# Reliability



## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

Can you recommend a good quality reliable Russian watch.loads on the bay but what's best


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## chris.ph (Dec 29, 2011)

raketa, poljot, vostok to name just a few, they are all very reliable :thumbup:


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## PC-Magician (Apr 29, 2013)

chris.ph said:


> raketa, poljot, vostok to name just a few, they are all very reliable :thumbup:


Agreed


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

Thanks ,seen the Vostok ,they are still producing watches aren't they .any model the best or all as good.


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## Lampoc (Oct 31, 2010)

I'd go for an Amphibia. It has a few advantages over the Komandirskie such as automatic movement and 200m water resistance.


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## teadazed (Nov 19, 2013)

My Vostok Amphibia seems pretty solid and to be honest, at the price, if somehow I managed to break it, I can always buy another.


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## chris.ph (Dec 29, 2011)

go on i dare you, try and break it under normal wear :tongue2: , ive worn mine to work for a long time and the only thing wrong with it is that i had to repolish the lense once or twice :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## teadazed (Nov 19, 2013)

Short of trying to use it as a hammer I'm not sure how it could be done.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

I'd agree, the Boctok range is a solid piece of Soviet Technology - made from recycled tanks and agricultural gear ? :lol:


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Yeap, anything really Russian is very reliable. Different concept and very different price tag but I should mention anything with a Poljot 3133 (or variation) in it.


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

teadazed said:


> Short of trying to use it as a hammer I'm not sure how it could be done.


That tough are they , the amphibia looks ok some of the other are a bit too Russian ,hammer ,red star etc

The raketa polar looks interesting for little money, how do you tell the time with all those numbers lol


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

mcb2007 said:


> That tough are they , the amphibia looks ok some of the other are a bit too Russian ,hammer ,red star etc
> 
> The raketa polar looks interesting for little money, how do you tell the time with all those numbers lol


This?










You have to realize it is a 24h wtach, that means there's just one revolution of the hour hand within 24h. So it's different from the traditional 12 hours watches, you have to get used to it. They are more popular over there than on the rest of the world (Fortis makes one) but I guess that has something to do with a lot of the country already being on Arctic regions, so it's not clear if it's night or day just by checking how bright it is outside.


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## Lampoc (Oct 31, 2010)

mcb2007 said:


> The raketa polar looks interesting for little money, how do you tell the time with all those numbers lol


 It's a 24 hour watch, so not too easily 

edit: beaten to it by Kutusov!


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

Kutusov said:


> mcb2007 said:
> 
> 
> > That tough are they , the amphibia looks ok some of the other are a bit too Russian ,hammer ,red star etc
> ...


Yes that's the one unusual but I like it , maybe on a different strap .no disrespect to your good self


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

mcb2007 said:


> Yes that's the one unusual but I like it , maybe on a different strap .no disrespect to your good self


That's the original strap, so you can't expect much for the price the whole thing costs. It's pretty decent quality though.

Anyway, I sold this watch long ago, I could never get used to the 24h format. I rarely wear the same watch two days straight, so not really fair to this one.

Pick something you like, these Russian mechanical watches are all tough as nails. They were made to last, not to be fancy. Just to have an idea, the recommended service interval on a Swiss watch is usually 3 years... 10 with a Russian watch.


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

Thanks for the input Kutusov


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## luckywatch (Feb 2, 2013)

Vostok Amphibia, no contest; :big_boss:


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Two of my very favourite watches, Russian or not:

Poljot Kirova reissue










Poljot Zivil


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

Nice pair are they Russian , the writing looks so


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Yeah, they are both Poljot (a maker that doesn't exist anymore but there are still plenty on the market). The first one says 1MWF (First Moscow Watch Factory) which was their name from 1943 to the 70s or so.


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## teadazed (Nov 19, 2013)

That Poljot Zivil is lovely.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

I really wish you`d stop posting that Kirova, Renato :glare:


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

luckywatch said:


> Vostok Amphibia, no contest; :big_boss:


What's the best model colour etc there seems to be so many on the bay. I know its a personal choice is the black safer than the blue for a resale . Or are these watches keepers..

