Vostok Amphibia Watches

This is one of the best values in modern watchmaking... Particularly now that Seiko is pricing all of their lines upward, you can still count on the old Vostok brand to continue making watches "for the people" even if the iron curtain has fallen. Now they just make watches "for all the people" which i can get behind. Some common complaints you here about Amphibias range from the standard half-hearted complaints about "quality control" to outright horror at the bi-directional bezel. Some folks hate that the keyless works (crown and stem etc) is designed the way it is. I find, having owned mechanical watches since i was a boy, that every watch and watchmaker has their quirks and those of the Vostok production lines are charming to me. I actually like the loose feel of the crown, having broken stems on two of my watches in the past. In an antique piece, this is one of those things that you can just have a hard time replacing, and it makes me feel good knowing that a smart shock or even my own grip won't damage the stem. It's my understanding that the watch was, in fact, designed this way to protect the keyless works against damage in the field. The bezel I'm more indifferent towards.. People expecting a 120 click uni-directional dive bezel will be disappointed. This is a case of "would you rather spend millions engineering a pen that can write in space, or just use a pencil." The americans did the former, the soviets the latter, and that philosophy is apparent here. At depth, the plastic of the crystal (it is an hesalite crystal) flexes and pushes against the bezel, tightening it down and making it very hard to move out of alignment. And remember, this is vintage technology. One doesn't compare this watch to a modern Omega Seamaster.. to use a car analogy, this isn't a modern Hummer, it's more like the Volkswagen Thing.. You either like that or not, but there it is. I like, about this watch, that the date snaps over pretty much all at once right around midnight. It takes my 7s26 equipped (and even my day/date quartz) watches a few hours to recover, which annoys me as those are my peak working hours. Some other things: The bracelet on this watch is nicer than on my other one (This is my second Amphibia) which is more of a typical oyster style but with folded links and no end links. The links are solid enough, but the end links are hollow. Still, i replaced it with a zulu.. The lume is also not great. Both of my Vostoks run about 10-15 seconds fast (per day). None of this is terrible though. All in all it's a terrific little watch that punches (for me at least) well above the money i paid for it.

So far, this watch is living up to the hype. As per the comments I have seen online, the strengths of this watch include its styling, its robustness and its versatility with strap and bezel options. The teal coloured dial stands out nicely, although not as bright as I had anticipated. The bezel is a little simple without any numbering but does have a charm to it. The movement is working well so far. No need to wind the watch as long as you wear it at least every couple of days or so. Mine is keeping really good time. Haven't measured it strictly, but doesn't seem to be losing or gaining any time at all (after a week it was still the same time to the minute as my iPad time). Finishing is pretty good. The bracelet is a bit tinny. And fully polished. Which is not a great look. And the tinniness is annoying, as I can hear the bracelet every time I move my arm. I have had it on a leather strap, a shark mesh, rubber strap and nato. All of which work well. Another weak point is the finishing on the crown. The grooves on the crown seem a bit shallow to me and looks a bit cheap. And my crown doesn't seem to fully screw down against the case. I can see a tiny gap between the case and the crown. Not sure if this affects the waterproof rating or not. Haven't tested it. In all likelihood, it's not a big problem and it hasn't bothered me that much. All in all, a great product for the price.

Vostok's are cheap and solid. I now have three Vostoks. They are also a little different and quirky. As such they are great value. The movement is a good movement (I have taken to my local watchmaker for a look), but it runs at 19,800 beats per minute. This is not bad and it keeps good time. The crown is "loose" when it is pulled out, but this is how it has been designed to protect the movement. The movement is non hacking with no quick set of the date. This is fine and does not concern me. It is part of the Vostok mystique and (in a bizarre way) what we enjoy about a Vostok. It is not a luxury brand, but what you get for a small price is a different and interesting watch. They are also a bit of a hoot. The current purchase was an Amphibia Scuba Dude which I really like.

Overall it's a great watch for the price. - I like the quality, the price, the size, the look, the weight, the ability to wind (though I don't use it), and the screw down crown is easy to screw and unscrew, and change the time with - The lume is underwhelming but it's there and you'll notice it - The band is not great, it pulls the hair on my arm and doesn't feel as nice as the rest of the watch. The band also appears to be missing a cutout on one of the links (pictured top left, compare it to top right) making it impossible to remove without bending it flat. I ordered a nato strap to resolve this.

Can't be beat! This is a lot of watch for the price! On the wrist it looks unique and has a good design. It's the perfect size for every day wear, nearly as light as a quartz crystal and is very comfortable to wear. Took the volstok out for under water fun and enjoyed it even more. I like the price, if i want another color I can just buy a new one or you have the option to really customize it yourself with parts online. One of my better purchases!

The case is heavy and high quality. Surprisingly keeps very, very accurate time. You can easily customize it by changing the bezel to one of your choice that are sold online. Do it yourself and not complicated. You can also change the band, which dies feel cheap, but not a deal breaker. Doesn't look bad though. But if you do want to change it, there are plenty of online options. Love the watch.

It's a great watch. The price is cheap and the watch is beautiful. It's spot on size for my 6.25 inch wrist ,and it has a history behind it. The dail isn't flat like it may appear in some pictures,it has a nice sunburst effect. The only downside is the plexiglass crystal. Still it gets five stars from me.

Very nice-looking watch. It has some idiosyncracies. The band pulls hair at times. It keeps remarkably good time. Less than a minute a week gain/loss. Hard to get a feel for winding vs. setting because of the stem design. Remember, it's a very inexpensive watch.