Thomas Schmidt
If you’re looking for a poor man’s Rolex, this isn’t your watch. I wish I still had the Vostok I had 30 years ago from when they were old Soviet military stock, but this will do. The stamped steel bracelet is a bit crummy, but you have to remember this is a $160 watch, not a $3200 Rolex. Quirkiness? In spades. Ubiquity? Never. Changing time and date can be frustrating as the winding stem feels super loose, but this is, again, a $160 watch. Quirky Russian craftsmanship is what you’re buying, not Swiss accuracy and tolerances. These are not getting cranked out by the thousands like some made in China automatics (which I have no problem with), so for a small fee, you have a unique automatic timepiece that is keeping decent time, if not a bit fast, in my watch winder box. This one feels slightly more upmarket in the finish on the case than I remember with my old one, which makes me wonder if there isn’t some made in China goodness going on in case construction, but again- a vintage example will run you lots more money and again- there aren’t thousands of these running around that I have seen. It’s a good choice for a novice through expert collector, and are much more interesting than the market flooding Invictus watches.
