Vostok Neptune Review

The Vostok Neptune is a colorful relative of Vostok�s popular Amphibia model. Like the Amphibia, the Neptune has a 2416b 31 jewel automatic movement and is rated at 200 meters water resistance. Both models feature a stainless steel case, Vostok�s typically thick acrylic crystal and the company�s standard weak lume. Where the two models differ is in the shape of the case and, in particular, the bracelet as well as the dial design. Additionally, to the best of my knowledge, Neptunes were not military issue Vostoks, despite using the same hardware.

As is obvious in the photos, the bracelet/lug design of the Neptune is unique to the Vostok line. Unlike most watches, the Neptune does not use a conventional lug and spring bar mounting system. Instead, the watch case has a notched end through which a pin is mounted. The end link of the bracelet is mounted on this pin to hold the bracelet on the watch. The overall look is rather unusual but nonetheless good looking to my eye. The obvious issue with this design, however, is that it would be very difficult to mount an aftermarket bracelet on a Neptune. That is a mark against the Neptune in my opinion because the stock bracelet is really just adequate. It is made of stainless steel and appears quite strong but it uses folded instead of solid links that frankly feel a bit tinny.

The most striking feature of the Neptune are the graphics on the watch face. The image is supposed to represent the sun setting over a lagoon. In addition, the chrome markers on the face are of the floating variety (they are mounted in such a way as to appear to float above the rest of the watch face). I can understand that the look wouldn�t appeal to everyone but for a Russian watch, this is positively festive in appearance. In addition to the watch face, the Neptune uses its own bezel design with a bezel insert, like many other diver style watches available. It should be noted that the bezel�s quality appears superior to that of most other Vostok models.

The Neptune measures 39mm in width (43mm including the crown) 43mm vertically (lug to lug so to speak), is 14mm in thickness and has a bracelet that is 20mm wide at the attachment point. For those who may be tempted to mount a custom bracelet or strap on this one, the central mounting notch/lug is just under a centimeter in width. Despite the quality of the bracelet, it is comfortable on the wrist (some folks have described the bracelet as a hair puller but I haven�t encountered that particular flaw). The Neptune was made in blue, green and brown. It doesn�t currently appear on Vostok�s website leading me to suspect that it has been discontinued. New models do appear on the bay however, and for a collector of Russian watches, the Neptune is certainly a welcome if offbeat addition.

Debaufre GMT 2 Review

On a waterproof leather band


















The Debaufre GMT 2 represents a number of firsts for me. It is my first Debaufre for starters (since the name change from Steinhart took place). It is also the first watch I own with a GMT capability. Lastly, it is my first Swiss watch with ETA's 2893-2 movement. These three firsts combine to make for a very pleasing experience.

As I mentioned in my previous review of the Ocean One diver, Steinhart had to change its name under the threat of litigation from another company who thought that their names sounded too alike for trademark purposes (Steinhausen is reportedly the company that had a problem with the name). Rather than roll the dice on a lawsuit, Steinhart took the high road and changed their name to Debaufre, in honor of an early watchmaker who developed several innovations in timepiece design. (For more information about the historical Debaufre watchmakers, this article discusses them about halfway down) After clearing their old inventory, Debaufre has now launched under its new name and brings a variety of interesting and affordable Swiss watches to the market through their website.

The GMT 2 being reviewed here is one of Debaufre's new designs. The watch features a stainless steel case, a stainless steel solid-link bracelet with a branded flip lock and screw pins (that also, thankfully, include solid end links; hollow end links tend to rattle and bend over time), a good sized, easily gripped screw-down crown and a fixed stainless steel bezel with a twenty-four hour scale engraved into it. The GMT 2 is a big watch in keeping with today's trend towards large men's watches. The case and bracelet feature a combination of brushed and polished stainless steel finishes that result in a very handsome overall appearance without being flashy or gaudy. In terms of size, the GMT 2 is 42mm in width (not including the crown), 50 mm lug to lug, 13 mm in thickness and has a 22 mm band lug width. This watch is no lightweight either. At just under seven ounces, it feels very solid on the wrist. The Debaufre also features a sapphire crystal with a cyclops magnifier (the best material to ward off scratches) and superluminova lume on the hands and watch face (the best glow in the dark method available short of tritium tubes). Water resistance is rated at 300 meters, which is seriously deep by anyone's standard. Don't worry about getting this one wet.

