Raketa (Russian: Ракета, IPA: [rɐˈkʲɛtə], "Rocket") is a brand of wristwatches that have been manufactured since 1961 by the Petrodvorets Watch Factory in Saint Petersburg.

[clarification needed][1][2][3][4][5] On 13 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin made the first manned flight in outer space on the rocket Vostok 1.

However, at the height of the Cold War the name "Raketa" was perceived negatively in the West, as the word was associated with the latest generation of Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles,[6] the R-16.

[7][8] With prices similar to Swiss luxury brands, the quality, fit and finish of Raketa timepieces have improved markedly since the 1960s.

Most watch brands globally do not produce their own hairsprings, they generally order them from Nivarox, a subsidiary of Swatch Group.

[17] In 2012, Jean-Claude Quenet, former head of Rolex's escapement department and of production at Franck Muller, joined the Russian factory.