The "retro" style comes back into fashion from time to time. Therefore, we are pleased to listen to music, the rhythms of which excited young people 20-30 years ago, apply makeup “a la 20s” and build hairstyles on our heads in the same style. And if you have a good acquaintance or male relative thirty-five years of age or older, he will soon be triumphant, and you will rush about in search of an original surprise gift - don’t be sly, but look for a rarity that has become a kind of symbol of his childhood and youth.
Why exactly this watch?
As you know, a watch is an excellent present for a man of any age, profession and social status. The difference may be in the brand, cost, functionality. However, in comparison with all modern brands, Montana watches, which appeared at the end of the USSR era as the first sign “from there”, as an element of “beautiful life”, have practically no competitors. And the point here is not at all about the excellent quality or the multitude of “bells and whistles”, “steepness” and style of the subject. Just for those whose childhood, youth or youth fell on the last two decades of the past century, they personified a kind of technical miracle.
To have a Montana watch was prestigious: it was considered an indicator of "advancement", a special chic in the teenage and male environment. And in fact, where was it to keep up with them the Soviet production of watch factories in Belarus or Moscow region! Mechanical or electronic watches of domestic production seemed pathetic compared to foreign ones that had an original and unusual design. The backlight, stopwatch, a set of melodies that could be listened to just like that, or can be set on an alarm clock (the Montana watch also had this feature!), The logo in a foreign language, a metal bracelet and other details on the teenagers of those times made the impression strong, as in the current ones - the latest models of iPhones, iPods, etc. Modern fans of the “vintage” and “techno” styles will be happy to decorate their wrists with this antiques, thereby creating competition for the older generation.
Another look into the past
When buying this or that thing, we pay attention to the country of origin, because often this factor becomes the key to the quality of the product. It is impossible to say for sure where and who produced the Montana watches: the country, the developers, the place of manufacture of serial batches - everything was unknown, inaccurate. Some models were made all in the same China, others in Hong Kong. The main thing is that everyone on the case, on the back cover, engraved: “USA”. This was enough for the inexperienced Soviet buyer to sincerely believe: he is acquiring truly imported products, which means that they are of high quality! Yes, and to buy a Montana watch, like any scarce and, therefore, worthwhile item, was not easy. They cost for someone available, but for someone and a little expensive - from 60 to 70 rubles. But the point is not even the price. In free trade, the watch did not appear - they were hunted for at the commission, bought from hand. Naturally, the inhabitants of the province for the scarce goods had to go to the regional or regional centers or seek help from friends. But how much pride and joy appeared in the eyes of the one who finally had “Montana” on his hand, a dream watch!
Some technical data
“Montana” is a brand of men's watches, but female representatives also wore them with pleasure. The case was made of steel or plastic, the dial was covered with plexiglass. To prevent it from scratching, a protective film was glued onto the glass, many did not remove it when wearing a watch. The first models were with 7th and 8th melodies, the later ones with 16th. The most famous Montan models from the company "Kessel". In their arsenal, in addition to the scoreboard with hours and minutes, there was a stopwatch, a calendar indicating the day of the week, of course, an alarm clock. The “Hourly Signal” function could be turned off - otherwise the sound call signs would be triggered every 60 minutes. Naturally, the watch had a backlight - it should be turned on by pressing the button on the edge of the case. On the dial of the models was a magical inscription-logo with an eagle pattern: “Montana”, made in clear print, similar to the Gothic.