# Breaking Down An Amphibia?



## C.W. (Aug 17, 2006)

I am trying to take the movement out of my Amphibia so I can clean and restore it a bit. I have never tinkered with a Vostock and don't want to wreck things.

Any tips? I need to remove the stem, take off the bezel and reset the crystal. This is easy enough on a Timex, but Vostok? New ketel of vodka! Need help please.

--Charlie


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## DavidH (Feb 24, 2003)

Good morning Charlie

1 to remove the stem you press the secret button and pull. It has a concave top and is located @ the 9 O'clock position of thie pic










2 Bezel, you have to rotate and pull at the same time. You can buy a tool for this, I have used a crystal squeezer. Other solutions work.

Dont just pry it or the wire gets mangled or bezel bent.

3 Crystal. push it out, push it back in.

Best to practice with something that is well dead before starting on your good one. If you are forcing something you are breaking it so always use a gentle touch.


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## C.W. (Aug 17, 2006)

Thanks David!

I do love pushing peoples buttons!

The face is covered with some sort of oil which has the paint on the dial breaking down. Big problem there. Maybe I'll fugure out a way to stabilize the reaction before I go sonic cleaning the thing.

This watch is going to be a challenge. Thanks for the tips!

--Charlie


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## quoll (Apr 20, 2006)

I have done so, first with a broken Kommandirski and then with functional ones. They are very easy to get out of the case and the movements interchange really easily. I use a cocktail stick on the crown release pusher. In the past I would keep a few busted ones as spares to swap out broken bits - saves expense at the watchmakers.


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## C.W. (Aug 17, 2006)

Break down accomplished, however the dial is not repairable for me. The paint has totally broken down and I don't really know what would stabilize the chemical reaction. I suspect if I do anything the paint will just sluff off.

I will prolly need...

a.) a new dial, or,

b.) a repainted dial?

Does anyone here know of someone who repaints Vostok?

This model.









Clue me in!

--C.W.


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## raketakat (Sep 24, 2003)

I would keep a look out for a cheapish watch with a good dial Charlie  .

Once Vostok dials lose their lacquer then they deteriorate badly







.

You'll see crazed dials where the lacquer has cracked and shrunk. Maybe the "oil" you found on the dial was an attempt to disguise/remedy this situation







.

To have a new dial made would cost very serious bucks







.


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## C.W. (Aug 17, 2006)

raketakat said:


> I would keep a look out for a cheapish watch with a good dial Charlie  .
> 
> Once Vostok dials lose their lacquer then they deteriorate badly
> 
> ...


Yeah I figured...

Dang... that watch itself? Fan freakin' tastic! Sonic'ed the case and such , the crystal needs to be glued in, which makes me wonder a great deal if the crystal I got with the watch is the right size. Are Amphibia crystals typically glued in place? I have the glue, some light setting UV goop which I can use but how could that be water proof to 200m? Doesn't follow to my mind.

Agh! so many questions! The whole plan was only to get a watch I could wear snorkling. I'll have to wait for the next windfall and buy one from that company... RL something. You know the one.

-C.W.

Oh, P.S. the problem I have with this watch is someone totally gooped it with machine oil. Which totally #4qed the dial paint. (it's permanently tacky to the touch and if you DO touch it it will leave your fingerprint or smear!) I Could strangle them! I like this watch enough to buy some lume from Otto and do the hands, but the dial is either gonna stay as is or (sigh) yeah maybe someone is selling a busted Vostok on the bay. Who knows, never say die!


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## Ironpants (Jul 1, 2005)

DavidH said:


> Good morning Charlie
> 
> 1 to remove the stem you press the secret button and pull. It has a concave top and is located @ the 9 O'clock position of thie pic


David

before pushing the button should the crown just be unscrewed to the manual winding position or pulled out to the hand setting position?

Toby


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