The most obviously interesting feature about the GMT 2 is that large red fourth hand on the face. That is the GMT hand. (For an in-depth discussion about Greenwich Mean Time see this page on Timezone). In a nutshell, the ETA 2893-2 movement in this watch can essentially track time in two different locations simultaneously. The conventional three hands (hour, minute & second) mark time locally while the GMT hand can be independently set to the time at some other spot on the planet. Once set, there is nothing else for the wearer to do. The two systems will track their respective time zones as long as the movement has stored power (And since this is an automatic movement, all one need do is wear the thing for it to keep going. There is no battery to croak on you). If you travel regularly or even make long distance calls to folks overseas, this feature is a wonderful convenience.

The ETA 2893-2 movement is considered one of ETA's high-end models and can be found in many well known brands. (ETA incidentally is the largest of the Swiss watch movement companies. Until recently they sold many movements to other companies for use in their watches. It is my understanding that this practice will be ending soon and many watch companies will have to look to other suppliers for movements. ( Aside-This is not a concern for buyers though. If a jeweler in east nowhere can service a movement, it will be an ETA movement). Sellita seems to be a popular choice and their SW200 movement has been well received.) Technically speaking, the 2893-2 movement is a 21 jewel automatic that runs at 28,800 bph with a 42 hour power reserve. In addition, the movement allows for hacking and hand winding. Subjectively speaking, this is one of the smoothest winding movements I have ever encountered. As someone who collects Russian watches, I am used to movements that sound like they are grinding up rocks as they are wound. This thing is so smooth that I thought it must be broken at first. It is really a pleasure to wind it up. The accuracy of this example is impressive, currently running at + 2 seconds after twenty-four hours.

To wrap this up, the GMT 2 is an all around terrific watch. It is solidly built and its water resistance and stainless steel construction pretty much assure that it will last for a very long time. It is also, to the best of my knowledge, the least expensive watch available with its combination of features (2893-2 GMT movement, stainless steel case, 300 meter water resistance & sapphire crystal). If you want the feel and performance of a high-end watch without having to worry about your significant other threatening to kill you for spending the money on one, this is your watch. That it looks as good as it does is icing on the cake.

As an aside, there is a nice article in this month�s issue of Watchtime about the name change from Steinhart to Debaufre.

Vostok Ministry Amphibia Review

Bracelet detail


Caseback detail


The signed clasp


The subject of this review, the Vostok Ministry Amphibia is mechanically very similar to the previously reviewed Vostok Amphibia. Both watches feature 200 meter water resistance, a thick, domed acrylic crystal, Vostok's rugged 2416b automatic movement and the company's trademark crummy lume. Where these two models differ is in the case design. Both are made of stainless steel but that is where the similarity ends.

The Ministry Amphibia is much larger than previous Amphibia designs. The cushion case measures 40 mm in width (43 mm including the crown), 14 mm in thickness and 45mm lug to lug. Additionally, the band lug width of this model measures 22 mm instead of the usual Vostok 18 mm standard. The overall effect is a much more solid feel on the wrist. The stock bracelet on this model is a stainless steel folded link design. The overall quality of the bracelet is somewhat better than that of previous Vostok models. It�s still not great (nothing a nice Watchadoo couldn't improve on) but it suffices.

Ministry Amphibias aren't the most common type of Vostok and their availability can be hit or miss. I picked up this one on the global tag sale from Zenitar's store for a pretty reasonable price. If you are a Vostok or Russian watch collector, a Ministry Amphibia would make a fine addition to any collection to say nothing of a good daily wearer/beater.

