Some fine old Vostoks

Pictured with a modern Amphibia to illustrate the difference in case size.



Not really a review this time. Just a few photos of a pair of Vostok Cosmonauts and another model bearing the image of a Vostok spaceship that I recently acquired. The graphic on the two Cosmonauts, showing a profile view of a cosmonaut wearing a helmet, is hard to come by. To find two of them in excellent condition was real luck. The black one is even more unusual. It uses an older style case design that is considerably larger than current Vostok Amphibia cases. Not a common case style at all. All three models use the 2416b automatic movement, are rated at 200 meters water resistance and have Vostok's thick acrylic crystal. All are running strong thankfully. Some posters at Watchuseek.com have speculated that the one with the silver colored dial actually has a picture of an atomic bomb on the face. Levenberg's book Russian Wristwatches, however, identifies it as a spaceship.

The Russian Watch Forum Vostok Amphibia Radio Operator

I know that's a mighty long title on this review but then this is a special watch. Collecting Russian watches is interesting to me because so many of them have a story behind them. Whether it be the Type One with its American designed and Russian made pocket watch movement or the first watch to be worn in space, there is often a lot of history to be had. The watch you see above has now become part of that Russian watch history as well. This Vostok, you see, is really the watch that watch collectors made.

The story began in Italy when the members of the Orologiando watch forum got the idea to commission Vostok to make a watch for them. The design they settled on was a variation of the old Vostok Radio Operator watch. This one, however, would use the Vostok 2416b 31-jewel automatic movement, instead of the 17-jewel stemwinder that the original employed. The new model has a white face instead of black and uses the modern Amphibia case. In a nod to Vostok's military heritage, the new model has the notation 3AKA3 on the dial (The old Soviet acronym for "By order of the ministry of defense. Update-A reader on Watchuseek pointed out that 3AKA3 isn't an acronym. It is the Russian word for "Order". Good to know.). The Italian forum members then contacted the Russian watch community at Watchuseek.com to see if anyone wanted in. The response from both forums was enthusiastic and the order was placed. Two variations were ultimately ordered, a model with a date window and the no-date model you see above. (To read the story of how this got started, see here)

After a few months of exciting updates showing the progress that was being made at the factory, the watches began to arrive. As you can see, the case back is engraved with my name and a number indicating it was the fifth of the one hundred-five of this series. (Some buyers opted to engrave their case backs in Cyrillic text). My example came with a polished stainless steel folded link bracelet. It wasn't a horrible bracelet but, as collectors of Vostok watches know, it was not of the greatest quality. I decided to replace it with a Rios waterproof leather/nylon band. I think it is a good fit. As for the rest of the watch, pretty much everything I have said in my previous Amphibia review is still true. The Forum Radio Operator is as good a field watch/diver as my previously reviewed Amphibias. This one, however, will not be subjected to harsh conditions. It is, after all, a special watch.

As an aside, the place where I got this Rios band has a Russian jeweler on staff who has experience servicing Russian watches. I brought in an Amphibia in a few weeks back whose date was changing at 9pm instead of midnight. I figured I would get the usual western jeweler treatment when I present a Russian watch, which is a flat out rejection. Instead, the owner looked over the watch, correctly identified it as a Russian piece and then told me that he had a guy who could take care of it for me. They did, in fact fix it, for a reasonable price. Something to think about if you need a Russian piece serviced in New York at least.

Watch Band Combos Revisited

I've been experimenting with different watch band combinations lately. It is interesting to me how the look of a watch can be completely changed with little more than a new band. The pictures above show the same three watches in various different guises. I picked these Debaufre/Steinhart models for three reasons. They are well built and affordable. Any one of them would be a perfect choice for someone who only wants one watch. (horrors!) Lastly, their looks really change quite a bit with the different bands.

The simplest and least expensive of these combinations is a nylon band. There are loads of online vendors for these styles. (I got the ones pictured here . These folks have a great selection too.) On watches like those pictured, a nylon band really creates a good military look. If you look through old watch catalogs, you will see a lot of sport and military watches with leather bands. It's not the most common of looks today but I think it merits consideration. A good leather band can give a diver or chrono a nice vintage style. Lastly, a stainless steel bracelet produces that modern sporty look and feel to say nothing of being very durable.

The best part of playing this game is the economy of it. While new watches can be pricey, watch bands are generally affordable. Get a nice watch for yourself and a few different bands to dress it up or down for whatever mood strikes you. Not a bad way for a watch collector to ride out hard economic times.