They are about a third of the price of a good jap do they really compare in quality.


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## chris.ph (Dec 29, 2011)

well ive got over 20 amphibias, generalskis and komanderskis so i would say they are keepers :thumbup: :thumbup:

just buy what you like best, they are all pretty much indestructible, but you might have to change the strap as the older ones were useless, then you have to go on the course on how you wind your vostok up


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

chris.ph said:


> well ive got over 20 amphibias, generalskis and komanderskis so i would say they are keepers :thumbup: :thumbup:
> 
> just buy what you like best, they are all pretty much indestructible, but you might have to change the strap as the older ones were useless, then you have to go on the course on how you wind your vostok up


Ha ha ok they must be addictive , I shall have to get one errrrrrrr some.

Best place to buy from if not the bay please


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## chris.ph (Dec 29, 2011)

try googling meranom he has a big shop, but thed bay sellers like christopol are fine


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

chris.ph said:


> try googling meranom he has a big shop, but thed bay sellers like christopol are fine


Thanks for that Chris.ph I will check them out


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> I really wish you`d stop posting that Kirova, Renato :glare:


No you don't


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

mcb2007 said:


> chris.ph said:
> 
> 
> > try googling meranom he has a big shop, but thed bay sellers like christopol are fine
> ...


They are on hol until 23rd nightmare


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Try Zenitar on ebay.


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

Cheers Kutusov


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

zenitar all the way from Moscow. Any problems on delivery to UK customs etc.

Same question applies to all other sellers in Russia I've ever bought from Russia before.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

There's always the chance you might end up paying VAT but from what I've read it's not a big chance of that happening. Especially if it comes through regular mail. The chance is higher with Fedex and stuff like that.


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

Kutusov said:


> There's always the chance you might end up paying VAT but from what I've read it's not a big chance of that happening. Especially if it comes through regular mail. The chance is higher with Fedex and stuff like that.


So 20%. Vat on Â£40 easy to take ,any import charges or is that all I'd be looking at.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

I think so but it's not much, a lot less than the VAT. Anyway, I'm not in the UK so I'll let other people from there answer that.


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## Lampoc (Oct 31, 2010)

I've ordered numerous bits from Zenitar without getting stung for import tax yet (in fact I've only ever been stung by items I've ordered from the USA). He's also a lot quicker than others just because he's in Moscow. I find it normally takes about a week for stuff from other Russian sellers just to reach the Moscow postal hub before it moves on.


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## luckywatch (Feb 2, 2013)

I use several Russian dealers on the bay. The dealer I use the most for new stuff is Meranon. It takes about 12 working days to deliver to the UK and no extra tax to pay. I got one on the way at the moment and it comes with free tracking. It entered Russian customs yesterday and was released the same day.

If you want an Amphibia study the case styles on the site then having chosen the case choose a dial.

Meranon will change the bezel, case back and strap for you if you want it personalised.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

You have to be patient when ordering from Russia. Sometimes takes weeks just to go through Moscow's export hub. I had a Vostok 1967 taking 2 months to reach me. That was my second one, the first took 3 weeks or so.

Aside from these eventual delays (and think about the size of the country, the show, the melting snow, etc) I find Russian post to be quite effective, it might take long sometimes but I never heard of anything going missing with them.


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

luckywatch said:


> I use several Russian dealers on the bay. The dealer I use the most for new stuff is Meranon. It takes about 12 working days to deliver to the UK and no extra tax to pay. I got one on the way at the moment and it comes with free tracking. It entered Russian customs yesterday and was released the same day.
> 
> If you want an Amphibia study the case styles on the site then having chosen the case choose a dial.
> 
> Meranon will change the bezel, case back and strap for you if you want it personalised.


thanks for the info luckywatch hadn't realised he'd do that been on the site and they look reasonably priced


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## chris.ph (Dec 29, 2011)

to add my five penneth, ive never been stung from russia, america or japan on the other hand iis another kettle of fish


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

chris.ph said:


> to add my five penneth, ive never been stung from russia, america or japan on the other hand iis another kettle of fish


You guys have very relaxed customs, I said this before and I'm not kidding as much as you think... I might start to get my watches rerouted from the UK. Eastern Europe is pretty much the only exception, any other place and it's almost 100% straight to customs depot and it will come out when they have the opportunity to check it out. After all, the Man needs its money more than never...


