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Watches from the Soviet Union

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Re: Watches from the Soviet Union

#51

Post by Fnoord »

wildrhythms wrote: post #39
Fnoord wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A Pebble can go on for a week (longer without smart features enabled). My smartwatch, Fossil Hybrid HR, works for 2 weeks with smart features enabled. They go automatically off with < 10% battery, after which the watch still functions (I would prefer the option to put the smart features off, as well as bluetooth).

I loved the Pebble (RIP), but I got way longer battery life than just 1 week. I now have the Amazfit Bip, and easily get 3-4 weeks of battery life.

I got one of those in between. Extremely limited smartwatch capabilities, and I can't put Bluetooth off. Plus without physical buttons. I want physical buttons during commute/travel.

Re: Watches from the Soviet Union

#52

Post by Fnoord »

alfiedotwtf wrote: post #43
wildrhythms wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I loved the Pebble (RIP), but I got way longer battery life than just 1 week. I now have the Amazfit Bip, and easily get 3-4 weeks of battery life.

I'm in the market for a new watch as I just ditched the Apple Watch after moving back to Android (LinageOS). Not wanting to be locked in yet again to a watch/phone platform, but not knowing how long before PineWatches were back in stock, I didn't know what to look out for. Missing my Pebbles, this looks like an awesome replacement. Thanks for the link!

See my other reply regarding the limitations of Amazfit Bip. You can also repair Pebbles. Unfortunately, I failed to repair my Pebble 2.

Re: Watches from the Soviet Union

#53

Post by eps »

galangalalgol wrote: post #12
stevekemp wrote: post #5

If you like Soviet watches you'll probably enjoy this index of movements: https://17jewels.info/ I collect mechanical watches and have a fair number of vintage Soviet watches in my collection - Rateka, Vostok, Poljot, etc. Cheap, reliable, and often with striking designs. (Today's watch is a Poljot - Russian: Полёт, literally meaning "flight", is a brand of Soviet/Russian wristwatches, produced since 1964 by the Firs…

That casio keeps super time if you leave it on your desk in a large climate controlled building. Like HAQ quality. Do you have any of the single hand watches from raketa? Always wanted one but didnt like the shape.

I don't have Raketa, but I have one of Botta Uno series. It is super inconvenient to read. If you are planning to actually use a single-handed watch for telling you time (rather than just adding it to a collection), I would very atrongly advise against it.

Re: Watches from the Soviet Union

#54

Post by medstrom »

hellbannedguy wrote: post #33
growt wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"right now" is relative, grand Seiko started in 1967 and the spring drive was invented in the 90s. I think in the age of smartphones, internet and gps time innovation regarding high precision independent time keeping almost stopped.

It's still there, but certainly died down after the invention of quartz time keeping. My hope is consumers start demanding the availability of parts when buying a high end watch though. It's a good feeling knowing you can repair that hunk of metal on your wrist, with interest, and a fair amount of study. (There was a guy in the Navy whos boat was torpedoed by the Japanese during WW2. He, and rest of the crew were stu…

>It's a good feeling knowing you can repair that hunk of metal on your wrist, with interest, and a fair amount of study.

That... goes for everything, software included. But watches being something of a Veblen good [1], wouldn't availability of parts just make consumers realize that actually this $700 watch is practically no different from that $70 watch? They wouldn't want to sell parts for that reason, I think.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good

Re: Watches from the Soviet Union

#55

Post by alfiedotwtf »

supernova87a wrote: post #28

I don't know if it applies to Soviet watches, but somewhere I read that the problem with Soviet cameras (Kiev, fake Hasselblad etc.) was not the design but the consistency of the manufacturing and quality control. On certain days/shifts you could get an amazing machine, on others, total crap.

Sounds a bit like Japanese synthesizers vs US synthesizers in the 80s... the US synths had unstable oscillators and would always drift, even to the point where bands would have multiple on stage waiting for the currently playing synth to go wonky before being swapped out with one on the side lines.

