A Transitional Soviet Design
Produced in Leningrad during the 1930s, this early clock uses a rectangular wooden housing, exposed plungers, symmetrical dials, and a strongly utilitarian layout. Those features recur so clearly in later Soviet tournament clocks that 'proto-Jantar' is a useful descriptive label, provided it is not mistaken for a documented contemporary model name.
Possible Factory Connection
A connection to the Petrodvorets Watch Factory has been proposed, but archival proof has not yet been established. The safest interpretation is therefore developmental rather than corporate: the clock represents an early Soviet tournament form before large-scale standardization at Moscow and Orel.
Historical Significance
The clock matters because it shows that the mature Soviet design language did not appear suddenly. Its core priorities—durability, legibility, simple controls, and a compact rectangular case—were already being worked out in the prewar period.