Slava split-time stopper Rattrapante CCCP - last pieces!

Slava Rattrapante Split-Second Stopwatch Caliber 5498 – Rare CCCP Precision Instrument

Last remaining pieces from original Soviet CCCP warehouse stocks!

I am pleased to offer a small quantity of these extraordinary mechanical stopwatches from original Soviet storage. These watches are unused (NOS – New Old Stock), dating from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, and are still supplied with original Soviet documentation and, in some cases, their original styrofoam packaging.

The Slava Rattrapante Stopwatch is a fascinating example of high-grade Soviet precision engineering and one of the most technically sophisticated mechanical stopwatches ever produced in the USSR.

The Special Feature: Rattrapante or Split-Second Function

The highlight of this stopwatch is its highly sophisticated Rattrapante (split-second) mechanism, known in German as a Schleppzeiger.

This complication ranks among the most demanding constructions in traditional watchmaking and was originally developed for sporting events, scientific measurements and military timing applications.

The stopwatch features two centrally mounted seconds hands:

• Black primary seconds hand
• Red split-seconds (rattrapante) hand

When the stopwatch is started, both hands run perfectly synchronized and appear as a single hand.

Measuring Intermediate Times

By pressing the left pusher:

• The red split-seconds hand stops instantly
• The black main seconds hand continues running

This allows an intermediate time to be read while the overall timing continues uninterrupted.

Pressing the left pusher again causes the red hand to immediately catch up with the black hand and resume synchronized operation.

This process can be repeated as often as desired, allowing multiple intermediate times to be recorded without interrupting the overall measurement.

The term Rattrapante comes from the French word meaning "to catch up". Today, this complication is found almost exclusively in high-end luxury chronographs and remains one of the most admired achievements of classical watchmaking.

High-Grade Slava Caliber 5498

Inside the stopwatch operates the mechanical Slava Caliber 5498, a movement specifically developed for precision timing instruments.

For a Soviet movement, it represents an exceptionally advanced design and remains highly regarded among collectors of vintage Russian horology.

• 20 jewels
• Swiss-style lever escapement
• Breguet overcoil hairspring
• 36,000 vibrations per hour (5 Hz)
• Manual winding
• Approx. 12-hour power reserve
• 30-minute measuring capacity

The high beat rate of 36,000 vibrations per hour enables particularly precise timing performance and was considered a hallmark of professional-grade timing instruments.

Operation

Top Crown:

• Winds the movement
• Starts and stops the timing process

Left Pusher:

• Stops the split-seconds hand
• Allows intermediate times to be read
• Releases the split-seconds hand to catch up

Right Pusher:

• Resets all hands to zero

Technical Specifications

• Manufacturer: Slava
• Country of origin: USSR / CCCP
• Production period: Late 1980s to early 1990s
• Condition: Unused New Old Stock (NOS)
• Movement: Slava Caliber 5498
• Mechanical manual-wind movement
• 20 jewels
• Swiss-style lever escapement
• Breguet overcoil hairspring
• 36,000 vibrations per hour
• Rattrapante (split-second) function
• Maximum measuring range: 30 minutes
• Power reserve: approx. 12 hours
• Silver metallic dial with fine sunburst finish
• Diameter: 65 mm
• Height: 23 mm
• Weight: approx. 225 g
• Original Soviet warehouse stock

A Rare Soviet Masterpiece

The Slava Rattrapante Stopwatch combines robust Soviet engineering with one of the most prestigious complications in classical watchmaking.

While ordinary stopwatches measure only total elapsed time, this sophisticated instrument allows precise recording of intermediate times without interrupting the ongoing measurement.

For collectors of Soviet horology, motorsport enthusiasts and admirers of mechanical precision instruments, the Slava Rattrapante remains one of the most fascinating and increasingly difficult-to-find Soviet timekeeping devices ever produced.

An exceptionally rare collector's piece from the final years of the Soviet Union.