Raketa is relaunching its most emblematic watch design, the Big Zero.
The model is one of the few Soviet-era watch designs to have conquered the hearts of the world and stood the test of time too.
It shares with Brutalist architecture a taste for a minimalistic and functional aesthetic: a black & white dial with oversized numerals crowned with a big 0.
This new version of the Big Zero dial reconnects with its original bold design.
The original typography and the very specific triangles have been entirely recreated but the sobriety of the black & white dial is counterbalanced by thick embossed printing which brings a touch of three-dimensionality and elegance.
A new case with a compact design was developed to highlight the dial.
The short case preserves the roundness of its original Soviet-era design, even if its architecture is now articulated around a “cushion shape” design.
A synthetic ruby stone glows behind the Raketa factory’s logo that is cut on the side of the crown: a reminder of the stone-cutting origins of the Manufacture, 300 years ago.
The case back, with deep engraving, reveals the beautifully decorated Raketa automatic movement.
When asked what inspired Soviet designers to create this bold design with a big 0, old specialists of the Raketa factory answer that it is simply more logical to start counting time from 0.
With this innovative concept, the Big Zero watch is at the avant-garde of time reading: time starts from 0, not from 12.
It directly challenges the worldwide established convention that there should always be a 12 on the dial.
The cost is 958 EUR, excluding VAT and as with all Raketa watches, they are delivered worldwide free of charge by DHL.
