Poljot Kirova Chronograph Reissue Review

It is with a bittersweet feeling that I find myself writing this review. Word is now trickling out that Maktime, the successor entity to Poljot that manufactured the 3133chronograph movement, has gone bankrupt. Unless some white knight arrives to either bail them out or buy the tooling for the movement, the 3133 is no more. While there is an apparently ample supply of 3133 chronographs on the world wide tag sale, once that supply is gone, that's it.

Ah well (sniff...), on to the watch. The Kirova chronograph in this review is one of several different reissue models of the original First Moscow Watch Factory Kirova chronograph. This particular example is one of the largest cased models of the Kirova reissues. It measures 42 mm in width (45 mm including the crown), 14 mm in height, 50 mm lug to lug and has a 20 mm band lug width. Most of the other Kirova reissues I've seen are typically 40mm in width.

Visually, this watch seems to combine the face design of the 1940's vintage one button chronograph with the two button control layout of the 1950's vintage Urofa powered chronographs. Despite appearances, only the hands on this model are lumed. The numbers, while colored as if painted with radium, do not glow in the dark. The case is matt finished stainless steel and the crystal is mineral glass. The case back and crown screw down and the watch is rated at 5 atm water resistance (which I would take with a grain of salt frankly). The original leather band was of indifferent quality so I replaced it with a padded Hirsch model.

Internally, this Kirova is powered by the venerable 3133 23 jewel hand-wound chronograph movement. The 3133 is a Russian made version of the earlier Swiss Valjoux 7734. The Russians bought the rights to the movement from the Swiss, raised the jewel count from 17 to 23 and increased the beat rate. It has served as the standard Russian chronograph movement for roughly the last 35 years. The 3133 is generally regarded as a fairly rugged movement (as mechanical chronos go) and it is known for it long 50+ hour power reserve.

I personally find this watch to be very attractive. The face and hands exhibit an old style charm that I don't encounter often these days. I think I would have preferred it if the designers had left off the date window but I can certainly live with it. I picked this example up a few years ago (when Russian chronographs were absurdly affordable) but I still see this model new on eBay from time to time. I think it's a keeper.

Leather Nato

I've been trying to find a strap that I liked for this Adi for a few years now. I think I've hit on a winner. The leather Nato above was procured from Nilsen's ebay watch band store (Randy passed away a few years ago but his wife now runs the place). Nice to see that the selection is still good and that the prices remain very reasonable. I think I paid about $26 shipped. Not bad at all.

Uzi Ballistic Long Term

The Uzi Ballistic has been my designated beater for about two years now. I have really made no effort to baby this watch. It's been dropped, banged around, immersed and generally worn with complete disregard for niceties very regularly. Except for a small scuff on one of the lugs, it looks very good and runs perfectly. I recently learned from one of my readers that the Ballistic has a ten year lithium ion battery in it. Given how tough it seems to be, that bodes well for the next eight or so years.

Test post

Trying out Google's iPhone blogger app.

TW Steel Icon Review

Its been a while since I bought a watch based on looks alone. In fact, I can safely say I had not done so since I began seriously collecting watches ten or so years ago. Well, there has to be an exception to every rule and that exception is the TW Steel model you see above. Fair warning, this review may read a bit like a travel gazetteer.

A little background first. For our twentieth wedding anniversary, my wife and I decided to travel to Montreal. Neither of us had ever been to Canada before and, since we weren't traveling with the kids for the first time (Yippie!!), it seemed prudent to stay close enough that we could get back to NYC quickly if need be. Montreal, if you haven't been there, is a fascinating city. There is a lot of very interesting history there. The scenery around the city in the Laurentian Hills is very beautiful, the underground city is genuinely remarkable, you can rent bicycles all over the place, and, despite the prevalence of French as a language, everyone was friendly and spoke English as well. ( I can speak a little French which was helpful at times but was by no means necessary) . The city has a very European character in many ways. There are brands and signage that we Americans don't usually see. Restaurants are both varied in national cuisines and plentiful. Lots of good shopping can be found. There are apparently more churches here than in Rome. All in all, Montreal struck us as a friendly and prosperous place with a lot to offer. We are already planning our return, this time with the kids.

What I didn't know is that Montreal seems to have a nice watch shop every few blocks. Even the small towns in the Laurentian Hills had some very nice stores. For a watch collector, this place is very nice indeed. In addition to the usual Tissots and Omegas and the like, there were brands available that I was aware of but don't really see in the States all that often. One store I stumbled on to carried a nice selection of Briel watches, while two others carried the Netherlands brand TW Steel.

