Sturmanskie 31659 Chronograph Reference Guide

The Sturmanskie is a significant military chronograph produced in the Soviet Union and later in Russia. The name “Sturmanskie” (Штурманские) translates to “Navigator’s” in English, reflecting its primary purpose as a navigation tool for military pilots. Built around the Poljot calibers 3133 and 31659, these watches were specifically manufactured for the Soviet Air Force (VVS) and continued to serve the Russian Air Force in the early post-Soviet period. The chronograph’s production span coincided with a crucial period in Soviet/Russian history, from the late Soviet era through the early years of the Russian Federation.

Poljot 3133 vs 31659 movements

The Poljot 3133 movement was more widely used in Sturmanskie chronographs than the 31659.

The 3133 is based on the Swiss Valjoux 7734 movement (which Poljot acquired the tooling for from Venus in the mid-1970s) and began production around 1976. The 31659 that is discussed in this guide is a modified version of the 3133, specifically adapted for military use.

The key difference between these movements is the fact that the 31659 has a hacking seconds feature (seconds stop when crown is pulled).

Sturmanskie chronographs with the 3133 movement were produced both before and after the 31659 versions. After 1992, when they stopped making the 31659, the Russian Air Force switched to using Sturmanskie watches with the 3133 movement, particularly in the chrome “bald” case style mentioned in the guide.

The 3133 movement was more common and generally more accessible to civilians, while the 31659 versions were primarily reserved for military use.

You can read more information about the Poljot brand and its different movements in this article.

This reference guide which focuses on the variants featuring the 31659 movement is translated from documentation kindly provided by Ilya Mironov (@miron_watch) and David Abyss, with contributions from Vlad Gruzdev, Murat Pekov, Julia, and Slava from Dnipro.

Production Overview

The Sturmanskie watches with caliber 31659 were produced in the USSR and later in the Russian Federation over six years, from 1987 to 1992. It’s important to note that balance bridges were often replaced during repairs, so the period marking on the bridge may not correspond to the actual dial variant. At some point, they stopped marking the bridges altogether.

1. Black Raven “Черный Ворон”

• Period: Q4 1986 – Q1 1987
• Bridge marking: 4-86 or 1-87, released in the very beginning of 1987
• Distinctive feature: Unique “May grass green” lume
• Historical note: Used by “Shuravi” (Soviet soldiers) in Afghanistan, confirmed by veterans who served “over the river”.

2. Early 1987 Variant

• Period: Q1 1987
• Bridge marking: 1-87
• Distinctive feature: Similar to Black Raven dial but with yellow lume. Pay attention to the shades of the dial and the black markers around the dial. The shade, especially in the center of the dial, is exactly the same as the Black Raven’s. It was likely a different production batch, but very similar to the Raven. It’s interesting to note that they quickly changed the green lume to yellow.

3. All-Grey Variant

• Period: Mid-1987 to 1988
• Bridge marking: Various bridge markings (1-87 and others, some without dates)
• Distinctive feature: Here there are already differences from number 2. Again, the shade in the center of the dial will help determine the difference. It was most likely produced in mid-1987 and continued to be manufactured in 1988.

4. Blue Dial

• Period: 1989
• Distinctive feature: Distinctive blue color, easily distinguishable from other variants.

5.Grey-Blue with White Railroad

• Period: 1990
• Distinctive feature: Perestroika was in full swing. This dial is commonly found, the shade is more grey than blue. By the end of the year, they would also release the ‘bald’ chrome-plated case (variant #7 below).

6. Grey with White Railroad

• Period: End of 1990
• Distinctive feature: Pure grey shade, most commonly encountered variant.

7. Chrome “Bald” Case

• Period: End of 1990 through 1992
• Description: They started production at the end of 1990 and continued until 1992. Then they switched to the 3133 movement, and from that point on, these ‘bald’ Sturmanskie watches were what was issued to the Russian Air Force (VVS).

8. Final Batch

• Period: 1992
• Description: The watches were assembled as part of the Ministry of Defense (MO) order for 1992. At the very end, they were simply assembling them from whatever parts were available (the USSR had collapsed, in the new Russia the money allocated for the 1992 military order in 1991 had been devalued, and the military representative was happy with whatever they could get, because something was better than nothing).
  I’ve encountered these with documentation. The bridge is interesting – ‘SU3133′ and ’23 Jewels’ are stamped in Latin letters, rather than ’23 камня’ (23 jewels) as usual.