Inspired by 1930s Russian fairytale, Raketa’s latest is the Golden Key, an unusual watch that further expands the brand’s diverse repertoire. The cushioned-shaped watch has a case of walnut wood – this evokes historical wooden clocks and watches from Eastern Europe – and includes a winding key, though it can be wound conventionally via the crown as well.

Though modelled on a similar 1970s Raketa model, the modern-day creation is a surprisingly apt adaption of its namesake, The Golden Key, or The Adventures of Buratino, a Russian version of Pinocchio that also includes a wooden puppet that comes to life, but also includes a golden key as central to the tale. Like all Raketa watches, this is affordable and powered by an in-house movement, albeit a basic calibre descended from a Soviet era construction.

Initial thoughts

The Golden Key has a recognisable 1970s look thanks to its shape and dial, but still manages to stand out because of the wood case. The case and dial are detailed nicely enough so the watch avoids looking like a novelty souvenir. The winding does feel like a bit of a gimmick, but it has no bearing on the function of the watch, which can be wound via the crown anyway.

Raketa stuck to the colours of the 1970s original with the Golden Key, making it pleasing but also plain. A more adventurous combination of wood and colour would have made it more interesting; I’m sure that’s on the cards if this one sells well.

The only weakness of the watch is arguably its movement, which ironically is also its most historical aspect. The cal. 2609 is a movement developed in the Soviet Union, and despite being a higher-end calibre in terms of Soviet offerings, it is decidedly no frills by modern standards, though I expect it will run robustly. The movement has been remade and dressed up slightly by the modern Raketa company, but it still looks basic.

The 1970s originals were also powered by the cal. 2609, but those were socialist through and through, and are available for not very much today. The Golden Key is discernibly improved in terms of quality, but also a product of capitalism, so it costs €2,900.

Key wound

The Golden Key is essentially a 1970s style watch packaged in an unorthodox material. As a result, it has the flavour of the 1970s, but looks different from practically everything else from the period, or inspired by the era.

The case is walnut, a wood that’s known to be stable and resistant to warping, making it suitable for a watch case. In addition, the wood case is coated with a clear varnish that protects it from moisture.

The case dimensions are appropriately compact for the design at 38.8 mm in diameter and 10.88mm high. While the case middle is wood, the rest of the case components are gold plated steel.

The large, onion-shaped crown has a recessed emblem that allows the key to be slotted into the crown for winding. And the key is attached to a leather cord, allowing it to worn around the neck.

The dial similarly takes after the 1970s original with baton hands and oblong markers, all finished in gilt to match the steel case components. The dial also features a grained surface and a key emblem at six.

The movement is visible through a display back that’s a mineral crystal, though the crystal on the front is sensibly scratch-resistant sapphire. Given the nature of the movement, a solid back would not be a bad idea.

Though similar technically to the Soviet-era cal. 2609, the modern version has been reworked so it has cleaner details along with some modest decoration, including a grained chequerboard motif on the barrel ratchet wheel.

Key facts and price

Raketa Golden Key
Ref. W-01-10-10-0328

Diameter: 38.8 mm
Height: 10.88 mm
Material: Walnut wood
Crystal: Sapphire in front, mineral on the back
Water-resistance: 50 m

Movement: Cal. 2609
Functions: Hours, minutes, and seconds
Winding: Manual wind
Frequency: 18,000 beats per hour (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 42 hours

Strap: Leather

Limited edition: 300 pieces
Availability: Direct from Raketa, with delivery in 2026
Price: €2,900 excluding taxes

For more information, visit Raketa.com.

Our 2025 coverage included original research and in-depth stories including CEO interviews, engineering explainers, behind-the-scenes manufacture visits, and hands-on features exploring the latest developments in modern horology. We’d like to thank our readers for their engagement and support, which continue to shape and sustain our work.

Our founder SJX provided an in-depth study of the Breguet Sympathique No. 1, with exclusive insights from its creator François-Paul Journe. The story is notable not only for its technical reconstruction of the mechanism but also for clarifying how the Sympathique informed Journe’s earliest thinking as a constructor before launching his namesake brand.

SJX also spent time with the people leading the industry. Interviews with Kari Voutilainen, Gregory Kissling, Ilaria Resta, and Marc Michel-Amadry offered unusually direct insight into how each manufacture is approaching product development, heritage, and shifting collector behaviour.

