# My First Vostok Amphibia



## newunruhe

Today a got my first vostok amphibia, almost exactly the one Roy has with a blue dial and a little diver.

First impressions are: extremely useless bezel, virtually no lume at all







I guess these things would bother many, but to me it dosnt matter, considering how cheap the watch is I think it looks great, and I really enjoy wearing it









Tony


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## MIKE

newunruhe said:


> First impressions are: extremely useless bezel, virtually no lume at all
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> I guess these things would bother many, but to me it dosnt matter, considering how cheap the watch is I think it looks great, and I really enjoy wearing it
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> Tony
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You can't beat a bit of Russian character























MIKE


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## mach 0.0013137

Vostok`s do have their own unique charm


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## rhaythorne

Vostok Amphibias are one of my favourite watches. I've ended up with four of them









I have noticed that the luminous compound Vostok uses benefits enormously from a good charge in bright sunlight or under a lamp. Much more so than other makes it seems to me.

Useless bezel? Maybe, but to me all bezels are useless except for the ones that provide extra timezone functionality.


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## newunruhe

rhaythorne said:


> Useless bezel? Maybe, but to me all bezels are useless except for the ones that provide extra timezone functionality.
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Of course you are right, however I like to use the bezel when I am boilling eggs









Im gonna get my self another vostok, thats for sure!


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## Polo_Step

rhaythorne said:


> Useless bezel? Maybe, but to me all bezels are useless except for the ones that provide extra timezone functionality.
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I think this takes "useless" to an entirely new and possibly fatal level:


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## rhaythorne

I must admit I'm not very keen on any of the new Vostok bezels. The old style ones were daft but at least they had a certain charm. The new ones are all a bit too bling.


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## Polo_Step

rhaythorne said:


> I must admit I'm not very keen on any of the new Vostok bezels. The old style ones were daft but at least they had a certain charm. The new ones are all a bit too bling.
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Not to mention that the old one wasn't disguised as a COMPASS!

"Dear, won't you PLEASE stop and ask directions? I'm SURE we're going the wrong way!"


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## Stan

Boctock's have a bezel?









Like I noticed.









First rate watches for the price (that Roy sell's 'em for, not the cheating *******'s on ePray).









Russian watches are a very good thing, until they get over priced.









Like many other makes.


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## mach 0.0013137

I like Vostok bezels, not the stupid (IMHO) compass however









Also I don`t find them useless having used them many times but not for diving as I can`t even swim









* Vostok 1980`s 21 jewel 2146 Automatic Movement*


















I must say I do prefer the older style...

*Vostok Amphibia, 17 Jewel 2414A c1980`s*










My favourite is this style with the numbers (must get one someday)...










Photo by H. Seung


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## rhaythorne

I do like the enamel bezels which were occassionally used. Another forum member and I where outbid on a rather fetching Amphibia with one of these a few weeks back. We both lost


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## newunruhe

I should never have brought the bezel thing up







, after a few days of evalution I find that it has quite a therapeutic function, and I frequently find my fingers occupied turning it









Any comments on the movement ??

Tony


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## rhaythorne

I've never had a problem with any Vostok movement. They all seem very solid and reliable. You may notice the second hand moving somewhat jerkily. Apparently this has something to do with the second hand being driven by a sprung attachment rather than directly. Nearly all my Vostoks exhibit this strange behaviour to some degree. Something else that adds to their charm


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## mach 0.0013137

Sometimes weird picture dials, odd bezel`s, jerky second hands and not forgetting the wobbly crown`s, sounds like a catalogue of disasters
















However they are wonderful, reliable and seem to keep going for years also they are really cheap and let`s not forget Vostok are one of the few firms in the world that apparently make everything in house









We just love `em


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## rhaythorne

Ahh yes, the wobbly crown







How could I have forgotten that!

I've just had a quick count up and discovered that I have more Vostoks than any other make (RLT is second and one of those is powered by Vostok







) so yes, I certainly do love 'em


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## mach 0.0013137

Just done a count myself and I`ve got 7, second only to my 9 RLT`s


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## Polo_Step

mach 0.0013137 said:


> Also I don`t find them useless having used them many times but not for diving as I can`t even swim
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I'm informed by my friend that the other new Komanderskie given to another guy didn't survive a brief swim in the lake.







Yes, I'm pretty certain that he had the crown screwed down right, too.

Presumably an Amphibia's -200M rating will make it proof from at least the splashback from a vigorous hand-washing.


