The Vostok Strap
In this life there are three inevitabils, death, taxes and removing the Vostok supplied band or bracelet on your new Vostok before you even check to see if the watch works. Why? Because every YouTube watch guru tells us to and if it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for you. So let’s take a look at the most hated watch accessory on planet Earth.
A new Komandirskie will come with a two piece 18mm lug black leather strap. It’s two piece, black and as far as leather, I’m not making any promises. The reviewers claim it “doesn’t smell like real leather” and as someone that permanently lost my sense of smell and taste in a freak accident 3 years ago, I could boil the strap to make soup and not tell it from lobster bisque by taste or smell. Sure the strap has a cheap feel, the buckle is like a Vodka hammered Russian wobbling back and forth and it my smell funny. But I have never had one break, never lost a watch by failure and if a rabid ferret rips my hand off and eats the strap, so what? The ferret must not watch YouTube Vostok reviews and will just be easier to put a replacement strap. Which is inevitable.
If you are rich enough, somehow taxes can be dodged and evaded😉. Regarding the Vostok straps and all the Guru's dogmatic points of view: we just let them talk too!
I mean, for some leather straps it’s difficult to tell if it’s real leather or not on video/pictures. Not the case for Vostok. It’s painfully clear that whatever that material is, it is not leather. Seeing that, got my Amphibia on a supplied NATO (the irony!). It’s not very supple nor very smooth, but it makes the watch wear comfortably enough, and I guess that’s good news.
The strap on my Komandirskie is pretty poor, but since the watch cost £21 delivered I'm not complaining.
My scuba dude came on a plain black rubber which was actually not bad. That rubber is now on my Citizen Ray Mears and looks quite good. It's very tough.
My Komanderski came on a oyster style bracelet which was truly awful and I removed it immediately. Its now on a NATO ( more irony!)
The ubiquitous stock strap does do the job and if I recall correctly it was Jody on the JOMW channel that said "it may last 10 years but you wouldn't want it to".
I suspect whatever material the stock strap uses is coated or impreganted with something to make it water resistant.
But, when there are so many inexpensive aftermarket options available like this:
and this:
why not indulge?
I’ve got to say the OEM bracelet on my 24 hour Komandirskie isn’t bad, esp for a $100 watch. It even approaches, dare I say it, comfort! 😳
I have to say the bracelets and straps on Vostoks are pretty bad...but the same can be said for most Seikos under $1k...
I enjoy swapping them out and making something a bit cooler...here are a few examples...
I’ve got to say the OEM bracelet on my 24 hour Komandirskie isn’t bad, esp for a $100 watch. It even approaches, dare I say it, comfort! 😳
Indeed the 650 case with its 20mm lugs is an exception. The default 20mm bracelet is a noticeable step up from the tinny 18mm and 22mm defaults on the classic Amphibian line.
That comment on the Vostok rubber strap is correct, a very good and comfortable strap and the only Vostok I have with no desire to swap straps. The question is, does Vostok make it or source it out? And the bigger question is who cares?
That’s how I do…..see the irony?
They are great!