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Today we are going to talk about the ultimate russian made affordable automatic diving watch, the Vostok Amphibia. This is not a watch any basic watch collector will know about but rather one reserved for true enthusiasts and those looking for a reliable, affordable, and stylish timepiece with rich history. The Vostok brand dates back to the pre world war 2 era and was founded in 1942. Their current headquarters are in Chistopol, a small town located on the Kama river in Tatarstan. The company quickly shifted to only manufacturing defense tools for the russian forces during WW2 but as soon as the axis powers were defeated they went right back to producing timepieces, clocks, and movements for other companies as well. A couple fun facts.. 1. Vostok ( Boctok ) actually means "East" 2. Vostok was named after a space program just as Raketa and Poljot were. 3. The company was appointed an official supplier of watches for the Ministry of Defense in the Soviet Union circa 1965. The Vostok Amphibian classic ( 710059 ) or "Scuba Dude" watch I own has a light bluish turquoise dial almost resembling a slightly patina'd watch face. It sits 11MM tall and is housed in 41MM steel cushion style case which sits super comfortable on the wrist. The circular mid size screw down crown has a clutch mechanism which is often misinterpreted by buyers as low quality because of its wobble when unscrewed. This is done on purpose and manufactured this way because if the crown were to release or break off while underwater the time will not be effected nor changed. The crown basically disengages itself slightly from the movement when unscrewed which gives it a wobble. I find this quite interesting and also a very subjective feature. Anyway, the watch has applied lumed indices with a beautiful diver printed on the dial, hence the name Scuba Dude! Amphibias come equipped with a friction based bezel compared to a normal unidirectional clicking bezel which is sort of unsatisfying , but for 75 USD , I cannot really complain. If there is one thing I can complain about it is the stock bracelet supplied with the watch! This bracelet is as bad as it gets and must be switched out immediately, atleast for me. Some great alternatives for the bracelet I have tried and worn are Mesh bands, Millanese , leather straps, and of course rubber straps. The caseback is screwed down and has a few russian words inscribed which most people have no idea what they actually mean, but Google Translate is super helpful in clearing that up! Listen, for 75 dollars you will not find a better everyday automatic timepiece with an in-house movement, rich history, decent timekeeping at about plus ten seconds a day while looking good on the wrist at the same time. I have left a few pictures below of my Amphibia for your viewing and also a link where you can buy a small piece of Russian history for under 100 bucks. Does it get better than that? I don't think so. *Please Note the Band on the watch in the pictures is a Barton's Silicone Quick-Release Strap* OFFICIAL SPECIFICATIONS: Diameter: 41MM Model #: 710059 Depth Rating: 200M Crown: Screw Down Width: 11MM Lug To Lug: 45MM Lug Width: 22MM Movement: 6041 In-House Vostok Caliber Automatic Jewels: 31 Power Reserve: 31 Hours Crystal: Antique Plastic Domed Link on AMAZON for VOSTOK Watches: http://amzn.to/2n1A2Rs
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AuthorErik Martin  Today we are going to talk about and examine one of my favorite timepieces in my current collection, that is the OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean 42MM with Omega In-house 8500 Co-Axial automatic movement. I have made a video about this watch comparing it to the Rolex Submariner( thats how good it is ) 114060 in my current collection as well which will be linked below for your viewing. Let’s start off with some basic specifications on this 600M Automatic diver from powerhouse OMEGA.  Diameter: 42 MM Width: 15.7 MM Lug Width: 20MM Crown: Screw Down Water Resistance: 600M , Helium Escape Valve Crystal: Domed Sapphire Crystal Front and Back with AR ( Anti-Reflective ) Coating Front / Under Movement: Calibre 8500 Co-Axial Chronometer Certified, Silicon Balance and Hair Spring ( Upgrade from Original 8500 ) Caseback: Exhibition Sapphire Caseback Displaying beautiful Geneva Stripes on Movement Power Reserve: 60 Hours ( Impressive ) Accuracy: Regulated in 5 Positions Chronometer Certified ( IN REALITY +2 Seconds a Day ) Bezel: 120 Click Unidirectional Ceramic Bezel with 60MIN Dive Markings Price: $6200 Retail from an Authorized Dealer Competitors: Rolex Submariner , Breitling Superocean , Others. Let me start off by saying I was never a big fan of OMEGA watches until I bought this watch. Omega never appealed to my tastes as other brands such as Rolex and Breitling due to them being less Flashy, and more straightforward timepieces in a way. They appear as tools to me rather than a statement or a "blingy" type of watch. They are definitely meant for the true watch enthusiast and collector. Omega has a very rich long history and has proved themselves over and over again throughout their production era. The planet ocean comes in two different sizes for this reference number - 42 and 45.5. I chose the 42MM because my wrist measures in at only 6.25" so I had to. The watch fits my wrist just fine , a little on the bigger side but definitely conforms to the wrist with the perfectly curved end links on the bracelet. The movement inside is not a long tried and tested movement but it is a rather new movement developed in house by OMEGA and is quite impressive for the price point. Let me remind you, you can buy one of these watches brand new for around $3800 on the grey market or even less used. Inside this manufactured Chronometer certified movement resides 39 Jewels , a very nice finished Rotor with Geneva Stripes, a Twin Barrel system helping with that power reserve , all displayed through an exhibition screwed down sapphire caseback, and does it Mesmorize me whenever I take a look at it ! Some enthusiasts may complain that the casebook has added some extra thickness to the piece and sits too chunky on the wrist but I do not have a problem at all and rather like a thicker watch anyway. The bracelet is completely brushed and extremely fluid while the links are held in with polished screws. The lume on this watch is also marvelous if you have watched my full review on youtube. While a Submariner being one of the most Iconic and popular diving watches in the luxury sector only gets 300M of water resistance, Omega goes above and beyond to show Rolex what they are made of equipping this watch with a Helium escape valve and 600M of true water resistance, all at a price point of 50 Percent less than a Rolex Submariner Ceramic model. In terms of Accuracy this watch keeps excellent time and has been since I purchased it 1.5 years ago brand new gaining +1 +2 seconds a day at max, pretty incredible for $3700 or $6200 , Right? Please do check out the video review where you can see a live Lume Shot and more detailed video of the watch  |
