# Basic Vostok Mod



## Seikotherapy (Nov 29, 2016)

I've had a soft spot for the Amphibia since researching the watch worn by Bill Murray's character Steve Zissou in one of my favourite films - The Life Aquatic years ago. Having seen some really creative modifications of the Vostok range and learning about how interchangeable and available the parts are I thought I'd have a go myself.

Below are some thoughts on the process of undertaking something like this for the first time and a few pics, which I'm sure has been done to death here and elsewhere but thought it might give other noobs that fancy tinkering with one of these the confidence to have a crack.

PHASE 1










I had a look first to see if there was something I liked off the shelf and was drawn to the 420 Amphibia case, preferring a case shape that mirrors the rounded contours of portholes and old diving helmets. The dial I wanted was the Spork-esque one, which wasn't available for the 420 so that was my starting point. I wanted a monochrome theme to create a military look with a clean dial and a more contemporary bezel. The god-awful crown had to go so I ordered the only alternative I know about with the watch and replacement dial from Meranom.

Removing the movement to switch the dial was a little tricky because the grooves in the case back ring are quite shallow with small indents and the tool I had wasn't brilliant. The dial was easily switched after removing the hands, taking care to protect the dial.










However when I put it back together the new crown stem just pulled out of the movement. From what I could find online I think I made the mistake of removing the stem while it was at the pushed in position so I thought I may as well open it up and take a look.

Using a very basic set of screwdrivers and some tweezers I dismantled the movement to see if I could get to the keyless works from the back, as I didn't have screwdriver small enough to go in through the dial side and at this point I had nothing to lose. Anyway, you can't, but I managed to put it back together and with some perseverance got the winding stem to catch at the right point with the keyless works and now the watch sets and runs fine. Panic over.

PHASE 2




























I eventually got round to ordering the bezel and insert I had in mind from Dr Seikostain on ebay. I wanted the Atlas One bezel, which has a really nice hatched effect around the edge. The effect is similar to what you might find on precision instruments and tools, and seems increasingly popular on watch crowns I've noticed. I prefer it to the coin edge, which seems to be more popular in these modifications from what I can tell.

I plumped for a gunmetal insert to tie the crown in to the rest of the watch and its intended black and grey nato strap.










Bezel and insert were pretty straightforward to install by following the numerous tutorials online and I'm pretty happy with the finished look










The bezel is really well finished and fits perfectly. It does sit quite tall on the watch, skewing some of its original proportions. That has taken some getting used to and may not be to everyone's taste, however, it has added depth to the watch face and together with the domed crystal does achieve that nautical, bulkhead/porthole aesthetic I was aiming for.










The indices and numerals of the dial and bezel all line up and interchange nicely to give a balanced look and if the lugs were a little wider I may have considered keeping this on a rubber strap for a little longer.










It's back on its intended nato now where I think it looks best and overall I'm happy with the changes. The watch overall probably cost about £100 including parts and straps, and apart from having a pretty decent-looking, robust and reliable timepiece I really enjoyed taking it apart and putting it back together, which was a delicate and pretty therapeutic process.

I've learned loads about the anatomy of a mechanical watch and I'd happily consider another small project in the future (perhaps something slightly more adventurous), and I'll probably make some minor improvements to this subtle modification yet, perhaps a new handset or something...

Thanks for reading!


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## wotsch (Jan 5, 2011)

Excellent work and welcome to Vostok modding.

You're right about Dr. Seikostain's bezels being pretty voluminous. I have a couple and it really depends on the look you want to achieve. Yours looks great with it and the hatching is marvellous. It goes well with the big numbers on the dial you've chosen, whereas I think it could be overpowering with a dial with more delicate markings like the original dial. I also love the way he packages his wares and always enjoy the postcards etc. he puts in with the parts he's sending. The bezel insert is also a good choice, with the markers reflecting the dial markers and the dots adding to your porthole look.

To my tastes, the watch looks fantastic on the rubber, although the understated nato is also a good choice. To have the rubber look with a wider lug width, you could consider a 100 case, although you would then lose some of the roundness you were aiming for.

Anyhow, great start and I'm looking forward to the next project.

Cheers,
-wotsch


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## Seikotherapy (Nov 29, 2016)

Thank you for the comments @wotsch. I hadn't thought of this before but maybe it's possible to get a rubber strap that's wider than the actual lug gap, like this for example? I think it looks great on rubber but mine just looks a little too skinny on the wrist.

I'd love to have another go at this when funds permit, was a lot of fun!

Also, the links and resources in the pinned thread above were really useful, thanks for posting!


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## Ullevi (Feb 7, 2017)

Thanks for the write up and pictures @Seikotherapy.

You should be proud of what you have achieved. This thread, and others on the forum inspired me to get a cousin to the watch you created, but I don't have the satisfaction of having worked on it myself. Perhaps in the future I may have the knowledge and cojones to try something similar to what you have done, but I suspect that day is a long way off.

Anyway, here's a pic of this morning's arrival, modified amphibia 090. the pics still show the plastic covering on the unresized bracelet. I have since resized the bracelet (the limit of my skills at the moment):


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## Seikotherapy (Nov 29, 2016)

Ullevi said:


> Thanks for the write up and pictures @Seikotherapy.
> 
> You should be proud of what you have achieved. This thread, and others on the forum inspired me to get a cousin to the watch you created, but I don't have the satisfaction of having worked on it myself. Perhaps in the future I may have the knowledge and cojones to try something similar to what you have done, but I suspect that day is a long way off.
> 
> Anyway, here's a pic of this morning's arrival, modified amphibia 090. the pics still show the plastic covering on the unresized bracelet. I have since resized the bracelet (the limit of my skills at the moment):


 Love it! Is the case bead-blasted as part of the mod or is that how they're shipped?

I picked up a knackered old thing (posted in the vintage thread) and I've ordered some bits to take it apart and hopefully get it running again. Pretty low risk/cost, which seems the best way to start out with mods and refurbs, just a bit of outlay for some basic tools. It will be a fun way to pass the time even if I can't get it back on the wrist.


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## Ullevi (Feb 7, 2017)

The case came shipped bead blasted like this.

The bracelet feels really cheap, but looks OK in the flesh- I think I'll keep it on for now.

I bought the watch thinking about trying it on a shark mesh or good thickness Milanese mesh as I thought it would suit the case shape, but I'll see how I get on with it on the OEM bracelet for now.

Sounds like you're going to have fun on your next project- please let us know how it goes.

Cheers.


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## Seikotherapy (Nov 29, 2016)

Ullevi said:


> The case came shipped bead blasted like this.
> 
> The bracelet feels really cheap, but looks OK in the flesh- I think I'll keep it on for now.
> 
> ...


 Will do, I find it really useful to see where others have succeeded and tripped up so I'd be happy to oblige if I get anywhere with it!

If it's the original Vostok bracelet it's absolute garbage - I didn't even bother resizing mine. The polish is all wrong (and probably more so with the bead-blasted case), it rattles like hell and it feels so light and cheap it could be made of plastic.

I'm not a big fan of mesh on me but I think it would look great with that case on someone else. A black leather strap with white stitching might look quite cool. Keeps it monochrome and a little bit military....


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