Vostok Amfibiya Before and After
So, about a month ago, a good friend (who’s a watchmaker no less), gave me this mid 70s Vostok Amfibiya 090 and a 1960 Helbros Invincible as consolation as it took him a few months to service my vintage Citizen Seven and HMT Pilot.
The plan from the start was to cosmetically restore the Vostok as the movement is fantastic and keeps great time. The original crystal had age cracks in it and pretty bad yellowing, original seals were ok, and the original bezel was tired with the chrome worn off the brass in places. While it was apart, the disassembled case got a nice bath in cleaner/distilled water and a rinse in isopropyl to displace the water, and then dried.
Got it new case seals and a crystal off eBay, and a new Seiko-style rallye bezel from a dude in Vinnitsiya, Ukraine. Next is a black and gray silicone strap from Ritchie Straps to match the dial.
I’ve got to say, it was super satisfying to here the click as the crystal went into place, and even more chuffed when the new bezel snapped right on.
This was my first attempt at restoration and modding and I’ve got to say I’m quite pleased with myself ☺️
Now I think I have confidence enough to tackle my 1975 Timex Marlin automatic 😁
Welcome to my WatchCrunch profile.
It's hard to keep a good Vostok down.