# My Volmax Aviator



## Watch Komrade Arthur (Sep 16, 2011)

This is the best Russian watch in my collection. Any comments on when made is appreciated.















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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Watch Komrade Arthur said:


> This is the best Russian watch in my collection. Any comments on when made is appreciated.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I had never seen one of those branded as an Aviator... The ones I've seen are Poljot Navigators with a Poljot 2612 movement. Can we have close up pictures on that? And on the caseback? That one is probably a post-2001 when there wasn't Poljot anymore but plenty of stuff left from those times and Volmax was making its first steps.


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## Watch Komrade Arthur (Sep 16, 2011)

My photo taking skills are poor when it comes to close ups. I believe that in the middle od the dial it says Navigator, something else, and 31 Jewels. The movement is marked 2416 B? and RUS. It is a Limited Edition 559/999. Someone from another forum thought it might have been from the 1990's?








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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Watch Komrade Arthur said:


> Someone from another forum thought it might have been from the 1990's?


That's my guess too, I would say very early 90s. That's really an odd one on several things: the Cyrillic bezel (the Poljots I know had it in English) and I'm pretty sure that's a Vostok 2415 movement (the Poljot had an alarm 2612). So it looks like a watch made with whatever they could get a hold on (hence my guess that if it is an Aviator, it had to be done at the very start of Volmax... or by someone else before Volmax could control the Aviator name).

Edit: scratch the movement above... I've just seen the model on the bridge: it's a 2416b and that's another strange thing. The 2426b has a date function so that one must have it beneath the dial. Do you hear the date changing at midnight?

The original dial didn't have a date window as the the Poljot 2612 didn't have a date fucntion, so that one is clearly a watch put together by parts remaining on stock. They didn't even bothered cutting a date window for it. I'm not saying it's not nice, its is very nice and the Vostok movement is a good one!

I wonder what they did to the crown that used to exist at the 4 position... is the case drilled there, on the side?


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Ufff, finally found something on those: http://sliderulewatches.yvod.com/history5.html (scroll down and there's a nice brochure of those watches there explaining how the bezel works)


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## Watch Komrade Arthur (Sep 16, 2011)

Kutusov said:


> Ufff, finally found something on those: http://sliderulewatc...m/history5.html (scroll down and there's a nice brochure of those watches there explaining how the bezel works)


Great response. Do you have any way of sending me (PM) full size scans on the Aviator?


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

The scans are not mine, the link is just something I found on the net. You could try to contact the site owner, his contact is on the home page.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Double post


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## Watch Komrade Arthur (Sep 16, 2011)

Kutusov said:


> Watch Komrade Arthur said:
> 
> 
> > Someone from another forum thought it might have been from the 1990's?
> ...


Question: Edit: scratch the movement above... I've just seen the model on the bridge: it's a 2416b and that's another strange thing. The 2426b has a date function so that one must have it beneath the dial. Do you hear the date changing at midnight?

Answer: The date is at 2 o'clock. The hands are partially blocking it.

Question: The original dial didn't have a date window as the the Poljot 2612 didn't have a date fucntion, so that one is clearly a watch put together by parts remaining on stock. They didn't even bothered cutting a date window for it. I'm not saying it's not nice, its is very nice and the Vostok movement is a good one!

Answer: See above. Do not believe it is put together with remaining stock parts!

Question: I wonder what they did to the crown that used to exist at the 4 position... is the case drilled there, on the side?

Answer: No. Check out other comments and Aviator website.


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

Watch Komrade Arthur said:


> Answer: The date is at 2 o'clock. The hands are partially blocking it.


Oh, sorry! I've missed that!



Watch Komrade Arthur said:


> Answer: See above. Do not believe it is put together with remaining stock parts!


You would be surprised... and that one clearly is that. Poljot meets Vostok... it's a bit of a mix salad but that's what Russian watches are like, especialy on the early 90s. Seems that is going to get worst now if you read some of the latest topics...



Watch Komrade Arthur said:


> Answer: No. Check out other comments and Aviator website.


That watch isn't on the Aviator site... http://www.aviatorwatch.ru/aviator/

...and don't take my questions the wrong way, I'm not saying it's a bad watch at all. It's pretty nice actually. It's the first one I've seen, that's why I'm asking...

:cheers:


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## louiswu (May 16, 2009)

Ok, i'm officially confused. I thought Volmax started up in 2002?

Were they making watches prior to that, just without officially registering the Aviator brand?

I have sooo much to learn....


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## Kutusov (Apr 19, 2010)

louiswu said:


> Ok, i'm officially confused. I thought Volmax started up in 2002?
> 
> Were they making watches prior to that, just without officially registering the Aviator brand?
> 
> I have sooo much to learn....


Yeap, they did. I don't know about an official registration or how things worked but no one seems to know. At a certain point you had all this brands working semi-independently (?) under the same roof: Poljot, Volmax, Poljot trade, Moscow Classic, Denissov, Poljot Kronos and Poljot Elite.

You still can find some aviators that are branded both as Poljot and Aviator at the same time!










So what exactly is this one? Volmax under a still surviving Poljot? Volmax just using an already printed Poljot dial? Russian watch industry was chaotic at the time regrading brands. Plus, you have to remember that they didn't work like watch brands on the West. There were several factories under the State but not private ventures as a Swiss brand, so much of the resources, designs and movements were shared.


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## Watch Komrade Arthur (Sep 16, 2011)

I keep on learning. That is why I joined this Forum. Keep up the good work! :clap:


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