Flown Russian Vostok 'Komandirskie' men's mechanical watch carried to the International Space Station aboard Soyuz TMA-4 for Expedition 9. The watch was carried by Gennady Padalka to commemorate the Russian Space Forces and the upcoming first flight of Space Forces cosmonaut Yuri Shargin, who returned from the ISS together with Padalka aboard Soyuz TMA-4. Shargin arrived on the ISS via Soyuz TMA-5, and spent almost ten days in orbit before returning home. The face of the watch depicts the wings of Russian Military Space Forces. The caseback is engraved with an image and indicates that the watch is water-resistant. The timepiece remains on its original brown leather watchband, also flown on the ISS. Includes a flown piece of paper stamped in-flight onboard the ISS. In fine condition. Accompanied by four photos of the watch onboard the International Space Station, all signed in black felt tip by Gennady Padalka.
Padalka holds the world record for most time spent in space, an impressive total of 879 days. As the commander of ISS Expedition 9, he spent over 185 days aboard the space station; with Flight Engineer Michael Fincke, he performed four spacewalks focused on maintenance and assembly. Yuri Shargin, the first Russian Space Forces cosmonaut to launch into space, joined the Expedition 9 crew at the end of their mission, spending nearly 10 days in space before returning to Earth with Padalka and Fincke on board Soyuz TMA-4. Originally given as a gift to Alex Panchenko.