That research-driven approach continued across several technical features, including his hands-on review of the Rolex Land-Dweller, the most consequential mainstream release of 2025. His analysis unpacked both the engineering decisions behind the cal. 7135 and the strategic implications of Rolex introducing a new collection.

Finally his analysis of the record-breaking Patek Philippe ref. 1518 in steel and reporting from the major auctions traced the evolving tastes and appetites of a tightening pool of top bidders.

Our Editorial Director Brandon Moore joined Watches by SJX full time this year after several seasons as a part-time contributor, bringing an emphasis on the ‘how’ of watchmaking. His work included a detailed examination of the Ferdinand Berthoud Naissance d’une Montre 3, and behind-the-scenes photo essays from Émailleurs de la Cité in Geneva and Biver’s rural atelier in Givrins. 

He also went off the beaten track to see the latest developments at Trilobe’s Paris workshop, and journeyed to the Oregon High Desert to witness the watchmaking of Keaton Myrick. 

His dispatches from Dubai Watch Week and WatchTime New York added texture to the year’s narrative, and his reporting on the Louvre’s Mécaniques d’art exhibition situated Vacheron Constantin’s La Quête du Temps astronomical clock within two millennia of horological history. Brandon also helped produce the SJX Podcast, which crossed 20 episodes this year.

Studying engineering at EPFL, David Ichim brings a mechanical fluency that has become central to our technical coverage. His work this year spanned escapements, metallurgy, oscillator physics, and chronograph architecture. His most widely cited pieces included his explainers on the Rolex Dynapulse escapement in the Land-Dweller’s cal. 7135, and his recent examination of the magnetic constant-force escapement in the Breguet Expérimentale 1.

Much of his output formed an interconnected curriculum on oscillators and hairsprings. His two-part series on hairspring materials — from steel to Invar and Elinvar, then to Nivarox, SPRON, niobium alloys, and silicon — set the stage for a deep dive into overcoil geometry and a comprehensive study of isochronism. These naturally gave further context to his explainer on regulation and adjustment, tying together balance inertia, terminal curves, stiffness, and practical rate correction.

David also examined how theory translates into practice with his insights into the construction of the cal. 4132 that powers the Rolex Daytona “Le Mans”, showing how Rolex doubled the chronograph register using a compact differential.

Our Boston-based contributor Andrew Cavanaugh spent much of 2025 immersed in pocket watches and patent drawings. He opened the year with a profile of Elliot Cabot Lee that reconnected a lost Brahmin patron to the great British firms of Dent, Smith, Benson, and J. Player. 

That set the stage for a series of pocket watch features, most notably his exhaustive analysis of the J. Player & Son supercomplication, and a hands-on evaluation of Breguet no. 1890, the four-minute natural-escapement tourbillon now in the collection of François-Paul Journe.

He also advanced our technical coverage with rigorous analyses of recent patents from Breguet and Audemars Piguet. In the case of Breguet, he unpacked a suite of ideas — including a new natural escapement and an updated Sympathique concept — offering an early look at mechanisms we have yet to see brought to market. His study of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak RD#5 was even more ambitious, with clear animations built directly from patent filings.

Andrew also showed range beyond historical and technical subjects with his thoughtful review of the F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain Vertical Joaillerie Rubis.

Our historical specialist, Carlos Torres, made his mark with several standout contributions to the Complicated Collectors series, reconstructing the philosophies of figures such as James Ward Packard and Thomas Engel. Rather than simply listing watches, these studies explored how each man approached complexity, purpose, and patronage — models that should inspire contemporary collectors.

He extended this analytical lens to two major Breguet projects: a survey of early nineteenth-century equation-of-time clocks and watches, and a comprehensive history of the Sympathique system from the originals through Sympathique No. 1. Both pieces blended technical detail with cultural context, showing how Breguet’s innovations shaped expectations of precision and mechanical autonomy.

Carlos then widened the frame with a study of papal clocks and watches, along with a profile of Dann Phimphrachanh, a contemporary independent watchmaker whose work consciously echoes historical precedent.

Episode 21 of the SJX Podcast reflects on independent watchmaking in 2025, a year that saw fewer genuinely new releases than expected.

Many familiar names opted for variations on existing models rather than bold new directions, making the standout pieces all the more significant, including Urban Jürgensen’s impressive relaunch under Kari Voutilainen, two exceptional time-only watches that proved there’s still room for originality in a crowded field, and interesting calendars from Greubel Forsey, Konstantin Chaykin, and Berneron.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Youtube.