Sekonda

Sekonda is a British wristwatch brand whose origins lie in the international marketing of watches made by Soviet watch factories. The brand was created in 1966 by ChasProm as an export label intended to represent selected watches from across the Soviet Union rather than the output of one single manufacturer. This gave Sekonda a distinctive structure from its beginning: the name could appear on watches originating from several factories, movements, and established Soviet marques. During the Soviet period, Sekonda watches were produced by a broad network of factories. These included the First Moscow Watch Factory, associated with Poljot; the Second Moscow Watch Factory, associated with Slava; the Uglich Watch Factory, associated with Chaika; the Petrodvorets Watch Factory, associated with Raketa; the Minsk Watch Factory, associated with Luch; and factories producing watches under names such as Molnija, Zarja, Vostok, ZIM, Pobeda, and Elektronika. In many cases, watches sold under the Sekonda name were re-badged or relabelled versions of products otherwise associated with those domestic Soviet brands. The arrangement allowed the export label to draw on the technical and manufacturing capacity of multiple facilities while presenting a more unified identity to overseas buyers. Sekonda became particularly associated with the United Kingdom, where it developed as a recognizable consumer watch name rather than remaining solely an export designation. Its history therefore combines Soviet industrial watchmaking with British retail and marketing. A notable promotional moment came in 1992, when the brand used a television advertisement featuring the British band Madness. The campaign connected Sekonda with popular music and mass-market British culture at a time when the band was preparing to reunite for its Madstock concert. The dissolution of the Soviet Union marked a major change in Sekonda's production history. From 1993, the brand no longer maintained the Russian manufacturing ties that had defined its earlier period, and its watches were produced in factories in Hong Kong. This represented a transition from a distributed Soviet manufacturing network to an Asia-based production model more typical of internationally marketed consumer watches. Sekonda's later range expanded beyond a single general-purpose label. The brand has marketed SEKSY as a women's fashion-oriented sub-brand, ONE for men's fashion watches, and Xpose for more rugged outdoor-oriented watches intended for both women and men. These extensions allowed Sekonda to address different style and lifestyle segments while retaining an emphasis on accessible wristwatches. The brand has also used sports sponsorship to build visibility in the British market. Between 1998 and 2002, Sekonda was title sponsor of the Superleague, then the top division of British ice hockey and the predecessor of the Elite League. This sponsorship broadened the brand's association from fashion and entertainment to sport and helped place its name in the context of a national professional competition. Sekonda is best understood as an affordable, widely distributed watch brand with a complex manufacturing heritage. Its historical significance comes from the way it served as an export-facing label for Soviet watch production, while its later identity reflects the shift toward Hong Kong manufacture, lifestyle segmentation, entertainment advertising, and sports marketing. Publicly available reference material does not establish a detailed current corporate ownership structure or a precise present-day headquarters, so those fields remain unspecified here.

Sekonda was established in 1966 by ChasProm as a brand for exporting selected watches from the Soviet Union. Rather than being tied to one production site, the label drew on the output of many Soviet watch factories. Watches associated with Poljot, Slava, Chaika, Raketa, Luch, Molnija, Zarja, Vostok, ZIM, Pobeda, and Elektronika could be sold under the Sekonda name, often through relabelling or re-badging arrangements. The principal factories involved included facilities in Moscow, Leningrad, Uglich, Minsk, Chelyabinsk, Penza, Chistopol, and other Soviet industrial centers. This export structure made Sekonda different from a conventional vertically integrated watch manufacturer. Its commercial identity was unified, but its products could originate from a range of factories with their own domestic brands and technical traditions. The label consequently became a channel through which Soviet watch production reached Western consumers. Sekonda developed a particularly visible presence in the United Kingdom. Its marketing moved beyond the technical or industrial associations of Soviet watchmaking and adopted mainstream consumer advertising. In 1992, the company ran a television commercial featuring Madness, shortly before the band's reunion for the Madstock concert. The advertisement connected the brand with British music culture and helped present it as a contemporary consumer name. The collapse of the Soviet Union changed the basis of Sekonda's manufacturing. From 1993, the brand no longer had Russian production ties and its watches were made in Hong Kong. This was a substantial operational transition, replacing the earlier network of Soviet factories with offshore manufacturing. The brand retained its British market identity while its production geography changed. In its later product architecture, Sekonda broadened its offer through several sub-brands. SEKSY was used for women's fashion watches, ONE for men's fashion watches, and Xpose for watches aimed at rugged outdoor lifestyles for either gender. These names indicate an approach based on segmenting the range by audience, style, and intended use rather than relying only on a single undifferentiated watch collection. Sekonda also invested in high-visibility sponsorship. From 1998 until 2002, it served as title sponsor of the Superleague, the leading division of British ice hockey at the time and the predecessor of the Elite League. The arrangement gave the brand exposure in a national sporting context and complemented its earlier entertainment-led advertising. The available reference material documents Sekonda's founding, Soviet export origins, production transition, sub-brands, advertising, and sports sponsorship, but it does not provide a verified current ownership structure, executive roster, official website, or detailed financial information. Those matters are therefore not inferred in this dossier.

