Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was presented with a watch made from the steel of a destroyed Russian T-90 tank during his recent visit to Finland.

The name of the watch model, “CTRL-Z”, is a reference to the Russian army’s association with the letter ‘Z’, and CTRL-Z to the keyboard shortcut to undo something.

By Finn Leo Winter, the idea was born in 2022 when Winter was studying micromechanics at watchmaking school and thinking about his final presentation watch. The idea formed of using steel from a downed Russian helicopter as material for a watch.

Winter sought assistance from official government organisations and bodies including the Ukrainian embassy in Helsinki, the Finnish embassy in Kyiv, the President’s Office, and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, but it should be of no surprise that they were not able to assist with this sort of request.

The Ukrainian Association in Finland ended up being the conduit. Winter got in touch with Ukrainian soldiers, who provided him with steel plates from a Russian T-90 battle tank destroyed on the Donetsk front. They were transported from Ukraine to Helsinki by a Finnish humanitarian worker.

Winter decided to create fifty-five pieces of the CTRL-Z, and to 1/55 to President Zelenskyy.

The watch’s case is made from low-alloy carbon steel salvaged from the destroyed T-90 tank, coated with DLC. The angular design is meant to reflect the profile of a tank. It comes on a leather strap was produced by Finnish company Raju Leatherworks, and movement was developed for this model by Finnish watch brand Jurmo Watches. Its packaging continues in the same military equipment vein, made from an artillery shell, and its interior padding is made from the uniform fabric of a Finnish aircraft mechanic.

In late November 2024 Winter met Prime Minister Petteri Orpo at the Finnish Parliament and gave him the watch. The handover took place on March 19, 2025 at the Prime Minister’s official residence, although it did not involve Prime Minister Petteri Orpo nor President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, but the Ukrainian presidential staff.

The watch is EUR 7,500 and half of the proceeds go to the Ukrainian Red Cross. You can read more about Winter’s Rebuild Watch Company at their site.

On the subject of military equipment being repurposed for something less deadly, some of you may recall the Fonderie 47 Collector’s Edition Rollerball Pen by Cross. Established by Peter Thum, Fonderie 47 is about funding the destruction of AK-47 assault rifles in Africa. Purchases of the pen funded their destruction and transformation into this pen. It took its design from the destroyed gun, with black PVD plating and engraved decoration, a steel disc forged from one of the destroyed rifles, and a unique serial number for each pen. A number of these went to watch enthusiasts at the time.

[Photo credit: Rebuild Watch Company & Sami Kero/ Helsingin Sanomat]

Categories: Limited Editions, Watch materials, Watch Profile, watches