This is a KGB locking device used in embassies, security officer's document safes, submarines and such. I read about it in Tower of Secrets years ago and hoped I would get to see one someday. The craftsmanship is exquisite and serves notice to just how serious those folks were about State Secrets.
Watch the video. He takes it partially apart. Damn!
Here is some further disassembly Made my palms sweat waiting for a spring or something to come flying out of there never to be seen again.
Bear in mind these are professional "safe technicians" and the videos were made for an organization which is a governing body for lock picking competition; sort of the locksmith version of a hacker. The guy doing the disassembly starts freakin' at the prospect of getting the parts out of order even though they are taping the process. There are supposedly only three of these in private hands.
They didn't actually get into the guts of the keyed section. I would be lookin' at x-rays before you could say, "lead jacket".
I have a suspicion the key and lock were manufactured at the same time by one person fitting the pins to the key. According to the book referenced above they were fitted to the .001" with fit failure resulting in locking the key into the mechanism.
