Chaika (Russian: чайка, meaning "seagull") watches are a women's brand made in the Soviet Union and Russia. The factory making Chaika watches was founded in 1940 as Volga in the city of Uglich for the production of precision technical stones and watch jewels. The factory subsequently made watches with small calibres (16 mm).
In 1956, the company changed its name to Chaika, marketing watches under two brand names – Chaika and Volga. The brand name Chaika was in honor of the first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, as that was her call sign.
Chaika no longer manufactures movements. Quality problems have plagued the company since the breakup of the Soviet Union, causing Chaika to source most of the movements to Asian manufacturers; Miyota Citizen in particular.