TW Steel (The Watch in Steel) is a relatively new brand dating from 2005. They are located in Amsterdam and specialize in big to very big watches. Styles are very interesting ranging from conventional chronographs to aviators like the one above to huge 50mm models with canteen crowns. Movements run the gamut from quartz to ETA 2836-2 automatics. All of their models seem to feature a heavy, nicely machined stainless steel case in one of several finishes. Their leather bands are all very well done. The leather is in the 3-4mm thick range and the buckles are both solid and engraved. Bracelets appear to be all solid link and well made too. Crystals are mineral, some with sapphire coating. Many of their models have an auto racing theme and the company is apparently working with the Renault racing team.

The TW Steel Icon model you see above is sort of their entry level model. Visually, the Icon is a strikingly attractive watch to my eye. It is an aviator style watch with a 45mm stainless steel case (not including the big crown btw), a 22mm band lug width and a beveled mineral glass crystal. The Icon's caseback is nicely decorated and screws down. The movement is a Miyota 2415 3 hand quartz with a date function, a solid and reliable engine if not an exotic one. Water resistance is rated at 50 meters which is fine as this isn't a diver watch. The crown does not screw down (which actually doesn't bother me that much anymore as I've had the pleasure of stripping a screw-down crown recently) and the dial has no lume (Which I prefer to crappy lume anyway. If it ain't Seiko style superluminova or tritium tubes, don't bother).

I like this watch because it has that classic aviator watch look without the huge price tag. (Yes, I know that there are Chinese aviator watches with mechanical movements available for less than the $200 that this one cost me but their quality and overall feel aren't even close to the TW Steel's). I'm not prepared to drop $800+ dollars for a mechanical aviator and, frankly, I'm a little gun-shy about wearing one of those anyway as I've already had one spit blood on me (That's a story for another day). The Icon's rugged quartz movement should have no such issues. The watch has a nice heft to it and the overall quality feel is enhanced by the thickness of the leather band. The dial is very simple and easy to read and the dark hands offer excellent visual contrast. The date window is clear and easy to read despite the lack of a cyclops magnifier (which I think would detract from the look of the watch anyway).

If you are a fan of the Laco/IWC Fleiger watch look but want a more practical and affordable variant that is still solidly built, the TW Steel Icon deserves a good look. For what it's worth, it is one of the few watches I own (and I own just a few you know) that my wife really likes.

P.S.-I picked up this example at Poussiere de Diamants, a jewelry and watch store in St. Sauveur in the Laurentian Hills. Very nice folks with a good selection of both TW Steel watches as well as other brands. TW Steel watches include a 2 year warranty.

Rubber Bands

An Uzi Protector on a stock rubber band



A Seiko Tuna Can on its stock Seiko rubber band



A Debaufre Ocean 1 on a Modena band



A Debaufre Aircraft 8 on a Modena band



An Adi mil-watch with an integrated rubber band



An Uzi Ballistic on its stock rubber band



A modern Amphibia on a Modena band



A late eighties vintage Vostok Amphibia on an unusual stock Vostok rubber band with integral compass



A Seiko Landmonster on a stock Seiko rubber band



An Adi ana-digi diver on a Modena rubber band


As much as I like a well made leather watch band, there is no getting aound the sticky reality that they don't wear very well in hot or humid climates. For those of us who live in places with regularly changing seasons, this reality has created a little ritual every spring where the leather bands that held our watches so nicely during the fall and winter are removed an replaced with hot weather alternatives.

Now, if you want to spend some money and you have a watch that would appropriately benefit from an investment, get a nice solid link stainless steel bracelet. I've written several reviews where the benefits of a good bracelet are discussed. However, as the name of this review above suggests, there is another alternative for hot weather that works really well too. This is, of course the rubber (or silicon) band. This style of watchband is commonly offered as a standard accessory with many diver watches but, thanks to a variety of new designs, rubber bands can be retro fitted to just about anything these days. It doesn't hurt that the price of admission is also, generally speaking, very low.

In the photos above, there are a number of watches that either came stock with rubber bands or were fitted with them by me for hot weather wear. A well made rubber watch band is completely waterproof, light in weight and pretty durable. Sweat, water and grime should have no effect on them at all.

My favorite supplier of aftermarket rubber watchbands is Modena Watch Company (I have no connection to them if you are wondering). They have a wide variety of different bands available, and their prices are usually under $20. If one of your favorite watches is regularly sidelined for fear of ruining its leather band, an inexpensive rubber alternative is a no-brainer.