As an aside, my favorite source for watch bands is no more. Randy Nilsen, who's ebay shop I have mentioned many times in previous reviews has passed away. He was one of the good guys and will be missed indeed.

Debaufre Aircraft 8 Review

On a 26mm rubber diver's band for hot weather










A month or so ago, I was given a fake Bell & Ross Instrument watch. (Ed climbs up on soapbox) I will not wear a fake, (Defined by me as an item with a brand name that was not built by its real maker). I personally think that wearing fakes is really cheesy. So, off to my brother-in-law it went. (Yeah, I should have just trashed it but he liked it. So sue me.) Period. Hmmm....well, that being said, as absurd as I felt when I put the thing on, I have to admit that it looked really good. (As an aside, this fake was really amazing. All the markings, including those on the case back, were correct. Scary.) What to do? Enter the Debaufre Aircraft 8.

The Aircraft 8 is Debaufre's homage to aircraft instrument clocks. (An homage, again defined by me, is an ode to another design. It is art based on art without the rip-off. An homage is sold under its own name and, like the Aircraft 8, goes its own way with its detail execution.) The basic idea behind this watch is that it looks like the clocks found in an airplane cockpit, just smaller. As such, it fits in well with Debaufre's military and sport themed collection.

On to the Aircraft 8 itself. The watch is quite large, measuring 44mm on each side and 52mm from lug to lug. This might be an issue if your wrist is much below 6 3/4". (On the other hand, that size gives it it's striking looks.) It is 10mm thick and uses a sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. As watch crystals go, this is about as good as they get, both in regards to scratch resistance and visibility. The leather band that ships with the Aircraft 8 merits special praise. It is a thick slab of leather that really compliments this watch perfectly. Measuring 26mm in width at the lugs, it is really very well done. The superluminova lume on the Aircraft 8 is pretty good. The hands glow very nicely for several hours in darkness. The numerals on the face are also lumed, but are not as bright as the hands. The Aircraft 8 has a large knurled crown with the Debaufre star etched into it that is very easy to grip for winding and setting. Lastly, the case is rated at 3atm water resistance, which is fine as this isn't a diver's watch.

Internally, ETA�s tried and true 2824 25 jewel automatic movement powers the Aircraft 8. (The 2824 is an ETA workhorse. It is rugged and accurate and any jeweler worth his salt should have no difficulty servicing it should the need arise in the future.) My example is running at +7 seconds so far which is perfectly acceptable. The watch can be hacked and hand wound, if those features matter to you.

Given its shape, you might be tempted to think that the Aircraft 8 wears like a stainless steel brick on the wrist. Fortunately, as the pictures above hopefully convey, the designers of this watch had the sense to build in a curve to the case back. The effect is similar to that of watches having curved lugs. It makes the watch sit more firmly and comfortably on the wrist than a flat case back model would.

In summary, if you like the cockpit instrument look but can't drop 3 grand for one, check out the Aircraft 8. The build quality is excellent, the movement is a proven winner and it looks terrific. Additionally, Debaufre sells several other versions of this watch, an all black PVD model and two models with luminous dials.

As an aside, photos of this watch really don't do justice to it. This is purely subjective on my part but I really think that the Aircraft 8 looks substantially better in person.

Addendum-One reader asked if it is possible to wear the Aircraft 8 with a dress shirt. A good question really as most large watches simply cannot fit under a shirt cuff. I didn't realize it but I answered this question for myself when I wore the Aircraft 8 to work while wearing such a shirt. The watch fit without the usual contortions involved in wearing a big watch. That's one of the advantages of a watch that is 10mm in thickness. To help illustrate this, I have attached below a side by side shot of the Aircraft 8 with a Seiko Monster. I hope it illustrates the point fairly well.

The Nato band

I've gotten a fair number of questions through the years about how to wear a Nato band. The pictures above illustrate how it should look when worn. The watch is a fairly typical Vostok Amphibia, the same watch seen below on a waterproof leather band (fully reviewed here), a good choice for a Nato as the stock Vostok bands and bracelets are not of the best quality.

The Nato style is a nice match for sport/military watches. It is adjustable for almost any size wrist and water can't harm it. It also has a unique look to say the least. It doesn't hurt that Nato bands are generally very affordable too. A good selection of reasonably priced models can be found here.

