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Mattybumpkin 3T WIS
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I really am liking the looks of several Russian watches but know nothing of their build quality, attention to detail, movements, reliability, service/support, etc. Can anyone give me a brief on their quality? Are they on par with the Hamilton's, Tissot's, Oris's of the world? Thanks, Matty (new guy) |
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Nabco 3T WIS 
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Hi Matty, first of all welcome to 3T!!! Here is my two cents on Russians, at least the brands i own..... I own several Vostok-Europes, IMHO I think these are one of the best buys out there...The Energia is probably one of my top 10 watches in my collection of over 100 (BTW Oscar -oagasper- has one for sale here at a tremendous price)...the automatic movements are very reliable and after a month or two of break-in they run at about +/- 10 seconds per day, sometimes even better. Also, have a few Maktimes, Moscow Classics and a few other....many of these have in-house movements that similar watches from Swiss manufactures would cost thousands more. A great place to check out what's out there is http://www.russia2all, Craig is a great guy and they offer a 10% discount to 3T members. |
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EricAldovino Guest
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Love mine. Nice robust mechanical chrono for under $250.  |
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mcwright Admin 
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Your best bets are the Russian Mechanical Movements such as the Molijna hand winder, the 3105 hand wind, and the 3133 chronograph hand wind. The lume is generally quite good on most Russian watches and I'd rate the fit and finish from fair to good on most. I have owned many of these and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. However, my one experience with service in Moscow was not good. Sent in a watch for a simple fix and it came back scratched and modified (no longer had a screw-down crown). Last edited on Sat Aug 29th, 2009 08:34 pm by mcwright |
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bigrustypig 3T WIS 
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard a buddy of mine tell me that PolJot is now owned and in the hands of the Swiss? If this is correct, I would expect better quality overall, particularyy the metallurgy groupings inside (barrel, pinion and finger) and the choice of lubricants. I also heard from my same buddy that ETA is now fitted on the newer Poljots.;) |
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Simon_Leung 3T WIS 
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From what I know is that Poljot has ceased to exist when Volmax tried to cash-in on the success and subsequently abused the name Poljot for their movements,though they had nothing to do with the original company. In 2003, a rumors started flowing when the First Moscow Watch Factory was to cease production, of their own model of watches. Only to become a supplier of inexpensive movements to other European brands. Enter Sergei Pugachev: Sergei Pugachev,the businessman and a politician within Vladimir Putin's Inner Circle,with strong financial and business influence on the Russian Orthdox Church. Wound up buying Poljot. From 1992-2002 Sergei Pugachev,was the chairman of the board of Directors for the International Industrial Bank. Recently he faced a major financial setback when his investment company OPK lost the rights on a major construction project in Red Square,on March 31,2009. Counterfeit Poljot: According to aficionados and collectors of Poljots, both the Golden Poljot and the Poljot Elite are considered fakes. |
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ral 3T WIS
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Eric, where did you get yours at that price? Thanks, |
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VEV 1138 3T WIS 
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Simon_Leung wrote: From what I know is that Poljot has Please forgive my corrections... But I've got to differ with the "subsequently abused the name Poljot" attributed to Volmax... can you share what source this is coming from? Volmax was actually distributor of Poljot in Russia throughout much of the '90s. Volmax played no role in the demise of Poljot in terms of causing it. If anything, as they were collapsing and quality suffered, Poljot created issues for Volmax. That is why Volmax moved to the brands Aviator, Sturmanskie and Buran and stopped using Poljot as a brand for any of their own builds. detailed article here: http://www.russia2all.com/images/shop/filebrowser/File/Russian%20Watches%20IW%20General%20Overview%202006-1.pdf Poljot just never made the transition to the Western marketplace and collapsed under the weight of being a mass-producer. It's the smaller volume, higher quality manufacturers in Russian that have survived and now thrive. Poljot no longer exists in any form. MakTime, Vostok and Volmax now all make the movements Poljot once did, with MakTime being the producer of the chronograph movments. thanks... Last edited on Sun Aug 30th, 2009 03:58 pm by VEV 1138 |
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Simon_Leung 3T WIS
