Konstantin Chaykin

Konstantin Chaykin – inventor, watchmaker, engineer, designer. Konstantin is also the founder and head of the Konstantin Chaykin Manufacture which produces high end, complicated mechanical watches and clocks. Konstantin is the only Russian watchmaker admitted to the international association of independent watchmakers – the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants.

1975 – 2000. The Beginning

Konstantin Chaykin was born in Leningrad, USSR in 1975. In 1995 he graduated from the St. Petersburg Telecommunications College with a degree in radio technology. He was planning on a career in the communications field. But fate had other plans. First Konstantin served his mandatory 2 years in the Russian army. Then, in 2000, Konstantin opens his own business – a company that sold watches. This is where Konstantin first gained a glimpse into the amazing world of watch movements. Konstantin was engrossed by watchmaking, which first became his hobby, then his profession and finally his life’s work.

2000-2003. The Education of a Watchmaker

Konstantin never went to a watchmaking school. The early 21^st century was not a good time for watchmaking in Russia, and the fledgling master watchmaker simply could not find a functioning watchmaking school. So, Konstantin ended up teaching himself. He scoured St. Petersburg and other cities for books and worked on learning the original techniques of classic watchmaking. At the same time, Konstantin learned the basics of mechanics, physics, chemistry, metalwork and much more: amazingly enough, he conquered all of these obstacles with his inborn talent and persistence. Konstantin’s self-designated ‘diploma’ piece was the tourbillon clock he built in 2003 from scratch, based on his own interpretations of information he had gleaned from books and online.

2003-2005. The Atelier

During these early years Konstantin perfected his skills and created a number of mechanical clocks and watches with classic movements and complications. Every new clock was a new triumph and embodied a new set of skills successfully mastered; he continued to study antique timepieces, books and online materials. Konstantin bought or restored various watchmaking equipment to furnish his atelier. In addition, he was working with various watchmaking companies in Russia – he would finish high end movements, create complicated and rare parts, hands and dials. In time, he became renowned in Russia and received orders for restoring antique timepieces and finally for creating his own piece unique. Konstantin spearheaded the foundation of a Watchmaking Atelier and a Center for Restoring Timepieces in St. Petersburg. Soon there were enough staff members for Konstantin to focus on creating his own masterpieces. This was the beginning of his work as an inventor.

2005-2008. The Inventor

During this period Konstantin Chaykin concentrated almost exclusively on inventing new types of clocks and watches; new movements and new complications. In 2005, Konstantin invented the unique Easter Clock, with a mechanical calendar which calculated Easter and the other changing Holy Days according to the Eastern Orthodox Julian calendar for 10,000 years. Three years later Konstantin perfected and patented the mechanical Orthodox calendar. He then used this complication as a foundation for a new movement which calculated the date of the Orthodox Easter until 9,999 without corrections and also contained a perpetual calendar, a lunar phase indicator, a year indicator, a power reserve indicator, a tourbillon, a star map with an indicator of star time. Konstantin named this clock the Resurrection Clock and today this clock, the most complicated ever created in Russia, belongs to the Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and Russia.

In 2006, Konstantin invented and patented mechanical Muslim calendar he named Hijra and in 2008 he built the first prototype of a mystery watch with a transparent dial and floating hands. Konstantin became well known in Switzerland and eventually worldwide mainly for these and further inventions.

2008-2010. AHCI and Worldwide Acknowledgement

Konstantin Chaykin applied for membership in the prestigious international Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants or the AHCI in 2007. The AHCI unites talented independent watchmakers from around the world and is based in Switzerland. The AHCI Board reviewed Konstantin’s application in 2008 and invited him to the ViennaTime 2008 exhibit. This was Konstantin’s official debut in the international arena and a stressful test at the same time: his work was being examined by the best watchmakers in the world, who were deciding whether or not Konstantin was worthy to join their elite ranks. The decision was made and Konstantin was accepted as a candidate to AHCI in 2008. At the same time, he was thrilled by the excitement created by his work amidst visitors at the exhibit. Konstantin received a number of orders and discovered numerous fans of his unusual masterpieces. From this day forward, Konstantin Chaykin and his team were regular exhibitors at international watchmaking exhibits. Konstantin brought his work to Baselworld for the first time in 2009 and today you can find the Konstantin Chaykin Manufacture exhibiting at watchmaking shows such as Top Marques in Shanghai, Belles Montres in Paris and many others.

2010-2013. The First Russian Watch Manufacture

In time, Konstantin Chaykin and his team acquired enough experience in designing and building complicated mechanical watches and clocks to transform the existing atelier into a full-fledged Manufacture. For Konstantin this became a time to branch out into a new direction, since now he was responsible for organizing and managing the business and technological processes of a proper production line. This required management skills in addition to his expertise as a watchmaker. He also needed to balance his new responsibilities with his ongoing work as an inventor; Konstantin is constantly inventing new and unique complications and movements, which have become the hallmark of the young Manufacture.

In 2012 economic and business factors led Konstantin to move the manufacture from his hometown of St. Petersburg to Moscow, the capital of Russia. The Manufacture focused on three major directions: clocks and watches with religious calendars, designs and details – Russian Orthodox, Judaic and Islamic; mystery watches with transparent dials; and, finally, inventing and building mechanical watches and clocks with unusual complications. Konstantin is indefatigable: in addition to leading the renaissance of watchmaking in Russia, he finds time to train new watchmakers, write articles and books, invent new movements and complications, and manage the growing Manufacture, all along dreaming of making Russia a powerhouse in the watchmaking world.

2013-2020. World market and high bar

Since 2013, the Konstantin Chaykin watch brand has been actively promoting to the international market. The manufacture takes part in major foreign exhibitions, Konstantin visits not only Baselworld, but also the Parisian salon Belles Montres, London Salon QP, Chinese Top Marques and CWCF exhibitions, and later, in 2017, the Singapore JeweLuxe Fair joins this relatively permanent list. The watches are highly appreciated by the professionals of the watch market all over the world. The fame of the master is promoted by publications in the foreign press, the articles are published in the famous The New York Times Herald Tribune, Telegraph, Financial Times, Forbes and many others. Attending international exhibitions increases the number of watch buyers and brand fans.

In 2018, Konstantin Chaykin received a special prize from the prestigious Swiss GPHG (Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève), in the new category 'Audacity prize'. The award went to his Clown watch, a nod to the character 'It' by Stephen King.

Along with this, Konstantin is constantly working on new projects and raises the level of skill, invents. By mid 2022, he has 92 patents for inventions in the field of watch mechanics, the largest number of inventions in the world by one master.

In 2021, Konstantin Chaykin became the only watchmaker to be awarded a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Medal for Inventors.

In the same year, the number of followers of Konstantin Chaykin’s account (@k_chaykin) on Instagram exceeded 100,000.

In 2017, he creates the most complicated clock in Russia - The Moscow Easter Computus Clock with 26 complications. The clock entered the Russian Book of Records. The quality of the timepieces he creates, the unusual, fresh ideas underlying the concept make it possible to win various watch competitions. His watches shortlisted for the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève twice, the largest and most prestigious competition of watchmakers from around the world.

Konstantin Chaykin devotes time to social work for the benefit of the entire industry. From 2016 to 2019, he was the elected President of the International Watch Academy (AHCI), and currently continues to serve on the Academy Committee.