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## rhaythorne

Komandirskies are definitely _not_ suitable for swimming. They're only "splash" proof. The Amphibias are suitable for swimming and diving. Someone here (jasonm I think) tried one out on a dive a while back and it performed very well as I recall.


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## Polo_Step

rhaythorne said:


> Komandirskies are definitely _not_ suitable for swimming. They're only "splash" proof. The Amphibias are suitable for swimming and diving.
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Somewhere, I read that the Komandirskies are supposed to be waterproof to 15M.

Vostock site merely says "waterproof." [shrug]

The Amphibia is nothing more than the regular 2416B with better sealing, right?


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## rhaythorne

There are a great many threads here and elsewhere on the subject of what "waterproof" means and the relevance of the particular depth ratings.

Many years ago it was common for a watch to simply state that it was "waterproof". Nothing can be 100% waterproof under all conditions so later, in Europe at least, the term was dropped in favour of "water resistant". Later still, various depth-rating systems were introduced that described the depth at which a watch could remain resistant to water ingress under _static_ conditions i.e. being held perfectly still and not being shaken about as it would be when swimming for example. Good examples of how misleading the term "waterproof" can be are the WWW (WristWatch Waterproof) watches developed for the British MoD in the 1940's. Clearly these are barely waterproof at all and were intended only to fend off rainwater or perhaps survive the occassional dip into a muddy puddle.

It seems everyone has their own take on the different depth ratings but I would suggest, as a safe guideline:

<30M = Splash proof only. You can wear it in the rain, do the washing up or wash the car for example, but it's not suitable for showering and definitely not for swimming.

50M = You could wear such a watch in the shower or completely submerge it at arms length in water for brief periods. More than good enough for a "field" watch.

100M = You could swim in this one.

200M = You could dive in this one.

The Amphibia case is different to the one used for the Komandirskie watches although, as I've never so much as removed the back from an Amphibia, I can't provide any details.


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## mach 0.0013137

As Rich said there are differances between particularly the modern Komanderski & Amphibia cases, the Amphibia`s, shown on the right, is slightly thicker and the case back is deeper, like Rich I`ve never taken the back off but I imagine it has much better sealing then the Komanderski.









Note also the Amphibia`s much larger crown which has a wider threaded section and again I imagine better sealing.









As you say both use the automatic 2416B movement


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## Stan

From my perspective, the Amphibia is probably the best value Russian watch available.

Quality control may be called into question, as with most Russian products but the Amphibia comes out quite well visa vie performance and cost. In my humble experience.

It is the best of the Boctoks, made to do a job and it does it well. I don't look at other Boctoks because the Anfib is the best watch Vostok ever wanted to make.









Forget the chrono's, they are a marketing exercises in my opinion.


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## rhaythorne

I've got one Komandirskie and one Amphibia which are from around the same period so I've taken the backs off these and done a side-by-side comparison.

On the left is a Komandirskie from around 1992-1994. On the right is an Amphibia from 1995.










The Amphibia clearly has a more elaborate gasket than the Komandirskie with corresponding "double-ridges" on the case back. The back of the Amphibia is also much deeper and the screw-down retaining ring (not pictured) which secures the back has an extra turn or two. Note the notches in the cases into which the corresponding "tabs" on the case backs fit. I would have thought that these notches are actually a weak point in the case design as far as water resistance is concerned so it's curious that the Amphibia should have two of these compared to the one on the Komandirskie.

It could be that the Amphibia's crystal is better secured than the Komandirskie's too (remember, water could get in through the front as well as the back) and that the crown has some extra protection (although they look identical on these two particular models) but I have neither the skill nor courage to dismantle them to find out


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## Polo_Step

Gee, where'd the stems go on those?









This is all pretty interesting.

I'm a little taken aback by the Amphibias being thicker overall; the Komandirskie is more than thick enough for me. Anything thicker would be prohibitive.

Is there any problem with overwinding on the automatic 2416B movement? I know that a lot of "active" people have complained about other cheap autowind watches giving up the ghost, so I wonder how this one stacks up.

(Not that I'm more active than your average resting alligator, but I was going to pick one up for a friend who's a ball of fire and a full-time nautical guy, and I'd feel stupid if this croaked on him right away.)

I think that being a landlubber, the thinner Komandirskie 2416B Auto -- or whatever they call it, I've seen different names for that same watch -- would be more appropriate for me, though these things are so cheap (I've seen them new for as low as US$25 for the Komandirskie Auto and US$33 for the Amphibia) that I'll probably get a couple of each just to experiment with when the Russian seller gets back from vacation.