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Quote: " Please forgive my corrections... But I've got to differ with the "subsequently abused the name Poljot" attributed to Volmax... can you share what source this is coming from? Volmax was actually distributor of Poljot in Russia throughout much of the '90s. Volmax played no role in the demise of Poljot in terms of causing it. " I got the information from an email that I've received through a member of NAWCC Chapter 121,who contributed to an article in another watch forum. Therefore, I stand corrected after reading the PDF. Simon |
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mcwright Admin
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Here is one recommendation. The 45mm Aviator pictured here is a great watch. Runs up to 60 hours on a full wind, is nicely made, has one of the best designed Russian dials with excellent lume and its 3105 movement is very reliable. Attachment: aviator.jpg (Downloaded 88 times) |
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scottran 3T WIS 
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I own 9 or 10 Russians and like them all. For what you pay for them, I think they are an excellent value. Also, if you are looking for a design a little different than others, they will also fill that bill. If you buy from R2A, the CS is top notch so, no worries there. I had an issue with only one of my Russians. Sent it to Craig and it was taken care of. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy.:D Here are a few pics of some of my favs.     |
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VEV 1138 3T WIS
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thanks... you can only go with the best information you have at the time you are asked... |
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Simon_Leung 3T WIS
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Well said,Craig. I sincerely apologize for not going directly to you to back up the information. I will do that next time. Simon |
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zippofan 3T WIS 
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If you want to try Russian and don't want to put out too much scratch, get a Vostok Amphibia: Total for this combo on NATO strap was around $60. I love them for their affordability and tough build. Accuracy is OK, the movements are rated for ~+/-30 sec/day though I have found mine to be better than that. Once you get past the "quick set date" and characteristically floppy crown (I freaked out with my first Komandirskie, I thought it was broken out of the box!) I think you'll appreciate the utilitarian robust build. Oh yeah, the lume stinks too but I am not a lume freak. Cheers, Griff |
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Milanche78 3T WIS
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Ok, if I understand, Vostok is better buy than Poljot. I'm considering models like Poljot Strela Chronograph VS Vostok Europe "GAZ 14 Limousine". |
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DM71 3T WIS 
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Milanche78 wrote: Ok, if I understand, Vostok is better buy than Poljot. I'm considering models like I would not say that, according to what i read on on the subject and comment form 3t members (use the search engine, there is very good articles on the subject), and I might be wrong but Poljot watches are among the best Russians you can buy. Vostok Europe on the other hand, are made in Lithuania, so not Russian but uses Russian Movements. I have a Gaz-Limo 14, well, I had one that I had to return for a minor flaw on the dial and I'm still waiting for it to arrive after over a month  but, that said, the Gaz-Limo is a great watch and VE are great watches for sure. You can see some pix and first impression on mine here: http://www.timetechtalk.com/view_topic.php?id=17795&forum_id=2Like I said, I'm still waiting for the replacement but had enough time to look at it and to appreciate the quality of this timepiece. The Poljot Strela Chrono is a totally diffrent animal but also a nice watch and I would not be afraid of getting one with the 3133 mvt. Just my two cents, hope it helps! hand6.gif Last edited on Tue Oct 20th, 2009 02:45 pm by DM71 |
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VEV 1138 3T WIS
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DM71 wrote: Milanche78 wrote:Ok, if I understand, Vostok is better buy than Poljot. I'm considering models like I am happy to report that your replacement is on the way to you! This is a good article about Vostok-Europe: http://www.russia2all.com/images/shop/filebrowser/File/IW%20Vostok-Europe%20August%202008.pdf |
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DM71 3T WIS
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Thanks Craig, I got your email  Can't wait to wear that one... |
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VEV 1138 3T WIS
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did you get the replacement? thanks |
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DM71 3T WIS
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It arrived yesterday Craig, This one is perfect!  |
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VEV 1138 3T WIS
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Great! |
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