Incidentally, if you are curious about the origin of the Nato strap, see this thread on Watchuseek and this pdf file.

Waterproof Leather

I recently discovered waterproof leather bands. I don�t know how I managed to miss this before. Gotta tell you, if you have a heavy watch, like the divers above, and you want to make them more comfortable for daily wear, this is the way to go. You can still get things wet without worry but the whole package is lighter and easier to live with. I got this one at Central Watch band Stand but there are many vendors online with these bands. Google Hirsch Marine to find some of them.

The first watch shown btw is a Vostok Amphibia. The one below it is a Seiko SBBN007. The last one is a Debaufre Ocean One Classic Edition. The Classic Edition, in particular, really has an old time diver watch look with the leather band. Both are winning combinations in my opinion.

Adi Watch Review-IDF Ana-Digi Diver

When I first encountered the Adi IDF watch, my first thought was Breitling Pluton. As it turns out, I was close. Both watches use very similar Miyota analog/digital chronograph movements (see here for a database of these movements and this post on Watchuseek.com for a discussion of the Pluton) with the same functions, but their control layouts are slightly different. The watch seen here is designed for and used by Israeli soldiers. I have confirmed from a representative of Adi that this model is both issued by the Ministry of Defense and ordered by individual military units with their specific insignias. (As I understand it, they have several other styles that are also military issued as well. I'll post an update with that information when I get the details straight). Adi, as I discussed in the previous review below, is Israel�s only domestically produced watch. The factory is located on Kibbutz Yavne between Ashdod and Ashkelon, south of Tel Aviv. They make a number of different watches and I have now located an online dealer who proved both friendly and responsive to my inquiry about them. In addition, the folks at the factory have plans to augment their existing website with more English language content for those of us who aren't fluent in Hebrew.

The Adi IDF watch is an interesting piece of equipment. Visually, it�s a big watch, measuring 47mm in width (including the crown & pushers, 42mm without them) and 12mm in thickness. As style goes, The IDF has a purposeful, military look to it. (One poster on the Poor Man's Watch Forum said it looked Klingon :) It does exhibit that no-nonsense attitude). The watch uses an integrated rubber diver�s band that is secured by four pins with Seiko style collars. The case is advertised as being made of nickel-free stainless steel and has a matt finish on all but the screw-down case back. This Adi uses a domed mineral glass crystal that is protectively set below the level of a rotating bezel (as opposed to, say a Vostok Amphibia, whose crystal rises above the level of the bezel and can collect scratches more easily). The watch is rated at 200 meters water resistance, which is accomplished without using a screw-down crown. In terms of lume, this model uses what appears to be superluminova on its hands and face. (The lume on the hands lasted quite long in my experience but the face markers faded in a few hours. The lume is not in a Seiko diver's league, but its not a bad performance overall though.). If you like the feel of diver�s watches with rubber straps, you�ll like this watch. The case design is curved in such a way as to allow the watch to sit very firmly but comfortably on the wrist. Incidentally, the graphic on the face of this model is the emblem of the IDF paratroopers. Other unit insignias are available as well.

Internally, the Adi IDF is powered by a Miyota (Citizen) T201 quartz analog/digital chronograph movement. Accuracy is excellent, as is to be expected from a quartz movement, and the battery life is rated at three years. In terms of capability, there isn�t much that this watch can�t do, as timekeeping goes. The analog hands work predictably and the face includes a twenty-four hour scale should you need to track time that way. Where things get interesting is in the function of that digital display. The display includes a second time zone in either a 12 or 24 hour scale, the month, day and date, a chronograph timer (that is accurate to hundredths of a second), an alarm, an hourly chime and a display light. These various functions are controlled and set by the pushers on the sides of the watch and were not at all difficult to figure out. Lastly, the movement can be hacked if that feature is important to you.

The Adi IDF is an excellent field/diver watch. It is not hard to see why Adi markets this to the military. Its capabilities should prove quite useful in the field and it appears to be very rugged. Additionally, at less than $100, it won�t break the bank either. My one concern about this watch was the integrated band. Realistically, a rubber strap will need replacement after a few years. The folks at IsraeliProducts.com were helpful in providing me contact information directly to Adi where I learned that a replacement band could be obtained when the time comes without any issues. The people at Adi are apparently comfortable with providing that sort of service when it is required. Nice to see a company that stands behind its product. With that concern addressed, I have no problem recommending this watch for anyone who needs a solid sport/diver or is perhaps in the armed services as well.