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## rhaythorne

Nope, no problem with overwinding


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## Polo_Step

rhaythorne said:


> Nope, no problem with overwinding
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Ah...did I mention that the guy is also a hand drummer?









No, he has the sense to take the watch off before doing that, I'm sure.

Funny, but I was looking at those recent K-43 WWII commemoratives (nice looking watches!) and saw that they were "exact copies of the originals," but were also autowinds. Were those military watches of that era actually self-winders? Seems unlikely to me.


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## mach 0.0013137

Polo_Step said:


> Funny, but I was looking at those recent K-43 WWII commemoratives (nice looking watches!) and saw that they were "exact copies of the originals," but were also autowinds.Â Were those military watches of that era actually self-winders?Â Seems unlikely to me.
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Its highly unlikely that the originals were automatic and I very much doubt they had a date window









I would think the phrase_ "exact copies of the originals," _ is stretching it somewhat, I`d say they are more _`In the Style of`_ myself, still a very nice looking watch though


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## Polo_Step

mach 0.0013137 said:


> I would think the phrase_ "exact copies of the originals," _ is stretching it somewhat, I`d say they are more _`In the Style of`_ myself, still a very nice looking watch though
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Yes, more like, "In the wildly interpretive influence of..." or something.









I do wish that Vostok would do us all a favor and reproduce some of the classic military faces.

They seem to be scraping the bottom of the creative/aesthetic barrel in producing an endless supply of new ones:


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## Polo_Step

I could have sworn I saw something in this thread about the Amphibia case being stainless, but I can't find it again.

Did I imagine it?

_Are_ Amphibia cases stainless? I don't see it mentioned in the ad specs I've seen. Seems like a plated base metal case wouldn't last long on the high seas.

As always, thanks for any clarification.


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## Xantiagib

Yes amphibia's are stainless steel - the komandirskies are plated base metal

Its been discussed here many times before and roy gave us the answer.

The amphibia's are 200M waterproof - I've only been swimming with mine and snorkeling to about 5M and in two long summers of doing so I can report its behaved as it should.

at their price If they did leak then I would get it replaced under warranty or just buy another...


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## DavidH

..these are very good watches. Robost, accurate and reliable. If you are serious about its waterproof capability then get the vendor to test it and provide a test cert. Then you know it is right.









The answer to your next question is at the top of your screen.


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## Polo_Step

Xantiagib said:


> then I would get it replaced under warranty...
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There's Vostok warranty repair in the US?

I thought I saw some mention of one in NY on one site, but I don't see it anywhere else -- like the Vostok site.

There is no mention of US warranty station in the list that came with mine, either.


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## jasonm

Have no doubts about the Amphibia water resistance, or potential overwinding, I have dived with mine to 20 + Meters and it was fine, I also hand wound mine every morning when I first got it wondering why it wouldnt stop winding...Then I found out it was automatic


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## Katt

Jason... Doh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!










































We've all made such basic errors @ some-point!!!!!!!!!!!

These Vostok Amphibia watches are great 1st Mechanical watches and every day beaters... My brother was given one as a rough / tough no frills work watch...

Joli.


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## mach 0.0013137

jasonm said:


> I also hand wound mine every morning when I first got it wondering why it wouldnt stop winding...Then I found out it was automatic
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Must be something to do with the water in Cambridgeshire as our other resident of that county also had the same `Problem`


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## Xantiagib

Polo_Step said:


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Click to expand...

I meant that whichever supplier you buy from should replace it under warranty

I doubt there is any official Vostok warranty in any country outside the eastern block


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## Polo_Step

Xantiagib said:


> Yes amphibia's are stainless steel - the komandirskies are plated base metal
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Are the bezels also stainless?

I know that sounds like a dumb question, but I've seen numerous used Vostoks that _appear_ to have the Amphibia case, but have corroded bezels, and even in pictures of the new ones the bezels _look_ more chrome than stainless:


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## Katt

I think that the Bezels are plated Brass... I might be wrong... but I think that is right...
















Joli.


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## Polo_Step

Katt said:


> I think that the Bezels are plated Brass...
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Man...that's crazy.


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## pg tips

yep chrome on brass bezels.

You can see the chrome wear twix 12 & 1 in this pic (was mine now mac's his pic)


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## mach 0.0013137

Didn`t I send that bezel back to you Paul, to replace one in a worse condition?


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## pg tips

yes you did mac and I'm still waiting for a pic of my (sorry your) beloved mil with the new bezel


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## mach 0.0013137

pg tips said:


> yes you did mac and I'm still waiting for a pic of my (sorry your) beloved mil with the new bezel
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