Alternative Communist world luxury goods

In the Cold War there were many highly sought after Western luxury goods, everything from Swiss watch to stereos and blue jeans were in high demand in the Communist world. The only luxury goods from behind the Iron Curtain that comes to mind is Caspian caviar.

With a little historical tweaking, could there be alternative luxury goods from the Communist world that would be highly desirable and even smuggled into the West? I'm talking about things they could make, not for example Chinese antiques. Please don't attempt to cheat by turning France Communist, just stick to our timeline political borders.
 

Delta Force

Banned
I think there was an East German company that produced a popular line of 35 mm film cameras for export to the West. Also, the Communist Bloc had different copyright laws, so they could produce copies of things that are rare or not produced in the West. One of my teachers purchased a copy of Song of the South when she visited East Germany in the 1980s, and Disney goes out of its way to keep that locked down in the United States.

The Communist Bloc could export art too. The Soviets tried to promote socialist realism, but modern art became increasingly abstract in the West around the same time. If the Communist Bloc artists become really good and are allowed more freedom, they could produce photo-realistic paintings. Amongst more mass produced art, there might be a market for films and literature, especially science fiction. If dubs and translations are produced, they might prove popular in the West.

Of course there is what the Cubans and North Koreans are exporting now. The Cubans "export" doctors to other countries in exchange for money and/or goods and services, and the North Koreans produce a lot of animation and cartoons.
 
Russia/the USSR has HUGE deposits of Titanium. This opens up a whole world of possibilities. Titanium frames. wheel hubs and rims for high performance bicycles instantly spring to mind, but that's 'my thing'. I'm sure there would be tonnes of other applications, but I think the USSR was spending all its resources on building gigantic submarines.
 
I think there was an East German company that produced a popular line of 35 mm film cameras for export to the West. Also, the Communist Bloc had different copyright laws, so they could produce copies of things that are rare or not produced in the West. .....

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Russia/the USSR has HUGE deposits of Titanium. This opens up a whole world of possibilities. Titanium frames. wheel hubs and rims for high performance bicycles instantly spring to mind, but that's 'my thing'. I'm sure there would be tonnes of other applications, but I think the USSR was spending all its resources on building gigantic submarines.


Who want space-technology titanium Lorex watches?

(Not very far off, USSR and watches: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raketa )
 
North Korean pear-flavoured beers. Not bad at all. Actually, better than South Korean beers :D
 
With a little historical tweaking, could there be alternative luxury goods from the Communist world that would be highly desirable and even smuggled into the West?
The sticking point here is "smuggled". Unless one assumes a complete 'Western' embargo of the entire "Communist world", rather than just a USA embargo of Cuba, why not legal trade instead?
 

Delta Force

Banned
Who want space-technology titanium Lorex watches?

(Not very far off, USSR and watches: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raketa )

The logo, design, and the fact that anti-magnetic models for use in the aftermath of a nuclear attack were produced makes Raketa watches seem like something out of Fallout. If they exported them to the West I could seem the watches attracting a following even today, precisely because they are so retro.
 
It would have to be something that requires some ingredient exclusive to Eastern Bloc, otherwise it would just be copied.

Caviar is such thing. When it comes to vodka it so-so. It's possible to copy recepie and ingredients by others. It would be another thing if some ingredient is specific to some locality. Not sure what makes Cuban cigars so special but I guess it's special type of tobacco grown under specific conditions. So while you could copy some drink if it gets distinct flavour because of some local speciality everything else will be "close, but no cigar".

When it comes to technology (e.g. watches) that can be copied if there is demand and only real appeal would be to have actual USSR made watch. Maybe optics? Germans were famed for good quality binoculars and cameras.
 
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