Everest Watchworks Re-Lume Review

After Mr. Parks worked his magic



After the re-lume. A Vostok with usable lume. A rare bird indeed!



The watch when I got it. Notice how the lume on the minute hand has crumbled away completely.


Not long ago, I received a ninteen-eighties vintage Vostok Komandirskie as a gift. The watch itself was in almost new-old-stock condition except for the lume. It had completely fallen off the minute hand and was powdering on the face as well. As many collectors of Russian watches already know, Vostok's stock lume is, quite possibly, the worst in the industry. It is, at best, weak and will barely remain visible for an hour after exposure to light, if it works at all. The condition of the lume on this example, however, presented me with a perfect opportunity to do a little upgrading to this common Vostok problem.

Like the old Omega Seamaster I reviewed earlier, I decided to send this Vostok off for a re-lume to Kent Parks at Everest Watchworks. Kent is a true craftsman who does high quality work for very reasonable prices. In the instant case, he was not only able to repaint the lume on the hands and face but also had an off white lume color available that looked consistent with the age of the watch. The new superluminova paint Kent applied glows brightly after exposure to light in a manner that a stock Vostok could never manage and remains visible for hours in the dark. Mission accomplished!

If you have an old watch that you would like to rejuvenate (this assumes that all is well mechanically) I think you will be very happy with the job that Everest Watchworks can do. In the instant case, I think that I paid $75 for this job. (Which is probably as much as a nos Vostok from this period runs these days admittedly. Obviously the relative cost of this sort of work needs to be factored against the value of the watch unless the piece is an heirloom or has some other sentimental value.) I am very happy with the results and now proudly own one of, perhaps, half a dozen Vostoks with quality lume worldwide :)

Casio G-Shock MTG-900 Review

The last time I had a new digital watch, digital watches were themselves a new idea. I can't remember what brand it was but I do recall that it had a green LED display and the batteries didn't last very long. You had to push a button to read the thing and it couldn't do much more than display the time but it was pretty neat for its day. Digital watches have advanced just a bit since then. The G-Shock being reviewed here is, without a doubt, the most sophisticated watch I own and Casio has even more advanced models available.

The Casio G-Shock line has earned an amazing reputation for durability over the last twenty-five years or so. The stories of abuse that these watches can take are really remarkable (see this thread at Watchuseek.com. According to the Wikipedia, the G-Shock was originally designed to be at least capable of surviving a 10 meter fall, 10bar water immersion and have a ten year battery life. The basic premise is that the watch employs a series of shock absorbers within the case that keep impacts from damaging the movement (called a module in Casio-speak). In addition to the ability to resist shocks, the case is also sealed against water and dust. As good as those original specs were, the current line goes even further when it comes to ruggedness. If you are tough on your watches, get a G-Shock-plain and simple.

The MTG-900 being reviewed her is a truly amazing piece of equipment. It has the usual G-Shock impact/shock protection and is water resistant to a depth of 200 meters, which should be deep enough for anyone. But, in addition to its toughness, this model has a two features that really make it special. First off, the watch is solar charged. The user need only wear the MTG-900 and its batteries will be kept alive through exposure to light. Like Citizen's Eco Drive line, the batteries in the MTG-900 should never need to be changed. As if that wasn't a nice enough plum though, this G-Shock goes it one better-it has atomic clock accuracy. No, there is no radioactive isotope decaying in the case. Instead, the MTG-900 has a tiny radio receiver inside it that picks up signals from the U.S. Atomic clock in Colorado and resets itself to atomic time automatically four times a day (it can also be reset to the atomic clock's signal at any time by pressing a button should you really be concerned about accuracy). As a consequence of owning a watch like this, I can now honestly say that I really know what time it is for the first time in my life.