• 2002

  Superleague sponsorship period ends

  [1]Sekondaen.wikipedia.org

  The documented period of Sekonda's title sponsorship of the British ice hockey Superleague concludes.

• 1998

  Superleague title sponsorship begins

  [1]Sekondaen.wikipedia.org

  Sekonda becomes title sponsor of Britain's top-flight Superleague ice hockey competition.

• 1993

  Production shifts to Hong Kong

  [1]Sekondaen.wikipedia.org

  Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Sekonda's watches begin to be produced in Hong Kong rather than through its former Russian-linked manufacturing network.

• 1992

  Madness appears in Sekonda television advertising

  [1]Sekondaen.wikipedia.org

  Sekonda runs a television advertisement featuring Madness, linking the brand to contemporary British popular music.

• 1966

  Sekonda is created as a Soviet export label

  [1]Sekondaen.wikipedia.org

  ChasProm establishes Sekonda to export selected watches made by factories across the Soviet Union.

Accessible British watch branding with historical Soviet export-watch roots and later fashion, lifestyle, and outdoor product segmentation.

• Wristwatches · 1966

  Sekonda core watches

  The main Sekonda label covers the brand's general wristwatch offering. During the Soviet period, products carrying the name could be sourced from multiple factories and could represent relabelled versions of watches associated with Poljot, Raketa, Slava, and other Soviet marques. After 1993, production moved to Hong Kong factories, reflecting the brand's transition to a later mass-market manufacturing model.

• Women's fashion watches

  SEKSY

  SEKSY is a Sekonda sub-brand positioned toward women's fashion watches. The available reference identifies it as a distinct label within the wider Sekonda range, intended to address a more style-led female customer segment rather than the brand's general watch assortment.

• Men's fashion watches

  ONE

  ONE is a Sekonda sub-brand for men's fashion watches. It forms part of the brand's later segmentation strategy, giving men's style-oriented products a separate identity within the broader Sekonda portfolio.

• Outdoor lifestyle watches

  Xpose

  Xpose is used for watches aimed at rugged outdoor lifestyles and intended for either gender. The sub-brand extends Sekonda beyond conventional fashion positioning toward products associated with outdoor use and a more durable lifestyle image.

• 1998Superleague title sponsorship

  United Kingdom

  Sekonda sponsored Britain's leading Superleague ice hockey competition as title sponsor. The relationship continued through 2002 and associated the brand with professional sport and the competition that preceded the Elite League.

  Outcome. The documented sponsorship period ended in 2002.

  Source
• 1992Madness television advertisement

  United Kingdom

  Sekonda broadcast a television advertisement featuring the British band Madness. The campaign placed the watch brand within contemporary British music culture and ran shortly before the group's reunion for its Madstock concert.

  Source

• 1993

  Shift from Soviet-linked production to Hong Kong manufacturingStrategy

  Background

  The dissolution of the Soviet Union ended the manufacturing context in which Sekonda had sourced watches from factories across the Soviet system.

  Action taken

  Sekonda moved production to factories in Hong Kong and ceased its former Russian production ties.

  Aftermath

  The brand continued as a British-market watch label while operating under a different manufacturing geography.

  Source

1. 1Sekondaen.wikipedia.org