Because of the war that had reached the gates of Moscow, the factory and its personnel are evacuated to the east and arrive in Cistopol through the railway that led to Kazan, but also by water and air. In fact, all the components of what was then the second Moscow clock factory were transported in 170 railway cars to the city of Kazan and from here they traveled to Cistopol aboard barges. The first barge arrived in Cistopol on 10 November 1941.

Due to the frost that blocked the river, the machinery was transported overland in horse-drawn wagons that were forced to travel in extreme conditions (over 40 degrees below zero).

Land transport lasted until February 1942. Along with the machinery, over 488 skilled workers, led by the director, came to Cistopol from Moscow.

However, there was a lack of labour; therefore it became necessary to recruit workers among the inhabitants of the area and among those who were evacuated from the big cities. Among these also children between 14 and 15 years who installed new machinery and learned a new profession. The collective formed by the factory workers evacuated from Moscow and the new recruits was initially engaged in the production of tank clocks and fuses of anti-tank grenades. By special order, the factory was commissioned and time bombs, aircraft fuel consumption controls, torpedo technology units, and hydrometeorological data recorders were introduced into production.

In 1943 the production of the first wristwatch finally began. “All for the front! All for the victory!” – with this slogan, the K-43 “Kirovskie” watch was produced in the city on the Kama River, which also served as a reward for the Red Army command staff.

The first watchmakers of Cistopol, famous for their professionalism, were formed during the war years, when the factory dedicated itself to the production of watches for the front. These watchmakers became a point of reference for future generations. They also contributed to the Soviet victory over Nazi-Fascism and to the reconstruction of the country after the world war.

In the postwar period began the production of men’s wristwatches K-26 “Pobeda”, “Kama” with shockproof device and dust and moisture resistant case, wall clocks for ships with bright dial, ZIM car watches, “Volga “, “Pobeda”, models “Mir”, “Wave”, “Saturn””Space”.

From 1965, Vostok became the official supplier of watches to members of the Ministry of Defence. The “Komandirskie” watches, as they began to be called, immediately gained recognition for their reliability and practicality.

In 1967, the first Amfibia watch was made by order of the Soviet Navy. They immediately became iconic watches. Even today, in fact, they operate at depths up to 200 meters and in conditions of strong differences in temperature and pressure.

In the 1970s, in collaboration with the Ministry of Automation Instruments and Control Systems, the manufacture of underwater wristwatches began to withstand depths of up to 300 meters.

In 1975 the Amfibia watch left for space. Aboard the Soyuz 17 spacecraft he reached the Saliut 4 space station. It was part of the equipment of the ship’s engineer Georgy Mikhail Grecko. The flight lasted 29 days.

In 1980, the production of Chistopol watches reached 4.5 million units per year.

Nowadays, of course, times have changed, production sizes have been reduced, but the production plant continues to operate in a complete cycle, producing table and wall clocks. And, of course, the wrist ones, including the new “Anfibia”, the new “Komandirskie”, alongside the reissues of the most iconic historical models.

Today, Vostok is the only watch factory in Russia to have a complete cycle of production of both mechanisms and mechanical wristwatches, reaching the point of realizing 93% of the components, even plastic boxes.

The distinguishing feature of Vostok brand products is to comply with European standards with the advantage of Russian prices. Vostok mechanical watches operate under extreme temperatures and withstand shock and overload. In all these years the master watchmakers have not changed their way of producing clocks and mechanisms. They are based on the so-called Swiss anchor descent system, steel anchoring wheels and forks, support on rubies, springs made with special precision alloys and shock-absorbing devices of the balancing group.

The work of the master watchmakers of Cistopol has repeatedly received national and international recognition and awards.