The Story of the Franken-Stok

The commoditization of the wristwatch post-WWII i.e., the relative ubiquity of watches at a reasonable price, brought with it the ability to take 2 broken watches, mash them together, and come away with at least one timepiece that works.

In the 60s and 70s, vertical integration by watchmakers e.g., #seiko, where all aspects of the manufacture of watches are controlled in-house, brought further interchangeability (is that even a word?) of watch parts between models while shrinking the cost even further.

For the high-rollers among us (not me), this means our #rolex #gmt might have a #servicedial[1]. Or we might be into the #mod scene, looking for that unblemished #seiko #skx to rip apart, modify, and make it an expression of our true watch-living selves.

This situation has also led to counterfeiting, the less disagreeable #homage (yay! #aliexpress!), and the weird and wonderful world of the "Frankenwatch".

The phenomenon of the #frankenwatch is (usually) less about counterfeiting and more about just taking parts from 2 (or more) watches and putting them together. Where it gets dodgy is trying to pass off a frankenwatch as the real deal or "refurbished", which perhaps is closer to the truth, but where do you draw the line? If you swap out parts of the movement but 50%+ is original, is it a frankenwatch? If you put a mostly original movement in a new case, with a new dial, borrowed hands and a 3rd party bezel, is it a frankenwatch, or is it modding[2]?

These are questions that are probably subjective. Your sense of propriety, ethics and value will determine the answers.

In the meantime, allow me to Introduce the Franken-Stok, a #vostok #amphibia I purchased from eBay (knowing full well what was going on) because I like it, and it was at an appropriate price for what it is[3].

The Franken-stok has featured numerous times on my #wruw, since it is a good daily driver, remains more or less accurate (It's a #vostok don't forget) and in the blurry-eyed early hours of the morning is large enough that I can see it among other watches in my bedside watch box.

It is purported to be a Type 119, the second model Vostok ever made, possibly the most manufactured model until the Type 710, and very much reflective of the style of divers in the 60s and 70s, evoking the #zodiac super sea wolf

the #doxasub300t or my personal favourite/grail the 1976 #certina D-3 SuperPH 1000m (used by divers of the Royal Australian Navy).

SaFonaGastroChrono puts the look thus: 
[T]he principal distinguishing characteristic of the Type 119 is its “tonneau” case[4], which leads to a more imposing appearance than the round one used for the Type 350. Measuring 39mm x 47mm, it is a rotund watch.

"Rotund" 🤪

While the Type 119 came in a handful of colourways  that I am aware of; #blue, #black, black and grey...

And a gorgeous #green version:

none featured a gold sunburst dial.

Likewise, unlike #Komandirskis, Amphibia didn't have their name on the dial, rather it should say "antimagnetic' (антимагнитный) not "Amphibia" (Амфибия).

Speaking of antimagnetic - the original type 119 featured a thin iron cover between the case back and movement to aid in avoiding the ref: 2209 movement becoming magnetised (and which is notably absent from the Franken-Stok... Like the 2209 movement, replaced by a 2416b)

The hands are not necessarily wrong, but the original Type 119 had a paddle hour hand or occasionally a straight baton-like hand. The arrow version is more modern. That said, hands on the Franken-stok look like first-party, Vostok-made hands 

Batons on the left, arrow on the right. 

Nevertheless, I went into this purchase with my eyes wide open knowing what I would get, essentially because I had a spare bezel insert of a matching colour, and paid an appropriate price. Slap on a new bezel and insert put it on a G10 strap, and it's good to go. It seems to be keeping accurate time after a couple of weeks wear on and off. 

This is why I like Vostok watches - endless variation and customisation (or monsterisation?)

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[1] My knowledge of Rolex is limited (not a high-roller), but I believe if you send a timepiece to Rolex for service and the watchmaker perceives the slightest imperfection in a component, they go ahead and replace it. For example a GMT with new hour and minutes hands post-service, but the original GMT hand which, over time, appears more aged than the other hands because... well... It is. Thus, the "service dial" designation. 
[2] From what I have been able to determine online, "watch modding" really did become a thing because of the Seiko SKX line. Common to the definitions I have found is the ability to make the stock model "better" e.g., this definition: 

The term “watch mod” is short for “watch modification.” If you think you can make a watch look better than stock, and you make that change to it, you’ve created a watch mod.

[The Slender Wrist] 

[3] Your understanding of an "appropriate price" may differ, and that is totally cool. 
[4] Tonneau, from the French meaning barrel. Because I can seldom spell "tonneau", I often refer to it as a "barrel" case.

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Images: SaFonaGastroChrono