Seiko Landmonster SNM037 Review

On a WJean mesh bracelet










First off, let me start by saying that I don't particularly like the SNM037's accepted nickname, Landmonster. It sort of implies, to me at least, that the watch is not meant for the water. As this is a diver's watch with a 200 meter water resistance rating, I think a more descriptive nickname is called for. Additionally, with the exception of the hands, there is little that this watch shares with the SKX779 Monster. If I was going to nickname a diver with a built-in compass, I'd call it the navigator. However, since Landmonster is the name that seems to have stuck, I'll use it here too.

As anyone who owns a Seiko diver knows, Seiko has really just about perfected the concept and execution of the affordable mechanical dive watch. Like the Monster itself or the 007 or the 009, the Landmonster exudes that classic Seiko diver feel that suggests not only very high quality and durability but a price that you would think is a lot higher than it actually turns out to be. That Seiko can continue to hit one home run after another the way they do with these diver watches suggests a well oiled design and production system. The result of this team's work has allowed millions of ordinary folks worldwide to enjoy the experience of owning a quality made mechanical wristwatch. Here's hoping for many more such winners.

The Landmonster is a strikingly unique looking diver's watch. From it's large thick case design to it's two large crowns and it's rotating bezel, no one is likely to mistake this big Seiko for anyone else's creation. As for the nitty gritty, the watch measures 47mm from the bezel to the widest part of the crown guard (43mm without the crowns/guard), 51mm lug to lug, 16mm in width and a 20mm band lug width. In a nice touch that greatly facilitates switching bands, the lugs are drilled. (Seiko also includes a set of its very thick Monster/Tuna style spring bars. I wish the rest of the industry would switch to these. They are the best spring bars by far in my opinion) The crystal is Seiko's proprietary Hardlex and the bezel is counter rotating with a firm precise action. The lume on the dial and hands is Seiko's typically excellent Lumibrite. Overall, I'd rate the lume as better than the 007 but not quite at the Monster's level. That, of course, still makes nighttime visibility for the Landmonster better than just about anything short of a Monster or a tritium tube watch. (I've heard that the Seiko "Spork" has terrific lume that matches the Monster now.)

No discussion of the Landmonster would be complete without some time spent talking about it's most unusual feature, those twin crowns. The 2 o'clock crown is a conventional diver's watch crown. It screws down and sets the time and date. It is large and easily gripped but, otherwise, it is ordinary. The second crown, however, is interesting. Like the upper crown, it too screws down. When opened though, it serves to adjust the internal chapter ring surrounding the dial. That chapter ring has directional markers on it. The Landmonster, you see, is designed to take advantage of a little known trick that allows a watch to work like a compass. In the northern hemisphere, if you point the hour hand at the sun, and then adjust the chapter ring so that South sits exactly between the hour hand an the 12 o'clock mark, the chapter ring will now be showing a correct compass bearing. In the morning hours put the South marker to the left of the 12 mark, in the afternoon, to the right of it. Obviously, this trick doesn't work at night or if it is cloudy out but, otherwise, if you live in the northern hemisphere, this watch is a compass as well as a fine diver's watch. I do have one minor quibble with this system. The screw down crown on the compass ring does not lock the ring when tightened. It isn't a problem really but the chapter ring will move a little throughout the day when worn. I can live with that just fine but it might bother some folks.

Internally, the Landmonster is powered by Seiko's 7s35 23 jewel automatic movement. The 7s35 is a derivation of Seiko's very popular 7s26 movement. It differs in that it has two more jewels and no day complication. Otherwise, like the 7s26, the 7s35 neither hacks or handwinds (the automatic winder does the job of powering the watch) and is both reasonably accurate and quite durable. 7s series movements are generally reputed to be very long lasting, in part because they lack hacking and hand winding hardware and the wear and tear they cause.

Overall, the Landmonster is no one's idea of a dress watch. As a casual/sport watch though, it is superb. Prices on the Landmonster are all over the place from what I've seen. Expect a good deal in the low $200 range with retail in the $400 area (as of 5/11). Visually the Landmonster has the same sort of "wrist presence" that a Seiko Tuna Can has. That, in my opinion, it's big appeal. It is so large and uniquely styled that, if you like divers, it is really worth a serious look. It's build quality is excellent and, it works well on both the stock rubber diver's band or a nylon Zulu band. Another version of this watch, the SNM035 comes with a solid link bracelet. (I have a mesh bracelet on the way from Wjean. That is a combo I've been looking forward to trying out.) What it certainly is not, is dull.

Ed's Corner-The Book

If you like the Russian watch reviews here, I have compiled and edited them in an ebook. For more information, see here.