Externally, the MTG-900 measures 44mm in width, 50mm lug to lug, and 15mm in thickness. The bracelet is integral to the case and tapers from 22mm to 17mm in thickness. The crystal is made of mineral glass and is recessed below a chrome plated bezel. The stainless steel bracelet of this G-Shock is unusual and very well done. It is not a solid link design but actually looks and wears like one albeit with a lighter weight which actually makes it very comfortable. There are cut-outs on the inside of each link to make adjusting the bracelet's size by removing links very easy and I do wish that other manufacturers would adopt a design like this. The clasp appears to be very strong and well-designed. Like most G-Shocks, the actual watch case is made of impact resistant plastic which on this model is colored to match the stainless steel color of the bracelet.

Timekeeping, as you can imagine with a watch like this, is flawless. For the heck of it, I opened up the time.gov page and compared it with the time on the G-Shock-spot on. The default display gives you the day, date (whose calendar is pre-programmed until the year 2039), month, hours, minutes, seconds, battery charge status and atomic time synchronization status. In addition, to the main screen (for lack of a better way to describe it) the MTG-900's other controls support 29 time zones (set by city location), 4 daily alarms and a snooze alarm, a time recorder that can remember 30 different time records, a stopwatch and an hourly time signal. If for some reason you keep this watch in the dark for extended periods, the battery will last for eleven months without light once fully charged (The watch goes into a power save mode which appears to shut off the display. Pressing a control will wake it up). Lastly, the watch face has a backlight that can operate in one of two ways. It can be manually activated by pressing the large "G" button below what would be the 6 o'clock position on the watch case. Additionally, the watch has a sort of smart light sensor built into it that will activate the backlight in low light conditions if the wearer quickly pivots the watch towards him/herself. Basically, flick your wrist and the light will turn on for a few seconds.

The MTG-900 is one of the most distinctive looking watches I have ever seen. It truly looks like nothing else out there while still managing to look very good, albeit it a high tech way. (One friend commented that it looked vaguely Klingon in style. I wouldn't disagree with that. The styling is both tough and aggressive). I would not recommend wearing a watch like this under a dress shirt (it is thick enough that the cuff button might not close) but, other than that situation, this G-Shock has no downside. It really does it all very well.

Steinhart/Debaufre Ocean One Review

The subject of this review, the Ocean One, is the first Swiss made automatic diver I have owned. (The previously reviewed Sandoz was only water resistant to 100 meters and thus was not fully a diver�s watch.) The watch came to me by virtue of a big sale that the folks at Steinhart are holding. The reason for the sale is related to that second name in the review title-Debaufre. It seems that another watchmaker(Steinhausen-whose watches are, to my knowledge, powered by Chinese made movements and look nothing like Steinhart�s) apparently felt that the names of the two companies were too close for trademark comfort, so to speak. Rather than spend lots of time and money defending themselves against a threatened lawsuit (and suits of this nature can drag on for years) Steinhart chose to change the name of their company. The name they went with (after making sure there would be no similar trade name issues) is Debaufre. Peter Debaufre was a watchmaker in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries who developed a new type of escapement mechanism and was the first watchmaker to set moving parts into jeweled pivots to cut friction and improve durability. The Steinhart folks feel that this is a fitting name that honors a largely ignored detail of watch making past. It�s a gutsy move on their part and isn�t without risk, the good will and P.R. that they have built up so far is now on the line. I personally wish them the best of luck as I have been a big fan of their watches. Anyway, with the change, the newly named company had an inventory of watches on hand that still had the old name and now needed to be to be sold off. Thus the aforementioned sale, which I think is still going on at the time of this writing. I won�t say what I paid for this one but the price was substantially lower than what it was a few months ago, and that original price was pretty good then.

