Is Russia the Largest Manufacturer of Aviation Wristwatches?

I recently noticed a claim on the Aviator (Volmax) website that Russia is the world's largest manufacturer of Aviation watches.

I don't know whether the claim is true, though it could be, and certainly there is no denying that Russia has a rich and deep history of making aviator-style watches for the military.

Here's the quote in its entirety:

"Russia is the world’s largest manufacturer of Aviation wristwatches, with a history going back to 1927 when the Russian government decided to build quality timepieces for its military. In the decades that followed, the Russian watch industry produced timepieces specifically built to exacting military standards that were not originally available to the public. The direct descendants of these watches are available today in the Aviator line. From highly complicated chronographs to big-dialed, easy-to-read timekeepers, the Aviator watch by Volmax is the culmination of three quarters of a century of aviation watch development."

45mm Aviator - Big, Functional Aviator Watch

The 45mm Aviator by Volmax has a lot of characteristics that are common to Russian watches. It's a simple, solid, mechanical watch with military styling. It's also a big watch with a 45mm diameter.

For more information, read this 45mm Aviator review.

Authorized vs. Unauthorized Distribution of Volmax Watches

To clarify some of the confusion between official, authorized sellers and unauthorized sellers, here is a notice posted on the Volmax website. Note that manufacturers are not obligated to honor warranties on watches purchased through unauthorized sellers.

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To eliminate any further confusion about internet sales, the Volmax company is announcing that there is only one internet site per country authorized to distribute our watches and provide proper warranty service. Additionally, www.smirs.com is the only authorized seller to operate in countries not represented currently by official distributors.

A list of official distributors is available on our website. These distributors may have authorized other internet resellers in their respective countries, however, there is only one official wholesale distributor per county. Any authorized resellers should be listed on the website the official distributor has linked to our site. However, if a retail website in your country is not listed on your country's official site, you should contact your distributor to ensure the retailer has rights to sell our products.

ALL other sites selling our products are operating without the consent of the Volmax Company, and we cannot vouch for the authenticity, quality or service provided by these sites. Accordingly, our distributors are not obliged to provide after sale warranty service for watches bought from these sites.

Upon signing a sponsorship agreement with National Aerobatic Team The Swifts , and in connection with growing recognition of Aviator watches, the appearance of counterfeit, unauthorized and unacceptably similar watches that infringe upon our copyright have become more and more frequent. Any use of the names Aviator, Buran, or Shturmanskie for commercial purposes by individuals and organizations without the express, written consent of the Volmax, Co. is prohibited. This is particularly important as regards wholesale and extensive offers of watches, which are similar to Aviator, Buran, Shturmanskie on the following web-sites that are not authorized by Volmax in any form:
http://www.aviator-watch.com
http://www.Ebay.com
http://www.poljot-watches.ru
http://www.russia-watches.com
http://www.russian-time.com
http://www.ruwatch.com
http://poljot24.de
http://poljot.de
http://www.poljot-times.com
http://www.rugift.com
http://www.ruspluss.com
http://stores.ebay.de/russia-and-more

Volmax officially states, that we do not have any partner relationships with the above listed sites and, as such, in no way give warranties for goods provided by them.

Origin of these goods are questionable and not endorsed in any way by our company.

To confirm that a reseller is officially authorized, please check the following link to find officially authorized distributors and retailers:

List of authorized representatives
Watches, which were bought from unauthorized representatives are not provided with our free warranties and services even when accompanied by warranty certificates.
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Here is the link to this notice: http://www.aviatorwatch.ru/en/news/new/16