# Vostok



## ETCHY (Aug 3, 2004)

Hi

I've just got my first Vostok Amphibia (black dial with a little diver on it) & it's a really cool watch, excellent value in my opinion especially for under 30 quid !

I've just got a question though, is the seconds-hand supposed to be a bit 'jumpy'? Sometimes it seems like it's going to stop & then it seems to speed up a bit (the watch is keeping really excellent time & the seconds-hand or watch never actually stops).

I know about the mad floppy winder feature (adds character IMO







) but I just wondered about this seconds hand quirk ?

Cheers

Dave


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

The hand is normal Dave. It was discussed some time ago but I cannot find the thread.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

yep it's one of it's charms!







The Blue one I gave Jase was very accurate I think it was running at about 5 secs a day with regular wear.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

My eyesight must be bad, I`ve never noticed it on my Vostoks apart from when I turn the hands back to adjust the time after they`ve wound down


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## ETCHY (Aug 3, 2004)

That's cool cheers guys.









I thought it might have been a feature of these watches, I just wanted to check.

I'm really impressed with this watch, I just can't believe that I can get a watch with an auto movement & so much character for this price !

Thanks again

Dave


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## Polo_Step (Aug 24, 2005)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> My eyesight must be bad, I`ve never noticed it on my Vostoks apart from when I turn the hands back to adjust the time after they`ve wound down
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That's been my observation on the several 2416b movements that have passed through here lately. I've _never_ seen this jumping second hand thing except when setting the time, as you say. Sounds like something bound up to me.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

This one doesn`t `jump` even when setting the hands









*Vostok 1980`s 21 jewel 2146 Automatic Movement*









(With replacement bezel, thanks Paul







)


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Of my 11 (I think







) Vostok powered watches, every single one of them exhibits this behaviour to some extent and it is perfectly normal. In the most extreme cases the second hand will completely stop for a fraction of a second and then hurry to catch up. In other cases the phenonemon is quite difficult to spot but, if you watch very closely and accurately count off the seconds, you will find that sometimes the second hand lags behind a little and then speeds up.


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## Polo_Step (Aug 24, 2005)

rhaythorne said:


> Of my 11 (I think
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Maybe, but I just plain can't see it, and I've been staring at this 2416b watch I'm wearing for several minutes. It must be _very_ subtle. I looked at the other four Vostoks here at the moment the other night and I couldn't see anything amiss either. Is it possible they've fixed this on recent Vostoks? All of these have been manufactured in the past year.

The only odd thing I've noticed is that I can momentarily stop the second hand with back-pressure on the stem when setting the watch. Then it seems to jump ahead when I release the pressure.


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Nope, modern Vostoks do it as well.

Lots of watches (including those with Swiss and other movements) can be made to stop or even run backwards by gently applying a little back pressure when adjusting the hands.


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## ETCHY (Aug 3, 2004)

rhaythorne said:


> Of my 11 (I think
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Now that I know it should do this (& it's yet another quirk I like







), why does it do it ?

Dave


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

> why does it do it ?


To get people like us talking about it, everyone likes being center of attention


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## Polo_Step (Aug 24, 2005)

jasonm said:


> > why does it do it ?
> 
> 
> To get people like us talking about it, everyone likes being center of attention
> ...


Well...maybe, but I spent most of my working life trying to achieve invisibility and plausible deniability.

Anyhow, I wish one of you guys with the snazzy digital cameras that can record short movies would do an .MPG file of this mysterious phenomenon so I can see what I'm looking for.

I sat here staring at this row of Vostoks frozen like a dog on point for the longest time and couldn't see any perceptible anomalies.


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

ETCHY asked:



> why does it do it ?


Roy mentioned once something about the second hand being spring driven rather than directly driven, or something like that anyway









So I guess what happens is that occasionally there's some drag somewhere, the second hand slows or even stops momentarily until a suitable load is built up in the spring which then "flicks" the second hand around to the appropriate point.

My RLT10 shows this behaviour most clearly as it has quite a long second hand (thus irregularites in the movement of the tip of the second hand are more obvious) which is white on a black dial. It's harder to spot on some of my other Vostoks as the seconds hands can be relatively short and are often a dull red on a black dial so there's less contrast.

Try this (but not in public or people will think you're mad







): Take a quartz watch with a clearly audible tick and synchronize it with the second hand of a Vostok. Now, hold the quartz to your ear and listen to the ticks. At the same time, closely monitor the second hand of the Vostok as it crosses the seconds markers on the dial. You should find that occasionally the Vostok lags a bit behind the tick of the quartz watch and then catches up again.


