Vostok Amphibian

This is my second Vostok, an Amphibian in this case. I went with the a subtle green wave, I love green watches. The overall design is very clean, with an uncluttered dial. There are Arabic markers at the cardinal points with luminous pips at every hour. There is no chapter ring, but there are minute markers. The hands are very simple, a stick minute hand with an arrow hour hand with a bright white seconds hand. The luminous material is okay, better than other Vostoks, but it’s not a Seiko. There is some writing on the dial with a stylized Amphibian at 12 O’clock, with a 31 Jewels, Automatic, 200M, in Russian. There is a small Made in Russia at 6 O’clock. It is a plain, white printing, very sharp keeps the overall look clean an uncluttered.

The bezel rotates, but is bidirectional. There is a comically poor luminous marker at 12 o’clock. Finally, there is a date window at 4:30, which again, keeps the dial simple and clean. The date is black printing on a white date wheel.

Case and Crown

The case is stainless steel with a high polish on the top and sides of the watch and around 41mm across. The crown is large, screw down, and easy to grasp. It has the classic wobbly Vostok, which has a purpose, it prevents strain on the winding stem. This combination results in a 200M water resistance. The crystal is acrylic, thick, and domed.

The lugs are 22mm. The watch came on a folded metal bracelet, which is not horrible, but I put the watch on leather. The 22mm is handy, since I can share with my Seiko Diver’s.

The movement is an inhouse Vostok, 31 jewel automatic, ticking at 5.5Hz. The movement hand winds, but does not hack. Accuracy wise, it seems decent enough, holds within a few seconds a day, with a 40ish hour power reserve. The automatic winding is very efficient and quiet.

Case Back

The case back is a solid steel with all the typical markings, in Russian. Model, water resistance, and materials. It is a retainer clip design that is tried and true and adds to the water resistance.

I really enjoy this watch, the design is understated and clean. The watch wears well on a small wrist. It is a real step up the the Commandirski Vostoks, but you do pay more to get more. I like automatic watches and I appreciate not having to hand wind every day. If you are looking for a collectable, affordable, quality, fun, 200M diver’s watch, this is the way to go.

Case: 41mm diameter, stainless steel, 200M WR.
Back: Stainless Steel, wire spring retention.
Crystal:  Acrylic, domed.
Movement: Automatic with hand wind mechanical, Vostok 2416b, 31 jewel, 19,800 BPH, 40 hour power reserve.
Complications: Screw down crown, date.
Other: Luminous Hands and markers, rotating bezel.

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