On to the watch itself. The Ocean One is a big stainless steel watch, stylistically modeled on the Rolex Submariner but larger all around. The watch measures 42mm in width (46mm including the crown), 51mm lug to lug, 22mm band lug width and 14mm thick. The crystal is sapphire (best to ward off scratches) and includes a cyclops magnifier over the date window (the first I have owned that actually provides useful magnification). Internally, the Ocean One is powered by ETA�s 2824-2 25 jewel automatic movement, a proven workhorse known for its durability and accuracy. The lume on the hands and face is white superluminova, the best type short of tritium tubes. In my observation it remained visible for a few hours in darkness, more than adequate for most users. As for water resistance, the Ocean One is rated at 300 meters, which is more than high enough for just about anyone. 300 meters is seriously deep. The bezel rotates in a counter-clockwise direction only, with a nice firm action and has an embedded luminous marker. (The bezel on a diver�s watch should never move in a clockwise direction. If knocked out of position underwater it could accidentally extend a dive time past the safe limit of available air in the tank). The watch uses a heavy, solid link bracelet which thankfully included solid end links. (I am not a big fan of hollow end links, they tend to rattle and bend). The clasp is a flip lock design, that while not the best one of its type that I have seen (the adjustment range could be better), does get the job done well enough. (I have heard from the folks at Steinhart/Debaufre that the new models have an improved bracelet). Lastly, the watch can be hacked and hand wound and includes a nice sized, signed crown.

The Ocean One wears very comfortably despite its large size. In my opinion, anyone who appreciates nice watches would find a lot to like here . If, like me, you admire the looks of a Rolex diver but don�t have the coin for one (my kids and my $ go to private school I�m afraid) but don�t want to buy an obvious Rolex copy, the Ocean One is an excellent choice. It looks great, is quite accurate and should have no trouble surviving extended exposure to water. Best of all, it won�t break the bank. Grab one while you can.

Vostok Komandirskie 3AKA3 Review

On a Nilsen bund strap

This review is, in many respects, similar to the Vostok Komandirskie review that I did a few years back. However, there have been so many new old stock (NOS) examples of this model turning up on the global tag sale that I thought it would be a good idea to not only acquire an example but to see just what you get with one of these older models.

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The main feature about this particular Vostok that interested me is the lettering on the dial to the left of the 6 o'clock position. There the notation 3AKA3 appears. What this means is that this example was specifically ordered by the Soviet ministry of defense to be issued to a soldier. (It never was issued, however, and I acquired it new in the box with the tag still on and the paperwork included.) Models with the 3AKA3 designation are rarer than ordinary Vostoks which are simply labeled as being made in CCCP or, these days, Russia.

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This example's case measures 40mm in width (43 mm with the crown), 45 mm lug to lug, 11 mm in thickness and has an 18 mm band lug width. Unlike the previously reviewed model, this one has a gold-tone case (actually plated with titanium nitride). The movement is a Vostok workhorse, the 17 jewel 2414A that has a reputation for being very rugged. The watch uses a typical thick Vostok acrylic crystal and has the company's signature two-piece back. So far, it has been running quite well, gaining about 20 seconds a day. (That could probably be improved on with regulation, to say nothing about a cleaning and oiling given this model's age, but I can live with it.)

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In comparison to the newer Komandirskie I reviewed earlier, this older model is very similar. They both use the same movement and share the same overall design. The only significant differences are that the older Vostok has a larger crown (that resembles the crown used by the Amphibia series of Vostoks), and the shape of the bezel is somewhat different. The lume on the 3AKA3 seems pretty much inactive, glowing for only a few minutes after exposure to light, but even new Vostoks have lousy lume too. One detail about the old Vostok does merit mention though. The overall quality of the watchcase and it�s plating in particular, seems superior to that of the newer models. It just looks better finished to my eye. Other than that though, these watches clearly emerged from the same factory.

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In summary, I'm glad I finally got my hands on one of these. It is both a nice field watch and a historically interesting piece. If you are thinking about picking up one, and you have dabbled in Russian watches before, be forewarned-the time when these 3AKA3s could be had for $20 is over. Expect to see nice examples in the $60-$120 range these days, possibly even more. The market is finally catching up to even Russian watches I'm afraid, although there are still buys to be had.