Zarya Women's Diving Watch, Cal. Z15098

Zarya Diving from 1972 — First impression

On the wrist, this Zarya Diving from 1972 looks like a scaled-down professional diver, purpose-built for women who wanted a serious tool watch rather than a delicate dress piece. The cream dial with bold Arabic numerals is framed by a black diver-style bezel carrying minute markings and bold 10–50 numerals, giving immediate timing utility and a strong graphic presence. The compact 25.0 mm case feels surprisingly substantial thanks to its tonneau shape, while the domed crystal and narrow inner bezel visually enlarge the dial. Despite its utilitarian roots, the watch has a certain charm: the Cyrillic inscriptions, the precise Soviet typography and the honest patina together create a distinctive historic wristwatch that feels both characterful and practical in contemporary wear.

Zarya Diving - Cream textured Dial

The dial is executed in a softly textured cream tone that provides warmth and depth, avoiding the flatness often seen on small vintage pieces. Applied-looking Arabic numerals from 1 to 12 are printed in a rounded font with dark outlines and slightly warmer interiors, ensuring excellent legibility even at a glance. A discrete minute track, formed by fine black indices and heavier five-minute markers, runs close to the edge of the dial and reinforces the instrument feel. At twelve o’clock sits the Zarya brand name in Cyrillic, balanced by “17 КАМНЕЙ” and “СДЕЛАНО В СССР” towards the bottom, proudly declaring its 17-jewel construction and Soviet origin. Together these elements create a compact but highly readable display that captures the essence of vintage tool-watch design in a women’s format.

Hands

The handset is deliberately simple and functional. Straight black pencil-style hour and minute hands reach confidently towards the numerals and minute track, maximising legibility on the small dial. Their dark tone contrasts strongly with the cream background, making the time easy to read in a wide range of lighting conditions. A fine central seconds hand completes the layout, traversing the minute track with a precise, mechanical sweep that reminds the wearer this is a true manual wind timepiece rather than a later quartz design. The absence of lume on both hands and dial reinforces the watch’s vintage character and underlines its role as a compact, everyday diver-style instrument rather than a modern, high-visibility professional dive computer.

Diver-style bezel chrome-plated Case

The case uses a distinctive tonneau or teardrop profile, wider at the top and tapering elegantly towards the bracelet, which both protects the small dial and gives the watch more wrist presence. Finished in bright chrome-plated metal, it reflects light cleanly while still showing the honest surface wear expected from a carefully used Soviet-era mechanical watch. The black diver-style bezel surrounding the crystal carries a full 60-minute scale with numerals at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50, plus a filled triangle at zero, evoking the language of classic diving watches. Its coin-edge outer rim completes the tool aesthetic, whether or not the bezel is intended to rotate in regular use. At 33.0 mm lug-to-lug, the watch remains very comfortable even on slender wrists, yet the strong visual framing makes it feel more substantial than the measurements alone would suggest.

Screw in Crown

A generously sized crown at three o’clock is key to the watch’s usability. Cylindrical in shape with deep vertical knurling, it offers an excellent grip when winding the movement or setting the time, even for those not accustomed to delicate vintage pieces. The crown’s relatively large diameter, in proportion to the small case, emphasises the functional nature of the design and hints at the water-focused intent of this “diving” model. Its simple, unsigned face suits the utilitarian character of the watch, avoiding unnecessary decoration while remaining comfortable against the wrist during daily wear.

Zarya Diving Metal Bracelet

The watch is paired with a period-correct style metal bracelet in stainless steel, which enhances its practical, everyday character. The flexible, stretch design allows the bracelet to slip easily over the hand and then contract to fit snugly on the wrist, a popular solution in the Soviet era for durable women’s wristwatches. Linear horizontal detailing on each segment catches the light and adds visual texture without distracting from the small dial and bold bezel. The steel tone of the bracelet harmonises well with the chrome-plated case, creating a cohesive look that feels authentically vintage while remaining comfortable for regular wear.

Cal. Z15098 manual wind

Powering this compact diver-style timepiece is the manually wound Zarya Cal. Z15098, a 17-jewel mechanical movement designed specifically for small women’s watches. Despite its modest dimensions, the calibre incorporates shock protection and a robust gear train, engineered to withstand the demands of everyday use in the 1970s Soviet Union. Daily winding through the large crown provides a tactile connection to the watch and reinforces its character as a purely mechanical instrument. The movement’s construction prioritises reliability and ease of service over complication, making it a practical choice for collectors who actually intend to wear their vintage pieces. In this example the calibre has been fully serviced and adjusted, ensuring consistent performance and precision timekeeping in line with the best expectations for a mid-20th-century Soviet mechanical watch.

Practical wearability and tool-watch character

Although designed as a women’s watch, the Zarya Diving 1972 offers true tool-watch charisma in a compact package. The small dial within a visually assertive tonneau case, combined with the contrasting black bezel and practical expansion bracelet, gives the watch a distinctive presence that stands apart from more delicate dress pieces of the same era. Its proportions make it ideal for enthusiasts who appreciate vintage divers but prefer something lighter and more subtle than full-size men’s models. As a wearable conversation piece, it suits both focused Soviet horology collections and more eclectic lineups that celebrate unusual historic designs.

Zarya Diving 1972 - Heritage in 1970s Soviet diving design

The 1970s were a formative period for Soviet wristwatch design, with factories adapting professional tool-watch concepts into more accessible formats for everyday citizens. This Zarya Diving sits at that intersection: it borrows visual cues from larger diver’s watches—such as the bold bezel, clear minute scale and utilitarian case—but scales them into a women’s size without losing the functional spirit. Produced during an era when Soviet manufacturing prioritised durability and simplicity, the watch represents an important chapter in Eastern Bloc horological heritage. For collectors who appreciate this context, it offers a tangible link to the output of the Penza watch factory and its focus on reliable, affordable mechanical timepieces. Those building a broader theme around aquatic or tool-inspired designs may also wish to explore our curated selection of compact diving vintage watches from the 1960s and 1970s, placing this rare Zarya alongside Swiss and Japanese counterparts of the same period.

12-month warranty and worldwide shipping Condition, Originality, trust signals

This Zarya Diving is classified as a used vintage watch, but its overall condition is remarkably strong for a Soviet piece of this age. The cream dial remains clean and well-preserved, with crisp Arabic numerals and only light, even ageing that enhances its character rather than detracting from legibility. The chrome-plated case and black diver-style bezel show honest wear consistent with careful use, free from major damage and retaining their original contours. According to the specification, all key components are original, including dial, hands, case and mechanical movement. The Cal. Z15098 has been fully serviced and is described as fully operational, and the watch is offered with a 12-month warranty for additional peace of mind. Combined with worldwide shipping, this makes the piece an attractive opportunity for collectors seeking a rare and distinctive women’s diving vintage watch that is ready for both display and regular mechanical enjoyment.