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Show Us Your Modded Vostok Amphibias

adamchur

adamchur

Does anybody out there wear a Vostok Amphibia ?
Have you replaced the cheap, nasty "bear-trap" folded link factory bracelet with a comfortable, quality solid link bracelet, or perhaps a rubber, leather, Nato or Zulu strap ?
If so I hope you auctioned the cheap factory bracelet on eBay to make some of your money back !! (asset-stripping)

Have you swapped out the bezel, either with a different Amphibia one or maybe with a cool looking custom bezel ?

Show us some pics of your Amphibias........
Here are mine
attachment.php

Black Dial 060 with a 710 Bezel and 18mm solid link brushed stainless bracelet
Blue Dial 100 on 22mm Shark-mesh bracelet
Black "Scuba Dude" Dial 710 with custom 420 Bezel and 22mm solid link Oyster bracelet
Blue Dial 090 with 120 Bezel and 22mm solid link "Breitling Bentley" style bracelet

For anybody who hasn't removed an Amphibia bezel..........

Put paper or polythene on the tip of a butter knife to protect the bezel and watch case
Insert the tip of the knife between the bezel and watch case
Twist gently - the bezel should come off

If your replacement bezel doesn't already have a spring fitted - there is a copper wire spring inside the rim of the bezel which you can salvage and fit to your replacement bezel

Press your replacement bezel firmly onto your watch - this may take a bit of trial and error, but you'll know it is secure when the bezel turns smoothly

060, 420, 120, 100, 110 and 720 model bezels will fit on to all 060, 420, 120, 100, 110, 720 and 090 watches
Unfortunately 090 bezels will only fit onto 090 watches
 
chongo gordo

chongo gordo

Slightly off topic, but some years I had a couple of Soviet era "military" wristwatches that may have been Vostok. Had to unscrew a waterproof cap before winding. I loved the look, and it was an affordable mechanical movement; but each conked out in short order.

Are there different levels of quality for these?
 
adamchur

adamchur

oc_in_fw said:
Will the spring try to fly away when you pop the bezel?
Click to expand...
The spring is a piece of crimped copper wire. There is a ridge inside the rim of the bezel, The tension holds the spring firmly onto the rim.
$20161209_110150.jpg$20161209_110217.jpg
 
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adamchur

adamchur

chongo gordo said:
Slightly off topic, but some years I had a couple of Soviet era "military" wristwatches that may have been Vostok. Had to unscrew a waterproof cap before winding. I loved the look, and it was an affordable mechanical movement; but each conked out in short order.

Are there different levels of quality for these?
Click to expand...
I think I know the sort of watch you mean, it's a big, heavy looking beast, but it wasn't made by Vostok
Invicta still make watches with the waterproof cap protecting the crown, based on the old style Russian diver watches

Old military Vostoks are prized by collectors and some good looking reconditioned ones are often available on eBay, usually from Ukrainian sellers
I've never wanted to buy one because I've read about a lot of "Frankenwatches" that are assembled out of odd cases, movements, dials and hands

Vostok Komandirskie is a good, cheap mechanical watch available with 101 different dials and 2 different case styles in both gold and stainless
I've read that they're very reliable, but the case size is too small and dainty looking for my liking - the low price and solid build makes them ideal for kids though

There is an automatic version of the Komandirskie, but it is basically an Amphibia 420 with lower water resistance and a leather strap - for a few extra dollars the 420 Amphibia is better value

Amphibias are probably the best value for money at around $50 - $60. Fit and finish can be a bit touch and go, but for what is essentially a budget 200m diver watch, most flaws are purely cosmetic

Vostok Europe makes the high end watches
 
Ad Astra

Ad Astra

The Instigator
The Maratac two-piece band.

Love the Maratac multi-buckle bands, but not all watch pin sets can clear the strap ... with the two-piece, it works.





This one is silver, and yeah; I need a better camera/phone.

AA
 
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chongo gordo

chongo gordo

adamchur said:
I think I know the sort of watch you mean, it's a big, heavy looking beast, but it wasn't made by Vostok
Invicta still make watches with the waterproof cap protecting the crown, based on the old style Russian diver watches

Old military Vostoks are prized by collectors and some good looking reconditioned ones are often available on eBay, usually from Ukrainian sellers
Click to expand...

The watch I owned looked like this:

$Screen Shot 2016-12-09 at 11.45.45 AM.png​

I also had a paratrooper model. These were common, and cheap, at flea markets. Obviously a second hand watch at a flea market is a bit of a risk, but I was 0 for 2. I may be tough on watches though. My Invicta faired only marginally better.
 
Kazeryu

Kazeryu

Fun pics.

I have swapped bezels once or twice, but always swapped them back after deciding I liked the original ones better. Maybe I'll buy some other Vostoks with ugly bezels someday and swap those instead.
 
adamchur

adamchur

Just for fun I decided to mix and match again.....

View attachment 712069

060 with 710 Bezel
100 with 120 Bezel
710 with Custom 420 Bezel
090 with 100 Bezel

View attachment 712070
View attachment 712071

060 on Generic Solid Link Oyster Bracelet with Deployment Clasp and Flip-lock
100 on Generic Sharkmesh Bracelet with Deployment Clasp and Flip-lock
710 on Generic Solid Link Engineer Bracelet with Deployment Clasp and Flip-lock
090 on Generic "Ploprof" style Sharkmesh Bracelet with Heavy Duty Deployment Clasp and Flip-lock
 
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