Graham
3T WIS
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As an unashamed collector of chronograph movements, I have been looking at the various offerings with the Poljot 31681 on board. I already own a number of various Russian brand watches, so I know more or less what to expect - and what not to expect! The stalwart, legendary 3133 movement (in essence the Valjoux 7734) has been very popular with a good track record for reliability and robustness.
Personally, up until recently I have found Russian watches very predictable, and without much to get excited about. Besides, the dials are normally so full of propaganda, pictures, badges, wings, etc....
Having said that, a lot has changed in the Russian watch industry, and Vostok Europe in particular have been offering some very attractive "western" design watches. If you have been following the history of the Russian watch brand saga, you will have noticed that Poljot as a brand just about disappeared when Volmax started marketing its own 3 brands.
Anyway, I noticed that some really attractive Poljot branded chronos were advertised lately, and decided to pull the trigger on one, mainly for the movement.
What a pleasant surprise when the watch arrived! This is really one of the best offerings from Russia I have come across. The dial is a very attractive matt white. The hour markers and hands share the same deep blue clour, resembling blued steel. The numerals may be applied; they stand substantially proud of the dial. The Poljot name is tastefully applied on the dial - also in the blued lettering. Thankfully there are no emblems of any sort, and the rest of the printed information is minimal. The three subdials are in the 3/6/9 position, with effectively a 30 minute chronograph function only. The seconds hand on the main dial and the dial at 3 being the recorders for the chrono. The dial at 6 is for the 24 hour readout, and the 9-dial shows the (non-stoppable) seconds of the current time. The date window is between one and two.
Those familiar with Russian watches will know about the dreaded "quick change" on these movements. This movement is much improved in that you only need to alternate between 11 and 12 to change the date - so a single turn of the fingers.
Another very attractive feature of this watch is the fluted bezel, increasing the diameter of the top of the watch by 2mm compared to the bottom. Diameter 42mm excluding crown, and a solid 12mm thick. Quite substantial for a Russian!
The flat pushers function flawlessly. The best feature of this watch is the very useable GMT function of the bezel: the crown at 10 turns the internal bezel, which allows you to set the watch for a different time zone. A very neat feature, providing GMT functionality with less clutter.
The blue leather strap provided is surprisinglywell made and comfortable compared to other Russian straps I've come across. It is nice and thick at the lugs, tapering to a thin tongue. The buckle has the Poljot "wings" sandblasted tastefully.
I opted to pay extra for the transparent caseback. What a nice touch! Unlike my other Russians, this is not a screw-in caseback, but held down with star screws. The movement is much less crude than the 3133, but obviously not on par with anything from Switzerland.
Timekeeping was a bit disappointing out the box, but I corrected the fault on the balance and regulated it to +10 on the timing machine, dial up or down. In the vertical position it runs a ew seconds slow - quite normal for these movements.
This model is sold as a "US JOURNEY"; why I really don't know...
For the money, I really think you cannot beat this chronograph. It has a distinctive dressy feel, and I will certainly wear it in good company. This one will not just stay in the box!
This angle shows off the true colour of the markers and hands better::
A view from the side:
And finally, the exhibition caseback and movement:
Hope you found this interesting! Sorry if this turned out to be too long for a new arrival.......
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, Mark and Tony
