What Vintage Soviet Brand Should I be Looking at?
I want to get a vintage Soviet watch but I am not knowledgeable enough about the nuances of buying one from eBay. What brands should I be looking at? What should I look for in a soviet watch? I have purchased a modern Vostok before with a moon phase complication but I gave it away. A Pobeda with a sub-seconds hand at the 6 o'clock position has caught my eye before.
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Ivan
#EOWW (Equal Opportunity Watch Wearer). 7.25" wrist. Since I was a kid, I loved watches. My first watch was an Armitron digital chronograph. I've always had watches since but didn't really appreciate...
Texas
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Last active: 1 month ago
7.25”
Vostok are a dime a dozen on Amazon, I went with Poljot.
Don't know anything about Soviet watches so I'm out
I have owned all of those brands. My favorite is Raketa. 20 years ago it would have been Vostok. There are plusses and minuses for each. There are risks as well.
The minute hand seems to have come off in transit. I have had that problem several times, so it does not upset me. My watch guy will set it right.
Any of them, and there are some good guides as to what to look out for.
Hi Ivanromero!
I love the Vostoks personally. Ive had an Amphibia 'scuba dude' and I still have my Vostok Komandirskie 'tank', and I absolutely love that watch for many reasons.
I'd say it depends what's important to you...if it's a back story and legacy, then the Vostok story is fantastic. There is a YouTube video from Wonders Of Watchdom that talks through the history around the conception and design of the Komandirskie which made me fall in love with it in the first place. They are not refined, they are not accurate (+/-30seconds per day in some cases), built to last, which I suppose is the Soviet sentiment.
Think about what's important to you and I'd research on that 😊 I hope that helps 👍
My only vintage Russian is a pobeda which was a present. I'm quite attached to it and it runs very well and keeps good time. I have a couple of modern vostoks (scuba dude and komanderski) but the pobeda gets my vote for your vintage.
In case it matters, the pobeda was the first watch launched into space. I intend to get one for that reason alone.
My small Russian group was a COVID project; and I am really happy with the results. Out of all the choices my favorite russian movement is the 3133 which is based on the Valjoux 7734. I have a Strela with this movement and it is fantastic. There were several good reference articles I found like this one, which were helpful.
https://manofmany.com/fashion/watches/best-russian-watches-soviet-watch-brands
Vostoks are great...many choices and cool designs.
That being said, I find Poljot to have some really interesting watches and a bit more variety than Vostok.
So if your heart is set on a Amphibia or Komandirskie by all means go Vostok...
But if you want some more interesting choices, then Poljot for sure...
My small Russian group was a COVID project; and I am really happy with the results. Out of all the choices my favorite russian movement is the 3133 which is based on the Valjoux 7734. I have a Strela with this movement and it is fantastic. There were several good reference articles I found like this one, which were helpful.
https://manofmany.com/fashion/watches/best-russian-watches-soviet-watch-brands
Thank you, that link is very helpful!
Vostoks are great...many choices and cool designs.
That being said, I find Poljot to have some really interesting watches and a bit more variety than Vostok.
So if your heart is set on a Amphibia or Komandirskie by all means go Vostok...
But if you want some more interesting choices, then Poljot for sure...
There are some interesting models there! The thing about Vostok is some of them look to me like they would be sold in a tourist trap shop.
There are some interesting models there! The thing about Vostok is some of them look to me like they would be sold in a tourist trap shop.
Here is the book to purchase to explore all the different brands before you take the plunge...
Russian Wristwatches: Pocket Watches, Stop Watches, Deck Watches & Marine Chronometers (A Schiffer Book for Collectors): Levenberg, Juri: 9780887408731: Amazon.com: Books
Excellent resource for Russian watches!
Vostoks are great...many choices and cool designs.
That being said, I find Poljot to have some really interesting watches and a bit more variety than Vostok.
So if your heart is set on a Amphibia or Komandirskie by all means go Vostok...
But if you want some more interesting choices, then Poljot for sure...
The chronograph with the green dial looks amazing but so does the white dial chrono!
Here is the book to purchase to explore all the different brands before you take the plunge...
Russian Wristwatches: Pocket Watches, Stop Watches, Deck Watches & Marine Chronometers (A Schiffer Book for Collectors): Levenberg, Juri: 9780887408731: Amazon.com: Books
Excellent resource for Russian watches!
Even better. I'll pick it up on my next Amazon purchase.
The chronograph with the green dial looks amazing but so does the white dial chrono!
You can pick these up from Julian Kampmann at www.Poljot24.de
Here is the link to the Strela chronographs section:
https://www.poljot24.de/marken/strela.html
Julian is great. I have purchased a number of watches from him. He has some great vintage GUB references as well.
Lots of interesting watches at really fair prices.
My small Russian group was a COVID project; and I am really happy with the results. Out of all the choices my favorite russian movement is the 3133 which is based on the Valjoux 7734. I have a Strela with this movement and it is fantastic. There were several good reference articles I found like this one, which were helpful.
https://manofmany.com/fashion/watches/best-russian-watches-soviet-watch-brands
There are many more articles than that, you will see as you search more. It is an interesting area to collect; great for all levels of collectors.
Here is the book to purchase to explore all the different brands before you take the plunge...
Russian Wristwatches: Pocket Watches, Stop Watches, Deck Watches & Marine Chronometers (A Schiffer Book for Collectors): Levenberg, Juri: 9780887408731: Amazon.com: Books
Excellent resource for Russian watches!
That’s a reference book I picked one up a couple months back. I’ve read quite a bit on the historical side of things. Do you have any recommendations? I wouldn’t mind picking your brain.
You can pick these up from Julian Kampmann at www.Poljot24.de
Here is the link to the Strela chronographs section:
https://www.poljot24.de/marken/strela.html
Julian is great. I have purchased a number of watches from him. He has some great vintage GUB references as well.
Lots of interesting watches at really fair prices.
Read your post, and immediately fell in love with the one hander. Must be strong, must be strong! Such a great price for an interesting and unique watch.
That’s a reference book I picked one up a couple months back. I’ve read quite a bit on the historical side of things. Do you have any recommendations? I wouldn’t mind picking your brain.
Sure - feel free to message with any questions. Happy to help if I can.
Read your post, and immediately fell in love with the one hander. Must be strong, must be strong! Such a great price for an interesting and unique watch.
Julian has really great deals and is an excellent seller.
Molnija ;)
Vostok is great for some nice stories and if you want to get into the modding world too. Nice but maybe sometimes a bit quirky watches. Concerning the other brands from Russia/Soviet Union, I always found them to be a bit too old-fashioned, but that's a matter of taste of course.