Peterhof Lapidary Factory

The Peterhof Lapidary Factory, the oldest Russian state factory for artistic processing of colored stone, was founded in 1721. From the mid-19th century, the enterprise gained world fame, and its items, presented at exhibitions, are now kept in Versailles, the Hermitage, and Sanssouci, while its craftsmen participated in the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral and the Hermitage. In Soviet times, the factory of precision technical stones, created on its basis, has been producing its own watches under the "Raketa" brand for civilians, the army, the navy, polar explorers, cosmonauts, and submariners since 1961.