Vostok (which literally means “East” in Russian) is a watchmaker based in Chistopol Russia. The company produces mainly mechanical watches.
History of Vostok Watches
The company was founded in 1942 when a Soviet watch-making plant evacuated to Chistopol, a small town located on the Kama River. Initially, only military equipment was produced, but after the war was ended the company began to make mechanical wristwatches. The brand name “Vostok” was only used starting in the 1960s, named after the space programme of the same name.
Komandirskie and Amphibia
Vostok became an official supplier to the Soviet Ministry of Defence in 1965 – when they created the Komandirskie (“Commander’s”) watch. They then introduced the Amphibia, a stainless-steel diving watch. These classic examples are well-regarded amongst collectors as being solidly built and reliable mechanical timepieces.
In 2006, a new line of “Amphibia” watches was introduced. They featured the same 2416B 31-jewel automatic movement as the older watches, but the styling was updated with polyurethane and steel bands. A new version of the Komandirskie launched in 2007. Despite the new Komandirskie and Amphibia lines being introduced, the “classic” models are still widely available on eBay.
Buy a Vostok Watch
You can pick up any number of distinctively-designed Vostok watches at eBay. Click here to see what is available. They are relatively inexpensive so shop around for the best deal. The movements are accurate and reliable, and they can easily be serviced by a reputable watchmaker. Alternatively, if it breaks you can switch the whole movement out, as most are interchangeable. Both manual winding and automatic winding Vostok watches are available. We prefer the manual wind option, as they are cheaper and easier for an amateur to attempt to repair!
Vostok Amphibian 710634 Genuine Russian Military Divers Watch 2416B/2415 200m Auto Self-Winding Wrist Watch
There is also a range of new “Vostok Europe” watches which seem to be totally original designs, unrelated to the old Soviet timepieces. They are available on Amazon but cost far more than the older watches.
VOSTOK Europe – Men's Watch 6s11-320h264
You can read our hands-on Vostok watch review here: https://wristwatchreview.co.uk/long-term-review-vostok-komandirskie
LN LENQIN Mens Watches Ladies Watches Analog Quartz Watch for Men Women 30M Waterproof Watch Fashion Casual Men's Wrist Watches with Date Silicone Band Unisex Watch