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## Polo_Step (Aug 24, 2005)

rhaythorne said:


> ETCHY asked:
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So...I guess I was right then, something's binding up.

I took a longer look at mine and by counting off the seconds saw that at least one of the watches slowed down and speeded up markedly.

This essentially renders the second hand a mere moving ornament, useless for timekeeping.


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Yep, but only if you need to time something to the precise second, in which case you'd probably be better off using an LCD chronograph, or something similar, anyway. I think many people tend to use seconds hands just as visible evidence that the watch is working rather than for timing purposes.


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## ETCHY (Aug 3, 2004)

rhaythorne said:


> ETCHY asked:
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That's cool, cheers Rich.

Dave


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## Polo_Step (Aug 24, 2005)

rhaythorne said:


> I think many people tend to use seconds hands just as visible evidence that the watch is working rather than for timing purposes.
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Checking for a pulse?









[Diagnosis: _Benign arrhythmia_...come back in six months and lay off the caffeine. _Next!_]

OK...but it still seems like kind of a weird design issue to go uncorrected for so long. Is there some other hidden benefit to making it this way?


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

I've wondered the same thing myself









The only thing I could think of is that, as a spring has some give in it, it may afford some extra protection to the movement if the second hand should meet some sort of obstruction, for example.

Dunno, just guessing


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Polo_Step said:


> Checking for a pulse?Â
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That`s pretty much what my Doctor said to me on Monday























Well except for the..... _"come back in six months" _


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## Xantiagib (Apr 22, 2005)

> So...I guess I was right then, something's binding up.
> 
> I took a longer look at mine and by counting off the seconds saw that at least one of the watches slowed down and speeded up markedly.
> 
> ...


No entirely uselss as the minute hand and hour hand do their job don't they?

and for that price you cannot seriously complain


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## ETCHY (Aug 3, 2004)

I agree Xantiagib

My Vostok cost 29 quid & i'm very happy with it














, I like it's little quirks & as for time-keeping it's more than accurate enough for me & is easily a match for watches i've had costing 30 times as much !

I'm definitely going to get another.

Dave


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## Polo_Step (Aug 24, 2005)

Xantiagib said:


> > I took a longer look at mine and by counting off the seconds saw that at least one of the watches slowed down and speeded up markedly.
> >
> > This essentially renders the second hand a mere moving ornament, useless for timekeeping.
> >
> ...


That has nothing to do with the (dis)function of the second hand, which was the issue. _It's_ useless for timekeeping.

I think this is certainly one of the stranger things I've seen in a watch design.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

sorry Polo but I don't really understand your point, if I want to know when it's ten past two then the Vostok is fine.

If I want to know when *exactly* it's ten past two then I'll have a radio controlled digital watch.


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## Polo_Step (Aug 24, 2005)

pg tips said:


> sorry Polo but I don't really understand your point
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I have no idea how I could possibly make it clearer.

The second hand moves, but it's grossly inaccurate particularly on this one 2416b here on the desk. Once in a while, I need to have a relatively close idea how long ten or fifteen seconds is, and this watch can be off as much as several seconds in that short a time, if whatever's retarding the second hand is doing its thing right then.

The second hand is therefore useless for timekeeping. As Rich says, its practical function is merely to let you know the watch is running.

Personally, if that's all it's going to do, I'd prefer something more entertaining, like eyes and a tail going back and forth like on the old catclocks.

This isn't a price issue, as a lot of cheaper watches don't have this problem; it's just a design oddity.


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## raketakat (Sep 24, 2003)

Polo_Step said:


> .. it's just a design oddity.
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Yes, and isn't it splendid that we can have such a thing in this increasingly standardised, homogenized world







.

What do we do?

Make them put a warning on the box







?

Take out a class action lawsuit against Vostok







?

Close them down







?

Try writing to them - they don't reply







.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

This one`s still refuses to jump, I`ve compared it to my G10, carefully watched them over a few minutes, come back and checked an hour later, no sign of any deviation from the second hands relative positions









Must be faulty
















Maybe I should send it back to where I got it from & complain























*Vostok 1980`s 21 jewel 2146 Automatic Movement* (with replacement bezel)


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Ah I see what your meaning now polo step, but if I were to want to time 15 second intervals accuratly I wouldn't be using any watch that didn't have a chronograph function.

Mac you got a good one there at a bargain price







Looks great with the new bezel.

I'd gladly have it back btw but I guess your only joking!


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

pg tips said:


> Ah I see what your meaning now polo step, but if I were to want to time 15 second intervals accuratly I wouldn't be using any watch that didn't have a chronograph function.
> 
> Mac you got a good one there at a bargain price
> 
> ...


True Paul, its my favourite Vostok


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