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## luckywatch (Feb 2, 2013)

chris.ph said:


> to add my five penneth, ive never been stung from russia, america or japan on the other hand iis another kettle of fish


 How much tax can you pay on a fiver!!! :yahoo: :yahoo: :yahoo:


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

Vostok from zenitar arrived today very efficient fast service, thanks for the recommend Kutusov.

First thing I've done is bin the strap .

But it's now on a NATO sorry


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## chris.ph (Dec 29, 2011)

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

mcb2007 said:


> Vostok from zenitar arrived today very efficient fast service, thanks for the recommend Kutusov.
> 
> First thing I've done is bin the strap .
> 
> But it's now on a NATO sorry


On a NATO?? Well, you can forget further recommendations from me...










:lol:


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

Kutusov said:


> mcb2007 said:
> 
> 
> > Vostok from zenitar arrived today very efficient fast service, thanks for the recommend Kutusov.
> ...


I am so sorry , I shall dismantle it immediately send strap back and the watch back to Zenitar.

Anyway what's with the wonky crown and how do you set date without winding hands round 7days . Can't set date by turning clockwise hands move and hands move anti or counter clockwise ?..


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## chris.ph (Dec 29, 2011)

ahhh you discovered the little vostok quirks :tongue2: :tongue2:


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

chris.ph said:


> ahhh you discovered the little vostok quirks :tongue2: :tongue2:


Quirks eh , don't have those on my rolex thank gawd lol

Ps how do you get those animacion things on


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## Lampoc (Oct 31, 2010)

mcb2007 said:


> Anyway what's with the wonky crown and how do you set date without winding hands round 7days . Can't set date by turning clockwise hands move and hands move anti or counter clockwise ?..


Welcome to the Vostok club!

The "wonky crown" is a design feature. I stole this bit from WUS: "the Amphibia crown and stem assembly incoporates a clutch between the two pieces, hidden inside the crown: they are coupled only when the crown is pulled slightly away from the stem, otherwise they are decoupled and the crown wobbles somewhat in relation to the stem. During winding - and time setting - the crown needs to be manually pulled away slightly as it does not incorporate an internal spring, eliminating the pressures imparted on the keyless works, and the inherent "wobble" prevents the stem from getting bent."

Here's an excellent post describing all the other features of your new watch: http://forums.watchu...ogy-491757.html

As for the date, the quickest way to set is to move the hands back and forth between 9pm and 1am until you eventually get there.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Yeap, no quick set date on any Russian movement that I know of. The way to do it is like this, if you really must set the date (I never bother):


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## Lampoc (Oct 31, 2010)

Didn't some Slavas and Raketas have quickset dates? They had a little button on the side of the watch.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Lampoc said:


> Didn't some Slavas and Raketas have quickset dates? They had a little button on the side of the watch.


Oh yeah, they did! And they were day/date also. Never had one of those, that's why I wasn't remembering. Slava auto 2427:



















There's porbably others, I don't know...


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## chris.ph (Dec 29, 2011)

ive said this before and i will say it again get over 31 watches all with different dates and wear the one matching the date :thumbup:


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

chris.ph said:


> ive said this before and i will say it again get over 31 watches all with different dates and wear the one matching the date :thumbup:


...and get 31 winders also? That would be a racket around the house


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## mcb2007 (Dec 12, 2013)

Kutusov said:


> Yeap, no quick set date on any Russian movement that I know of. The way to do it is like this, if you really must set the date (I never bother):
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdP_F8BTQAg


Don't think I will bother, life's toooo short


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