On the shores of the Baltic Sea, Raketa Watch Factory has been creating watches for sailors, submariners, and divers for more than half a century.
As Watches and Wonders 2025 takes place in Geneva, independent Russian watch manfacture Raketa presents a new version of its dive watch, the Amphibia.
Made in-house in Saint-Petersburg, Russia, with a screw-down crown, screw-in caseback, sapphire crystals front and back, a depth rating of 200 meters, and an orange color scheme —orange stands out more effectively at great depths than any other color because its wavelength is less absorbed by water — this is a watch for serious recreational snorkeling, free diving, and scuba diving.
With a rugged, notched rotating dive bezel (designed to be easy to rotate with gloves on), with a black/orange/white 0-60 count graduated dive scale, delineated for the first 15 minutes. The diving bezel is enhanced with luminous material for the first 15 minutes and in 5-minute increments for the other 45 minutes. Designed with a unidirectional rotation, a high-quality rotating mechanism, and an audible click, there’s no risk of inadvertent rotation or misalignment.
A lack of a helium escape valve means the Amphibia is not designed for professional saturation diving, though realistically, most of the market for divers watches is not focused on this type of diving.
Whether in the water or not, the high contrast dial, is all business with nothing superfluous such as a date or unnecessary markings or functions. An oversized “O” at 12 and long pill-shaped indices at 3, 6, and 9, combined with circular indices, all filled with a generous amount of green-emitting luminous material, offer excellent visibility in all conditions. Luminous Sword-shaped hour and orange-tipped syringe-shaped minute hands display the time, along with a non-luminous steel arrow-tipped/lollipop counterweighted running center seconds hand. The absence of a luminous running seconds hand excludes it from officially meeting ISO 6425 specifications.
Delivered in a robust 316L stainless steel case, with sharp, angular edges, each flank features a 45-degree machine-beveled top edge that’s been polished, providing a subtle sheen when juxtaposed against the non-reflective matte vertical and circular brushed surfaces of the case.
The Raketa Amphibia is a conservatively sized dive watch — that measures 41.6 mm x 14.9 mm (50.5 mm lug-to-lug) — appropriately (and tastefully) sized for a broad range of wrists.
The strap is 22 mm wide at the lugs and tapers down at the stainless steel buckle. The Amphibia includes a pliable silicone strap, with integrated stainless steel end pieces so it sits perfectly flush against the case and that’s been thoughtfully designed with perforations (to reduce water build-up) for a snug and secure fit against skin or wetsuits. A second black silicone strap is included and can be easily swapped without tools thanks to a quick-release system.
Driving the 3-hand time-only dive Raketa Amphibia is an automatic movement that’s entirely manufactured at the Raketa watch factory from A to Z. Each automatic winding rotor is adorned (full-color printed) with a beautifully illustrated mermaid, reminiscent of classic Russian fairy tales, subtly reminding divers of the enchanting wonders that await beneath the waves.
Raketa caliber 2615 has 24 jewels, beats at 2.5Hz, has a maximum power reserve of 40 hours, and is tested in 4 positions and adjusted to -10/+20 seconds per day before it leaves the factory in Saint-Petersburg.
With an in-house movement, a well-proportioned and robust steel case, a clutter-free no-date highly legible dive watch dial, two quick-release straps, and the playful illustration on the rotor from Russian fairy tales that reminds every diver of his secret dream — to encounter a beautiful mermaid under the sea — Raketa has created a wearable, pragmatic, yet fun timepiece that is uniquely Russian.
The Raketa Amphibia retail price is (2,200 Euros) approximately $2,375 and Raketa watches are delivered worldwide free of charge by DHL.
Learn more at Raketa.
Photos by Raketa.
