The Vostok Amphibia Wristwatch: The Full Nick Shabazz Review

Today, we'll take a look at one of the cheapest mechanical watches on the market, the Vostok Amphibia.

[metalkingconqueror]

Vostok is not a no name brand, it is just virtually unknown in the West. It supplied Amphibia and Komandirskie watches to the Soviet ministry of defense and the public. The acrylic crystal has a functional purpose, it buckles under the water pressure instead of cracking. There is more to the story of this watch you could research if you're interested. It was a marvel of industrial design when it was introduced as it accomplished the basic functions of a Submariner and did it extremely cheaply (I am in no way saying the watch is better than a Submariner though, of course)

[haywoodf]

Nick, The crown is built to isolate movement impact loads from the stem. That is why it feels uncoupled when unscrewed. It is actually a "feature". Have a read about the seals design on front acrylic and back cover as they are innovative and arguably better fundamentally than some Western designs. The date versions are usually the same price. Vostok also claim 10Y before service is required. It is easy to regulate the movement. It is easily customised with a plethora of 3rd party and Vostok bezels and bracelets/bands etc. Some dude did a pressure test to destruction on WUS forum and it went bang at ~800m. The perspex crystal scratch just like the Omega Hesalite (trade name for similar material) on a speedy. The acrylic does have much better impact resistance and the reason why it went to the moon like that. They are tough SOB pieces and came out of a USSR military spec requirement. Am not promoting just stating some matter of fact you might find interesting.

[jongarzamx]

Let's be real here, we love this watch because it provides a way better conversation than any other piece 2000x its price.

[neutronalchemist]

The complain about the lack of day display is hardly understandable. That particular dial doesn't have it, but, for the same price is plenty of Amphibia models that have it. You could have chose one of those. It's like having bought a green car, and then complain because it's not red, when a red sample was on the same floor of the same dealer.
The wobbly crown is a design feature. It's connected to the stem only when you are pulling it. When you are not, the stem, and so the movement, is isolated from the crown, and that adds a degree of shockprofness to the design. More, when closed the crown becomes a tap whose only function is to push a flat gasket against the case and, since the crown metal is thin, it deformates under pressure so that the pressure aids the sealing. That scheme is repeated on the caseback and crystal. The more the pressure te better the case is sealed.
The crystal is acrilic, and acrilic is the material that better withstand the pressure, again because it adapts to the sealing the more as the pressure rises. The porthole of the bathyscaphe Trieste ( 10, 911m depth reached in the Mariana Trench, 1.25 metric tons per cm² pressure) was made of acrylic for this same reason.
The rant about quartz watches has no sense. Any cheap quartz watch keeps time ENORMOUSLY BETTER than ANY $-thousands mechanical certified chronometer. For few hundreds bucks you can buy a radio-controlled, titanium-cased, light-powered watch that will keep perfect time and withstand better than a Rolex, Omega, Breitling and so on ANY environment FOREVER (to keep better time than the watches above, $5 is enough). So why spend thousands of dollars on that mechanical crap? If you like mechanical watches, it has more sense to spend $80 for an Amphibia (at least, for that price, it has some serious waterproofing).
In my experience, the accuracy you can expect from a Vostok watch is the same you can expect from a Seiko 5. What cost more in watchmaking is the time of the watchmaker that fits and finishes the parts. The cheaper the watch, the less the time spent, the higher the variation. Are Seiko 5 worth to be bought?

[markalexander]

It’s made in Russia at the Christopol Watch Factory. It even says “Сделано В России” (Made In Russia), on the dial.

[unknownriderinbound]

Awful but charming beats pretentious and overpriced anyday in my book. Plus, plastic crystals don't contribute to the Global Sand Shortage!

[EDCAdventures]

Great video Nick. The Vostok is actually a marvel of watch engineering especially for the price. The wobbly crown is a design feature however annoying. I agree about the bi directional bezel a bit annoying. The plastic hesalite I believe? Crystal is one of the really cool engineering features. They designed the watch so that the more pressure put on the case the more waterproof it is and this applies to the crystal. Unlike hardlex or sapphire the plastic they use actually expands (about a millimeter) under pressure to make the watch even more waterproof. I also like the dual caseback it has a metal ring screwing down on the caseback instead of the normal screw caseback meaning if the watch has to be serviced or regulated you don’t have to replace the seal since it’s not being screwed down on.

[OttoVonChriek]

Николай, ты все-таки не русский. То как ты говоришь : Восток, Достоевский, так русские не говорят. А может быть это такая хорошая маскировка?

[kronossonork]

The lens is a Hesalite crystal that's also found on earlier Swiss timepieces like the original Omega Moon watch and on some earlier Rolex timepieces. It's very robust and at 200 metre water resistance, it's impossible to beat.
It's an underpriced horological classical timepiece that traveled through time.

[zanedomke]

If you criticize this watch, you are not the intended market for this watch.

[brianbuchert]

I’ve worn my Vostok 4 almost 3 months and the bezel hasn’t moved position once at all so the bezel is overstated as being an issue the Soviet navy wore them

[xDarkPrototypex]

Looks like they recycled a terminator!



Im not complaining tho, it would be kind of hypocrytical from a guy who wears a casio gst-b100d-1aer every day.

[BradGryphonn]

"What category would you like to choose, Griff?" "I'll go Quartz for 85 dollars, Nick".

[Alienking]

I got one for my father years ago, because he destroyed every watch he owned till now.
Just modded the bezel with an aftermarket one and a Seiko insert.
The Vostok survived, but it´s not very accurate.

btw: The crystal is extremely thick, so you can just sand it, polish it and you are ready to go. And if it's running fast/slow, just adust it !

[calebkleinhans]

I love the speed and energy in which you talk, keeps your show entertaining

[Redant]

I own two ( an Amphibia and a Komandirskie ) and I love them. I own the one your reviewing with a nato strap.

[TheSCk]

I actually like the Vostok's bezel. I prefer it to any clicky bezel that is not 60-click or bidirectional, because it is easier to set than a unidirectional one and it doesn't make any sound. Also, a clicky one at this price point wouldn't be very well aligned. I have never moved mine by accident, but that might be because mine is sloped and it has some cutouts to grab and turn it (110 case).
As for the acrylic crystal, the scratches can be polished, and the dome is cool. I think these are the best watches to wear to the pool/beach, and a NATO fixes the bracelet. The reason I wouldn't get a quartz instead is that there is no other no-date diver in the price range (that I know of), and even if there was one, the bezel would probably be misaligned and the seconds hand would not hit the markers. Certainly not a big deal, it just depends on what bugs you more.

[gusthesailor]

I'ts not a Patek .. it's not a Rolex .. it's not a Omega ... it's a Vostock ! and it's a good watch with a good water resistance by design .. the only bad point it's accuracy .. I think it's a QC problem (not regulated in factory) but if you are a watch nerd it's easy to regulate it to 4 or 5 sec / day

[wessamhamadneh]

Love your watch videos dude !!! Especially the quartz watch videos cause almost every watch enthusiast on YouTube believes mechanical or nothing. I personally like to enjoy watches at every price range. Keep em coming

[CaptainBeetheart]

Vostok is manufactured at the Chistopol Watch Factory in Chistopol, Russia. It’s located near Kazan, in Tatarstan.