Don't Be Caught Wearing This Watch Brand

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The Watch Snob is in. Vostok Watches

I am of college age and have modest means. I work on commercial and smaller film setsand, as such, need a rugged watch. I have several cheaper quartz movementwatches, the nicest of which is a Seiko Kinetic (feel free to scoff). After doing somereading, Vostok watches caught my eye, as they appear rugged, fairly minimalist in designand because all the movements are designed and manufactured in-house at its Russianfactory. What do you think of these watches? Are they an abhorrence to mechanical watchesor a solid choice for a young man in search of a unique, rugged mechanical watch?If you’re looking for a reminder of why the Soviet Union collapsed, buy aVostok. It is the horological equivalent to a Lada automobile, and that is not acompliment. In the company's heyday of the 1960s and '70s, a Vostok was the best watch youcould get inside the USSR, but that’s not saying much. Designed and manufacturedin-house? Sure, under threat of a long sentence in a gulag. Other than arecent bankruptcy filing, little has changed for Vostok since it was building watches forthe Red Army, and, while I have a respect for the history of watchmaking, cheaply made,wildly inaccurate movements should have been the first things to go after the Wall camedown. Look at what the brands in Glashütte were able to do after the Cold War ended.The stamped metal rotors and unadjusted movements were melted down for scrap and priderestored for East German watchmaking tradition. Unique and rugged? Yes. Justdon’t rely on it to get you to your film sets on time for work. For that,you’d better keep your Seiko around.OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Calibers

Please aid me in my decision to purchase an OMEGASpeedmaster Professional. I know from reading previous articles that you have nothingbut admiration for the Speedmaster Professional. I would like to know which calibers youwould recommend: the 321, 861 or the 1861. Do you hold all calibers in highesteem?The Speedmaster Professional is a case in which the evolution of awatch diverges from the admiration of its devotees yet remains a fine timepiece. In thecanon of required knowledge for anyone calling himself a watch aficionado, the story ofthe Speedmaster Professional’s movement variations is well known. But, judging fromsome of the emails I receive, I can see it bears repeating. The originalSpeedmaster used a Lemania-based hand-wound chronograph movement with a column wheelactuation mechanism. This movement, known as the caliber 321, was produced until the late1960s and was in the watches that were worn on the moon. OMEGA proceeded to completelychange this caliber, opting instead for a simpler cam-actuated chronograph movement thatwas cheaper to produce and easier to build and adjust. This was the caliber 861, and,despite OMEGA’s proud pronouncements, this movement never made it to the moon.Finally, the current caliber 1861 added another jewel to the movement and replaced a metalbrake with a plastic one, and though probably more 1861-equipped Speedmasters have beensold than any of its predecessors, it is the least desirable of the lineage. Make no mistake, the caliber 1861 is a fine movement, and one can understand why OMEGAmade the changes it did for a watch that was purpose-built. But from a collector'sperspective, the caliber 321 is the one to have. Column wheel chronographs on their ownare finely tuned crafted mechanisms, and for those who don’t think the moon landingwas staged by the CIA, there is no better watch.Question From A Watch Knob

I was standing in line at a local cafe and a gentleman who was next to my left sidenoticed my watch. I noticed him looking at it and I kind of got excited because I enjoymeeting people who love watches. It's those serendipitous moments of bonding with anotherwatch lover: comparing each other’s watches, admiring their choices and just havinga good old time. So I responded to him, "What’s up?" to see why he was staring at mywatch and to also see what type of watch he was sporting. He said, "Nice watch. Is it anautomatic?" (That question raised some red flags.) My response was a simple“Yup,” and I proceeded to turn away. Apparently, this guy wasn't alone and hisbuddy also made the same comment: "Nice watch." But then this #&%% said, "I've seennicer because with automatics, you tend to want it to be skeleton watches because of themovement." I didn't know how to respond back, because I was just caught off-guard. I waswearing my Jaeger LeCoultre AMVOX 1. What would be a great smartass answer to respond if Iever run into that type of situation again?Smartass answer? Sounds likeyou don’t need any help with that one. Given your monosyllabic response andcold-shoulder turn, and your unrequited watch lover’s ignorant reply, I justcan’t see why you didn’t hit it off famously. Continue Reading

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