Re: Watches from the Soviet Union

#56

Post by Can_Not »

contrarian_5 wrote: post #35
s5300 wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

.

yes, exactly. everyone is very quick to point out how evil the united states is. but there is no public reaction about the soviet union in which millions upon millions of people were deliberately murdered. more people than the nazis and the united states. i point out the absence of objectivity when i see it because i am a good citizen.

>but there is no public reaction about the soviet union

There's literally non-stop public reaction against the Soviet Union, a country that stopped existing 30 years ago, especially in threads like this that are completely non-political. Case in point, you, congrats on being the first person who thinks watch connoisseurs are committing wronkthink by talking about watches.

You need a chrome/FF extension that adds to every comment an extra sentence like:

- "I disagree with Stalinist grain policies"

- "The Soviet Union murdered millions"

- "I think the Ukrainians are right to complain about the USSR"

- "They were too many gulags if you think about it"

- "But of the course, the Soviet Union was bad"

- "Stalin? No, I disavow him"

Then you don't have to derail a thread about watches to defend the Nazis and United States from the ghost of Stalin.

Re: Watches from the Soviet Union

#57

Post by drittich »

stevekemp wrote: post #21
ttesttom wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any recommendations for where to purchase these vintage watches? I've always thought they were beautiful but never sure where to find legitimate sellers (despite googling a bit)

One of the biggest sites is chrono24.com, which is essentially ebay for watches. The majority of sellers will use the site's integrated escrow system so there's little risk of somebody failing to ship. To get started just enter "soviet vintage" into the search-box. Once you have some results click on "Filter" and you get the option to set "Location: European Union", "Max Price: €100", etc. There are a lot of regional…

I assume if the listing says "you will pay the buyer directly" there is zero protection?

Re: Watches from the Soviet Union

#58

Post by stevekemp »

drittich wrote: post #57
stevekemp wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the biggest sites is chrono24.com, which is essentially ebay for watches. The majority of sellers will use the site's integrated escrow system so there's little risk of somebody failing to ship. To get started just enter "soviet vintage" into the search-box. Once you have some results click on "Filter" and you get the option to set "Location: European Union", "Max Price: €100", etc. There are a lot of regional…

I assume if the listing says "you will pay the buyer directly" there is zero protection?

I believe so, in that case there's no escrow.

Re: Watches from the Soviet Union

#59

Post by hansor »

dijit wrote: post #16
hansor wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you adjust it? Most Vostok watches have small internal "thing" to adjust - worked for me (had the same problem).

I took it to two watchmakers/maintainers in London to no avail. Though they might not know what they’re looking at.

I can't show you my mechanism as its "sealed-out", but it is tiny winder that you move between -45* and +45*, you need very tiny screwdriver to manipulate it right or left.

Also it my case i observed that i have better accuracy when NOT winding the main mechanism to the maximum.

Re: Watches from the Soviet Union

#60

Post by hansor »

baybal2 wrote: post #15
hansor wrote: post #11

I have one of such working watch, with Lenin face and goldish plate as my daily watch. They are amazing pieces of history. Those watches do not need battery power, and this is super amazing in era of computers and internet. Just spring and muscle, perfect for post apocalyptic world.

Such history must be erased. A shame, and indignity must be forgotten lest you want somebody to say that it wasn't, and pick it as its banner. The world was very judicious in being uncompromising in stomping out every bit, and part of third reich, and Tojo's militarism. That's why you don't have a world war 3, and next populists in line coming shouting "make Germany great again" Unfortunately, the world has not finis…

>Such history must be erased.

Why? Erasing history is biggest of all evil. Even if you believe in "never again" doctrine. History should be preserved - friends or foes, otherwise we will end up with pure propaganda regrading "old times". In my case: I'm socialist so i can see multiple benefits of Bolshevik revolution and its impact on let's say modern labor law, or things like maternity leave(not is US). Same goes towards great evil during Stalin era.

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