The Last Bargain: NOS Poljot 3133 Chronograph Review

Let me begin by stating that the title of this review is a bit misleading. The watch you see above is probably not the very last inexpensive new old stock (NOS) Poljot chronograph floating around on the world wide tag sale. If you are patient and look hard enough, others can be probably be found. That being said, however, inexpensive Poljot 3133s are nowhere near as common as the were a few years back. Frankly, you are far more likely to find a new Volmax with this movement (or one derived from it) on the high side of $500 nowadays. It's a shame that truly cheap 3133 powered chronographs are becoming scarce but I suppose the party had to end sooner or later. With the dollar as weak as it is now (circa 2011) and the reality that the 3133 is a terrific movement that is really worth a fair price, I'm really quite happy that I found this one for only $159.00.

The watch arrived, new in the box, with the tag still on and without a band. To be honest, the lack of a band didn't bother me as Russian leather bands have generally been a disappointment every time I've encountered them. The example you see above currently resides on a beautiful Hirsch Trapper that I picked up from Watchprince a few years back. It's a nice soft padded leather band that, I think, compliments the watch nicely. The watchcase itself measures 39 mm in width (42mm with the crown) 45mm lug to lug, has an 18mm band lug width and is 12mm in thickness. It appears to be made of chrome-plated brass with a snap-on stainless steel case back. The crystal is a domed type made of acrylic. Water resistance is not stated so I would assume little to none in this category. Lastly, there is no lume whatsoever on the hands or watch face. That's ok with me as this is clearly a dress style watch. This particular example was produced after the wall came down. The included paperwork states that the watch was manufactured in 1996. That is consistent with the "Made in Russia" mark at the six o'clock point on the dial. Earlier models would have been marked CCCP.

Internally, this Poljot is powered by a 23 jewel model 3133 hand-wound movement. The 3133 is based on the Swiss Valjoux 7734. Back in the seventies, the Russians purchased the tooling from the Swiss for the 7734, made a few modifications, and produced the 3133. (The Russians raised the jewel count from 17 to 23 and increased the bph (beats per hour) from 18000 to 21600 among other things.) The 3133 is a well regarded movement that is known for it's long power reserve per wind and relative ruggedness as mechanical chronographs go. Despite the age of the design, it is still in production today and is often found in watches that cost many times what the model above ran me.

The watch itself works flawlessly. The winding mechanism is very smooth and the chronograph starts, stops and resets to zero perfectly. (On a 3133, you start and stop the chronograph with the two o'clock button and reset the hands with the 4 o'clock button. Do not press the 4 o'clock button while the chronograph hands are running. You can damage the movement that way.) The watch is not considered very large by today's standard but, for a dress watch, that's good in my opinion. The combination of the shiny chrome plated case and the silver finished hands produce an elegant and classic look, I think, that goes well with a suit or in an office environment.

If you are interested in acquiring an inexpensive mechanical chronograph, I highly recommend these Poljot 3133s. The movement itself has withstood the test of time nicely and remains a popular little engine today. That new examples now command fairly high prices is a testament to the quality of the design. Better still, if you can locate an inexpensive new old stock model like the one above, you'll be getting a bargain to boot. Don't wait too long if you want one of these though. There really aren't that many low priced examples out there anymore.

Finally got this old 2409 together

The movement in this Vostok case, a 2409 stemwinder, has resided in an old tonneau case that I had lying around. It looked good but the build wasn't correct. The tonneau case was generally built with the older 2209 movement, not the more modern 2409. The setup you see above is what it should look like. The watch case outwardly resembles a modern Vostok Amphibia but, on closer examination, you might notice it is thinner and has a flatter case back. That's because this was an earlier breed of Amphibia that was designed to use the 2409 manual wind movement, not today's 2416b automatic that is found in the current Amphibias. The dial case combination above is correct to the best of my knowledge. I have seen two other examples of this style for sale on the world wide tag sale which lends credence to the notion that it should look this way. Irrespective, the finished result is very handsome in my opinion and keeps time flawlessly. I may even treat this one to a re-lume job one of these days.

Vostok Generalskie Desert Shield edition

The Desert Shield Generalskie represents a fascinating piece of history between the United States and the Soviet Union. Here is a Russian made Vostok watch, the standard supplier to the Red Army, building a watch for the U. S. Army during Operation Desert Shield. As I understand it, some 200,000 pieces were ordered for sale. The watches were advertised in Stars & Stripes, the U.S. military's newspaper, at $99 for service personnel or $149 for everyone else. The distributor reportedly presented one of these watches to then President Bush and another to Senator Kerry. Several different cases and movements were employed by this series of watch. To the best of my knowledge, there was the Generalskie model you see above, an Amphibia, a Komandirskie and a mini Komandirskie. Movements apparently varied from the old 21 jewel 2416b to the 2409 and the 2414a, I believe. For more information, see this excellent post at the Military Watch Forum.

