Thread: Russian Vostok Komandirskie watches......

About a hundred years and a thousand threads ago we had a thread on wind up watches. I'm looking at one of these puppies and am wondering if any or many have had much experience with these watches. here's the link where I'm looking.Vostok watches | Russian watches | Russian Gifts Store - Russian Gift Shop | Russian Matryoshka Dolls | Porcelain Dolls | Russian Souvenirs, Samovars & Gifts | RussianGiftsStore.com I do like the price and look of the Komandirskie line. I don't know watch jargon so I don't know what they mean by 31 or 17 jewel movment for example. Helpful feedback please. Not looking for uber scientific calculus like feedback. Just good ol laymen experience type feedback. Cheers fellas....

You certainly got me to google (and eBay) a bit to check Vostok watches and I already have 3 of them on my watch list. They even have a watch with full 24 hour dial.

I found this explanation about jewel movements on WikiAnswers: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_21_jewels_mean_in_automatic_watch.

Cheers,

Rob

Well that did and did not help. It did answer my question and obviously if you own 3,I'll take that as a sign they are of good quality. However....That website gets one addicted to asking questions ha ha .Seriously though ...Thank you !

Well, I do not own them, just have them in my eBay watch list. But, my uncle does own 1 Vostok watch, 2 Poljot watches and Slava stopwatch, all bought in factory in USSR by his father in 1970's. They are all mechanical and do require periodical visit to a experienced watchmaker (not today's watch salesmen) for maintenance. His watches work flawlessly after all this years.

If they are really Russian made, you can punch a hole in the wall with them and they will still give you exact time.

Cheers,

Rob

Originally Posted by Robert1988

If they are really Russian made, you can punch a hole in the wall with them and they will still give you exact time.

Cheers,

Rob

I like that in a watch !

I have several vintage Soviet winders.
The ones I've gotten from eBay have been real hit and miss as far as the function and quality of the movements. I don't know enough about watches to know how to tell if the movement is original to the piece - I've heard that some unscrupulous sellers will take the movement from an expensive watch and replace it with one of less quality.
Buy from a reputable source (preferably one with a good return policy).

As to the jewels, up to a point more jewels means a more accurate movement. As I understand it, mechanical movements are effected by the orientation of the watch. More jewels negates that effect. I think beyond a certain point it's more about marketing than function.
FWIW, the one I wear the most is a Poljot with a 17 jewel movement. It keeps time within 10 seconds per day. I adjust it once a week.

That's the big crux is the reputable dealer part. I dunno,maybe I should just go to an antique store and get a watch pre battery era. But the Vostoks are nice looking. appreciating the fedback guys.

Just sent an E mail to my friend in Russia and hoping to get some feedback from him as well.

Originally Posted by HNSB

I have several vintage Soviet winders.
The ones I've gotten from eBay have been real hit and miss as far as the function and quality of the movements. I don't know enough about watches to know how to tell if the movement is original to the piece - I've heard that some unscrupulous sellers will take the movement from an expensive watch and replace it with one of less quality.
Buy from a reputable source (preferably one with a good return policy).

As I will go for an eBay piece, can you tell a bit more about miss part in function and quality? Loosing/gaining seconds too fast, not winding properly or something else?

Cheers,

Rob

EDIT: Just found out there are two Vostok companies, one in mother Russia (with long/intersting history) and other one, Vostok-Europe situated in Lithuania (newer company). Komanderskie and Amphibia lines are produced by Russian based company.

I've had some simply not work (the hands don't go), some that don't keep time, I had one that would stop at random, one that was too tight to wind, one that would only wind enough to run for about eight hours, and one that the knob broke off of while winding.

Most of those were purchased pretty cheap, and while the sellers had return policies, it wasn't worth the expense or wait time to ship them back to Russia. There's at least one seller that I think counts on US buyers having that attitude about returns.

I would say that about 50% of the watches I've bought in the under $50 range from Russian eBay sellers have not worked properly.