VOSTOK | Komandirskie Military Commander Mechanical 40mm Wrist Watch | Model 172 | WR 200m | Black Dial Mechanical Watch | Luminous dots

Glass isn’t sealed, collects water

I just received my VOSTOK Komandirskie.My initial observations.Like most Russian machinery, the fit and finish is crude but serviceable.In fact, this timepiece is often called the AK-47 of the time keeping industry.The "specs" on this unit are hardly state of the art.This watch can be off by 60 seconds a day and still be within specs.The crystal is acrylic (which I personally prefer on retro style watches because I feel it makes them more authentic).The water resistance is minimal. You don't want to shower, wash your hands or even be caught in a heavy rain with this particular timepiece.The lume is all but nonexistent (but in fairness, the lume on mainstream watches like Timex and Bulova is not much better).The power reserve is an anemic 31 hours.It takes a lot of fiddling to wind it.It can never be set precisely to the atomic clock because the second hand does not stop.There is no "quick set" option to set the day and that is a royal pain in the butt.But if this watch holds up, I anticipate having a lot of fun with it.This one came with a Daniel Craig "James Bond" NATO strap which is not of bad quality.This watch feels good on the wrist and is of a nice size.This is a very interesting timepiece.I like that it is a true step back into a bygone era, unlike the modern "vintage lookalikes" that are flooding the market today.It's going to take me awhile to learn to wind it and it remains to be seen what the accuracy.But right now it appears to be an interesting piece of kit and I am happy with it. In fact, if this one holds up I just might go for its Big Brother, the self winder

Just wanted a no-frills, solid, old-school mechanical watch from a storied watchmaker. Really liked my Komandirskie. Then it just froze while I was reading a book this afternoon. Not wound-down, not over-wound, didn't even get water near it. Just dead. Couldn't restart it. Amazon is, however, taking it back. Because it lasted only 3 weeks. Anyone know how to make a mechanical watch anymore at less than a $100? Previously had bought a cheap Vigoroso (Chinese) on Amazon and it only lasted 5 months. Pity.

Alright, it's 59 bucks, so I'm not comparing it to a Cartier. That said, the watch looked and felt like a watch you'd win at an amusement park. Just all around junk. The strap is horrible, the bezel feels like plastic, and the stem wobbles. Sorry Comrade, this watch stinks.

The combination of the black, red and white dial, the Bond Zulu strap and titanium finish produce a very striking watch. It is hard not to recommend a Vostok Komandirskie as a first mechanical watch. Despite the price slowly creeping up Vostok watches remain rugged, reliable and a fine value.