The Generalskie model above uses a case style that has unfortunately been discontinued by Vostok. It outwardly appears similar to Komandirskie models of the period except that the case is significantly larger than the bezel. Like the Komandirskie, the case is made of chrome plated brass and features Vostok's signature acrylic crystal and wobbly screw-down crown. This particular example came to me by way of eBay. It was advertised as being new old stock (NOS) but in fact had a scratched bezel and lug. I fortunately had another bezel of the same design to replace the damaged one and a little of my wife's clear nail polish should protect the exposed base metal on the lug hopefully. Such is life when shopping on the bay. Caveat emptor.

Aside from these issues, the watch appears to be running fine. Accuracy seems to be in the typical Vostok range of 20 seconds or so deviation per day. Not bad for a 20 yr old mechanical watch in my opinion. The old style Generalskie case goes well with today's large watch trend. It measures 45mm in width (including the crown), 48mm lug to lug and uses Vostok's standard 18mm band lug width. The stock leather band had dried out and become quite brittle so I replaced it with a padded leather Hirsch band that suits it quite nicely.

I am quite happy to own this historically interesting watch. It represents a brief moment in time when two old enemies found some common ground between them. It would have been most interesting indeed if the cooperation that this watch represents could have continued and strengthened over time. Who knows what sort of world we would be living in now?

The Vostok Komandirskie Revisited

On the Brown leather replacement band

Freshly unwrapped on the original black band



It's been a few years since I did a review of a new Vostok Komandirskie. I was curious to see if much had changed since the last time I picked up one of these. When this one became available, I took the plunge so to speak. (For what it's worth, buying a Vostok is never much of a plunge, financially that is. This model appears on Zenitar's ebay store from time to time for less than $50). The example above has the insignia of the Russian Space Forces launch crew as I understand it. There are pictures of it aboard the International Space Station which was enough to get me interested. I'm pleased to see that the Komandirskie is still a solidly made mechanical watch that sells for a bargain price.

The Komandirskie these days is still powered by Vostok's 2414A 17 jewel stemwinder movement with a date display and a screw-down crown. The 2414A has an excellent track record for durability and acceptable accuracy. The case is still made from chrome plated brass and the caseback is still the Vostok 2 piece stainless steel water resistant design. (Note-Water resistant means washing your hands, rain and maybe immersion to a depth of one or two meters. For diving, go with a Vostok Amphibia. It is rated at 200 meters water resistance and is more robustly made. For a good article describing the differences between the Komandirskie and the Amphibia see this post at Watchuseek.com Another terrific Vostok article can be found here). In common Vostok fashion, the caseback is intricately decorated, this model sports the Imperial Russian 2 headed Eagle (Symbolizing the Tzar's role as head of church and state I believe).

The Komandirskie still uses a domed acrylic crystal. The choice of acrylic has the disadvantage in that it can scratch fairly easily. However, unlike glass, it is very shatter resistant and scratches can be polished out with a cotton ball and a little toothpaste from time to time as needed. (There are proper watch crystal polishes available that do a better job if you are interested. Crystal Clear and Polywatch work very well).

In typical Vostok fashion, the stock watch band is of so-so quality. I replaced it with one from Nilsen's ebay store (I recall that Randy Nilsen sadly passed away a few years ago. I believe his wife now runs the place). In the past, Vostoks were usually sold without bands in a plain plastic box. The buyer was expected to pick a band that suited them. I personally believe that Vostok hasn't quite gotten the stock watch band idea yet. They really should ship a better quality band. It would do a lot for their overall image.

Vostok's Komandirskie line is something of a design classic these days. It has been around since the 1960's, I believe, and is still largely made the same way. While the Komandirskie was originally marketed to the Soviet military, Vostoks are now popular in civilian markets as well. It is true that one could certainly quibble that chrome plated brass and acrylic crystals are not the latest or the greatest choices. That being said though, they are both quite durable and should last for years. Realistically, at the Komandirskie's price point, plastic cases and simple digital displays are more the norm. That Vostok can still produce a well made 17 jewel wristwatch for an affordable price is really quite remarkable. And that this example has a space program connection of sorts is just icing on the cake for me. Recommended.