Wrist Check 2014
Discussion
AlexC1981 said:
This is the watch that started it all off for me. On a NATO of all things.
The problem with Vostoks like the one I bought and the Scuba Dude is the bad lume, no ratchet on the bezel, no date adjustment other than moving the hands back and forth over the 12am position, and the supplied strap or bracelet must be discarded immediately
If you can live with the above they are cheap, tough and have a lot of character. The way the domed crystal sits in the case means that water tightness increases as the water pressure increases. The caseback has a screw down ring which presses the back (rather than screws) onto the gasket which means you can open the back as often as you like without damaging the gasket with a rotating back. The wobbly screw down crown is actually a feature to prevent damage to the stem. The Amphibia range on the whole are very durable and reliable. I bought another one for the first time in years quite recently. I'll get a photo up in a minute.
A sound justification and they are cheap as chips, but for me I felt that even at the price I paid (£45 on a nice new Hirsch leather strap!) the quality was poor.
The problem with Vostoks like the one I bought and the Scuba Dude is the bad lume, no ratchet on the bezel, no date adjustment other than moving the hands back and forth over the 12am position, and the supplied strap or bracelet must be discarded immediately
If you can live with the above they are cheap, tough and have a lot of character. The way the domed crystal sits in the case means that water tightness increases as the water pressure increases. The caseback has a screw down ring which presses the back (rather than screws) onto the gasket which means you can open the back as often as you like without damaging the gasket with a rotating back. The wobbly screw down crown is actually a feature to prevent damage to the stem. The Amphibia range on the whole are very durable and reliable. I bought another one for the first time in years quite recently. I'll get a photo up in a minute.
I'm not surprised to hear the stem broke and, generally, it feels like lots of old Soviet products, cheap, crude and badly made. I've actually never worn mine outside the house.
I didn't like it on the strap it came with (like having a knackered Beetle on Goodyear F1s!), so I bought a rubber diver's strap for it, which suited it better, but didn't make me like it any more.
I suppose I expected too much at the price, such is the enthusiasm that some have for these watches (and they always look so good in photos!
). I was kind of expecting Seiko 5 quality and it's not in the same century, imo.M
The thing with the Seiko 5 diver range (like the Fifty Fathoms I posted on the last page) is they are well polished but the 100m depth rating means they are not actually suitable for diving, whereas I'm quite happy to wear an Amphibia when swimming in the sea. I think the crudeness is part of the appeal. Think T-34 vs Tiger. Built to do a job without unnecessary frills.
One more 'quirk' that caught me out today ha! After tightening the crown you have to give the crystal a good flick to get it started again
I'm not sure why I'm banging on about them so much. I have as many Seiko 5s as I do Amphibias if you include a J.Springs which is a 5 in all aspects bar the name.
One more 'quirk' that caught me out today ha! After tightening the crown you have to give the crystal a good flick to get it started again
I'm not sure why I'm banging on about them so much. I have as many Seiko 5s as I do Amphibias if you include a J.Springs which is a 5 in all aspects bar the name.
AlexC1981 said:
The thing with the Seiko 5 diver range (like the Fifty Fathoms I posted on the last page) is they are well polished but the 100m depth rating means they are not actually suitable for diving, whereas I'm quite happy to wear an Amphibia when swimming in the sea. I think the crudeness is part of the appeal. Think T-34 vs Tiger. Built to do a job without unnecessary frills.
One more 'quirk' that caught me out today ha! After tightening the crown you have to give the crystal a good flick to get it started again
I'm not sure why I'm banging on about them so much. I have as many Seiko 5s as I do Amphibias if you include a J.Springs which is a 5 in all aspects bar the name.
I'm with you on the swimming thing - I won't wear a watch while swimming now unless it's got 200m+ rating. Even for just lolling about by the shore. I actually managed to water damage a G-Shock after a spectacular off while surfing, so it's a 1000m diver for that particular activity now.One more 'quirk' that caught me out today ha! After tightening the crown you have to give the crystal a good flick to get it started again
I'm not sure why I'm banging on about them so much. I have as many Seiko 5s as I do Amphibias if you include a J.Springs which is a 5 in all aspects bar the name.
AlexC1981 said:
The thing with the Seiko 5 diver range (like the Fifty Fathoms I posted on the last page) is they are well polished but the 100m depth rating means they are not actually suitable for diving, whereas I'm quite happy to wear an Amphibia when swimming in the sea. I think the crudeness is part of the appeal. Think T-34 vs Tiger. Built to do a job without unnecessary frills.
One more 'quirk' that caught me out today ha! After tightening the crown you have to give the crystal a good flick to get it started again
I'm not sure why I'm banging on about them so much. I have as many Seiko 5s as I do Amphibias if you include a J.Springs which is a 5 in all aspects bar the name.
I appreciate you doing so, I bought mine on a total whim and know next to nothing about them! One more 'quirk' that caught me out today ha! After tightening the crown you have to give the crystal a good flick to get it started again
I'm not sure why I'm banging on about them so much. I have as many Seiko 5s as I do Amphibias if you include a J.Springs which is a 5 in all aspects bar the name.
I've never taken a 5 diving and wouldn't have thought my Scuba Dude was up to the job, either, but it seems there's more to them than meets the eye
Maybe I'll take mine diving next time and grow to love it!
M.
dom9 said:
I had a look at a blue faced one in T4 on Sunday... I liked it a lot but can't get over the bezel - I want my numbers to be a contrasting colour!
I like it like that; very different from a Sub or really any rotating bezel watch. It's not a critical timing device like a diving bezel is supposed to be, just a timer and it's bi-directional.I like the blue faced one as well and there's a lovely one on tz for 5750 but I think I'd tire of it. This one is in with a chance of a long ownership I think
yeti said:
I like it like that; very different from a Sub or really any rotating bezel watch. It's not a critical timing device like a diving bezel is supposed to be, just a timer and it's bi-directional.
I like the blue faced one as well and there's a lovely one on tz for 5750 but I think I'd tire of it. This one is in with a chance of a long ownership I think
I think it was only a little over £6k brand new, in the airport (assuming the one on TZ is 2nd hand), which sounds like a good deal then. Was surprised to see one there to be honest - assume they're not great sellers, since one is there?I like the blue faced one as well and there's a lovely one on tz for 5750 but I think I'd tire of it. This one is in with a chance of a long ownership I think
I have my 16600 SD on today - The GMT II has finally got a break and may be sent for a service as it doesn't seem to much in the way of power reserve (around 12hrs, I reckon)!
dom9 said:
I think it was only a little over £6k brand new, in the airport (assuming the one on TZ is 2nd hand), which sounds like a good deal then. Was surprised to see one there to be honest - assume they're not great sellers, since one is there?
Crikey, that is cheap - they;re 7k new from memory!They've always cost more than their contemporary Submariners but don't hold their value as well - I think they miss out on the Rolex-for-the-sake-of-Rolex crowd. I like that though!
Also they have a triplock 300m crown with only a case water resistance of 100m, there are perceived issues reading white hands on a silver dial or th bezel timing in extremis etc. In a way, I am surprised they've remained in production so long relatively unchanged since 1992!
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