev's efforts to implement Perestroika did not save the USSR from collapse, but the popularity of the Raketa Big Zero increased significantly after this movement. The same dial design was used in many different cases by Raketa. It has maintained its popularity to this day and is still produced by Raketa.
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First time I heard this story. Thanks
Gorbachov (not -ev) came in 1985 and it's a pity his efforts only made things worse. An oppressive dictatorship is not easily reformable...
Dials with a zero on top instead of a 12 make sense for programmers as well - they start indexing with zero. And it makes for a better symmetry - no double digits (and also no danger of flagless 1's).
Love this watch!
The Raketa Big 0 is/was pretty iconic timepiece due to all you laid out. It's place in history is pretty unique, always been a fan of its unique look.
Originally designed for people with poor eyesight, having thick hands, markers and a very legible contrasting dial.