# What Do You Advise?



## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Hi all,

Found this forum after acquiring an old watch in a car boot bundle, with "raketa" on the dial.









I'd be interested to know what you would all suggest as a "best buy" for a newbie who might end up getting hooked on russian watches.









So, if you could "help a newbie out Guv" with a suggestion for what you personally think would be a good basic starter unit from each/any of the different russian watches that seem to be about, that would be good ~ even better if you had some photos to help me.

I like the raketa I acquired, it seems to be the two day and date model with also a perpetual calendar sort of set at the edge of the dial, top and bottom. Is there a translation of the cyrillic alphabets anywhere on the net for these - and/or instructions to download?

Anyway, enough questions for now, hope you will want to help the bairn at this game









e~gards

mel


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

Hello Mel and Welcome to the








experience.

As for help on what to buy, it really depends on what style of watches you are after







there are loads of Russian watches around especially Vostoks or Raketa







you can find lots on the bay for good money but there are also lot's of junk out there









Hopefully some of our Russian experts will be around later, they will be able to tell you what to look out for


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## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

mel said:


> I'd be interested to know what you would all suggest as a "best buy" for a newbie who might end up getting hooked on russian watches.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Amphibia. Oh, sorry, welcome to the forum, I hope that you will enjoy your time here. Just don't blame us when your house is full of watches. OK?

Anyway. Amphibia. The best deal around. 31 jewels, automatic, 200m waterproof, for Â£29! Look on Roy's Russian pages.

Amphibia Amphibia Amphibia Amphibia Amphibia Amphibia Amphibia Amphibia Amphibia Amphibia Amphibia Amphibia .

Obsessive? Moi?

Amphibia.


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## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

Here's the Cyrillic alphabet...


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Welcome to the forum Mel









I reckon a good watch to start out with would be a Vostok Amphibia. There are lots of pics in this thread to help you choose.

I think Mac posted loads of Cyrillic translations a while back so he might be able to help you out with that. If not I've got some pics somewhere and I'll dig them out later.


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## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

Check the sales forum; a nice pair for starters there...


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Welcome Mel, yep you wont go wrong with a Amphibia, amazing value for money, Ive scuba dived mine to 20M with no problems


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Hi again,

Yes, well thanks for the advice on the scuba diving, not often I would need a watch that works 20m under water when I go Sequence Dancing though









How are they when you're doing a Mayfair Quickstep, can they stand the pace?









I don't believe quite what's happening though, I mentioned the original "raketa" to a mate and he popped in to-night with an exactly similar one, so now I've got one with a good working ticky-tocky, keeping time well enough, but in a ropy case, (scratches and etc) and the mate's one which is pretty damn good case but doesn't keep time well. And in the meantime I saw one on ebay which I bought (waiting for it to come from EU) 'cos it seemed to have a good case and original bracelet, so I must be hooked







zero to three in about a week.

I take it that it's acceptable to make one good one out of the three and maybe re-sell the others? Have I any watchmaking experience? Not a bit, but I can work with precision tools, in a previous incarnation [ when I worked ] I repaired down to component level on 'tronics and PCB's and the likes, miniature-ised stuff like personal radio and hearing kit. I should think I would be able to manage a change of case easily enough ~ or would you call it a change of movement?

Please keep the advice coming, I've found forums are a great way of learning about things, mostly there are guys and gals on them who've been there and got the tee-shirts? 

e~gards

mel


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## James (Jul 17, 2006)

Check out Roy's watches here first. If nothing sparks your taste buds then search out a Russarmy CK1 in black or blue dial, I posted a pic of mine in the Vostok thread. Probably the most inexpensive automatic and uses the 2416B movement, just dirt the band as its real cheap compared to the watch of if you can get in leather better do that.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Must be hooked now! 3 x Raketa perpetual calendar models, (one with a Glasnost on the dial AND a wee parachute AND a wee tank AND a wee boat of some kind overprinted), plus waiting for a Slava to come!









So that's zero to four in two weeks









Trouble is, she's starting to notice







"What's all this then?"

Now for the question ~ [i've no doubt this has been asked before] ~ but here goes again, where can I get info on (for example) the raketa watches and factory etc - - is there an online history/catalogue or whatever somewhere?

Hope you can help


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Juri Levenbeg's "Russian Wristwatches" is a good book to start off with - Schiffer Publishing Company, ISBN 0-88740-873-7.


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