On Wednesday, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo presented a remarkable gift to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi during his visit in Finland—a handcrafted wristwatch made from the steel of a destroyed Russian T-90 tank.

The news about the gift was first published by Helsingin Sanomat (19.3.2025) while the watchmaking process was reported allready in january 2023 by Helsingin Sanomat and in may 2024 by Satakunnan kansa.

The name of the watch model ”CTRL-Z”, is a clever one for this particular timepiece brand. In the Russian army, the ”Z” mark has been widely associated with Russian military vehicles and personnel during the invasion of Ukraine. The Ctrl + Z command on the other hand is commonly used in command-line interfaces and text editors to suspend a process.

An extraordinary timepiece

This extraordinary timepiece was designed and crafted by Finnish micromechanic Leo Winter. The idea first came to him in early 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the time, Winter was studying micromechanics at a watchmaking school, where students were required to design and build their own watches as a final project. When discussing material options with his classmates, Winter jokingly suggested using metal from a downed Russian helicopter. The idea amused his peers, but Winter soon realized that it might actually be possible to turn this concept into reality.

 

 

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Acquiring steel from a destroyed Russian military vehicle, however, proved to be a challenging task. Winter reached out to various organizations, including the Ukrainian embassy in Helsinki, the Finnish embassy in Kyiv, the President’s Office, and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, but had no success. Eventually, with the help of the Ukrainian Association in Finland, Winter was able to connect with Ukrainian soldiers who provided him with steel—not from a helicopter, but from a Russian T-90 battle tank destroyed on the Donetsk front. A Finnish humanitarian worker then transported the armor plates from Ukraine to Helsinki.

With this material, Winter decided to create a limited series of 55 luxury watches and hoped to present the watch number one to President Zelenskyi. In late November 2024, through Finnish MP Timo Heinonen, Winter was finally able to arrainge meeting with PM Petteri Orpo at the Finnish Parliament and entrusted him with the watch, asking him to deliver it to Zelenskyi during their next meeting.

On the left, a photo of the destroyed Russian tank received by Leo Winter; on the right, the watch prototype. Image: leo Winter.

 

Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s new timepiece is made from the steel of a destroyed Russian T-90 tank. Image (also in the cover): Sami Kero / HS

 

The design of the CTRL-Z watch features numerous angles and bevels, resembling the profile of a tank. Image: Sami Kero / HS.

 

The handover to Zelenskyi finally took place on Wednesday 19.3.2025 afternoon at the Prime Minister’s official residence. While Prime Minister Orpo did not personally hand the watch to Zelenskyi, it was officially delivered through protocol to the Ukrainian president’s staff. The watch was accompanied by a brochure detailing its materials and technical specifications.

In November, Leo Winter (at the right side) presented a watch he had made to Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, requesting him to pass it on to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Image: Sami Kero / HS.

 

The President of Ukraine visited Finland on March 19, 2025. In the picture, Zelenskyy is holding a press conference with the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb. During his visit to Finland, Zelenskyy received a gift that one could imagine warming him more than usual: a watch produced by a Finnish microbrand, made from a destroyed Russian tank. Image: Jari Kovalainen / Yle

A Timepiece with a Story

The watch’s case is made from low-alloy carbon steel salvaged from the destroyed T-90 tank. To protect it from corrosion and scratches, it has been coated with a DLC (diamond-like carbon) finish. The packaging is crafted from an artillery shell, and its interior padding is made from the uniform fabric of a Finnish aircraft mechanic. The leather strap was produced by Finnish company Raju Leatherworks, while the movement was specially developed for this model by Finnish watch brand Jurmo Watches.

According to Winter, the design of the watch features numerous angles and bevels, resembling the profile of a tank. To date, he has sold and delivered eight of these watches. Each watch is priced at €7,500, with half of the proceeds—€3,750 per watch—being donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross. So far, €30,000 has been donated.

Winter’s company, Rebuild Watch Company, embodies the philosophy of ”turning something bad into something good.” He has reflected deeply on whether it is ethical to use materials from a war machine that likely saw loss of life.

”It feels troubling to think about,” Winter admits to Helsingin Sanomat. ”I have nothing against any individual person, but I am against war and destruction.”

Through his craftsmanship, Winter has transformed remnants of war into symbols of resilience and solidarity, ensuring that a piece of history now serves as a testament to Ukraine’s enduring fight for freedom.

 

 

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