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Availability of genuine CCCP military watches?

Bob Neville
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I've seen lots of "authentic" Soviet military watches advertised on-line (army, navy, air force), most at pretty reasonable prices even taking into consideration that the quality is probably a roll of the dice. Having served in the US Army during the tail end of the Cold War, and then into the Gorbachev time when the Russians and the rest of the Eastern Block became our buddies, I appreciate the historical significance of the existence of the Soviet Union. I like the look of many of the examples I'm seeing - so many are really bold and ordinary at the same time. It's like you can feel the Marxist propaganda of the state just glancing down to see what time it is. Although I have seen the coolest looking digits on the faces of these watches.
I know there are legitimate on-line sellers to buy authentic high-end Swiss (and other) watches such as Jomashop and Bob's Watches among many others, but does anyone know of a legit seller of authentic Soviet watches?
 
Foo2rama
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Research research research.

they exist, but like the Russian space watches lots of claims to be original or original spec but they are not.

legit sellers often have claims that are not necessarily untrue… but are not what you are looking for.
 
Foo2rama
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Bob Neville Bob Neville
What do you think; real? Worth $35+$20 shipping?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/284459424108?hash=item423b1a596c:g:ibwAAOSwXiBhERt2
Its a piece of junk redial, if its not a redial the printing is horrible even by soviet standards.

That same seller plays games and has that and other pieces listed twice. One with a buy it now, one as an auction.

Everything he sells is rare lol...

This one at 45 looks alot better.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/294413386680?epid=18025736429&hash=item448c67c3b8:g:P1wAAOSwWi9hS549

What exactly are you looking for? Just a Russian watch? Or one that has some proof it was actually used as a tool in space or the military?

You need to do research, every Vostok (or other Soviet watch for that matter) on eBay is either "rare" or "military" 99% of them are not even close to either.

There are hundreds of variations out there, a large amount on eBay are just tired old pieces of junk. These were made for the Soviet people from the late 1950s through the '80s. The factories were state-owned, and after the fall, put out lots of "cosmonaut" models that never get within 1,00km of Baikonur.
 
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SkunkPrince
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Look like the real dial to me. The blue turns to green as the dial ages.
 
Bob Neville
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Foo2rama Foo2rama
Its a piece of junk redial, if its not a redial the printing is horrible even by soviet standards.

That same seller plays games and has that and other pieces listed twice. One with a buy it now, one as an auction.

Everything he sells is rare lol...

This one at 45 looks alot better.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/294413386680?epid=18025736429&hash=item448c67c3b8:g:P1wAAOSwWi9hS549

What exactly are you looking for? Just a Russian watch? Or one that has some proof it was actually used as a tool in space or the military?

You need to do research, every Vostok (or other Soviet watch for that matter) on eBay is either "rare" or "military" 99% of them are not even close to either.

There are hundreds of variations out there, a large amount on eBay are just tired old pieces of junk. These were made for the Soviet people from the late 1950s through the '80s. The factories were state-owned, and after the fall, put out lots of "cosmonaut" models that never get within 1,00km of Baikonur.
Hey, thanks for the quick & honest assessment!
Yeah, I've bought and sold all kinds of things on eBay, and I know how some sellers will use what they believe are effective selling strategies, but I don't blame them, they're just trying to make a living. When something is listed as "rare" I know it's not necessarily rare, but that doesn't automatically mean it's a fake or of low quality either, so I want to understand what signals to keep an eye out for.
What I'm looking for is just an authentic USSR-era military-looking watch. It didn't have to be worn on the wrist of a Spetsnaz officer, it didn't even have to actually be worn by a member of the Red Army or Navy. I served in the US Army at the tail-end of the Cold War so I'm just looking for something that authentically represents that history - was made in a Soviet state factory and catches my eye. I know that none of the Soviet state factories had Ed Deming or Taiichio Ohno come in and help them become world-class manufacturers. I'm just looking for something that I would want to occasionally wear so what it looks like matters to me (eye of the beholder stuff). I'd like something that probably won't break within at least a few years, understanding that I probably should be careful not to drop it or get it wet. I'm not poor but I'm not exactly rich either, and I have a family to support and 4 kids heading to college over the course of the next decade. I generally don't mind paying for something if I feel like I'm getting sufficient value for what I'm paying for whether it's $50, $500, or $5,000.
None of us wear our expensive Omegas so we can know precisely what time it is at a glance (cell phone, Apple watch, GPS watch, even quartz watch keep better time), we wear them because of the way they make us feel, and that's different for everyone. Same goes for this CCCP watch I'm looking for - it will have an effect on the way I feel when I wear it, and part of that experience for me is for it to be authentic Soviet and I need to like the way it looks. And if it's a cheapo & I don't invest too much in it, then I won't lose sleep when it breaks or stops, and then I can take it apart and learn more about watches!
Thanks again for your help!
 
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Bob Neville
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Maybe I just hold-out until I have 200 posts and can participate in Omega Forums commerce, and maybe someone here in our group has something that might catch my eye that they're looking to unload, but not until I get to 200 posts. If nothing else I've always been respectful of rules in somebody else's house.
 
pdxleaf
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Love your avatar. I had a 1970 6 cyl mustang convertible. Great fun driver, good gas mileage, low production car (1200 made?) I think it had an electric roof too. Another one I wish I hadn't let go of.

EDIT: Here is some more reading material
https://www.watchuseek.com/forums/russian-watches.10/

Something I picked up off of Ebay from Poland
20200505_092418.jpg
Edited:
 
Dan S
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Bob Neville Bob Neville
Maybe I just hold-out until I have 200 posts and can participate in Omega Forums commerce, and maybe someone here in our group has something that might catch my eye that they're looking to unload, but not until I get to 200 posts. If nothing else I've always been respectful of rules in somebody else's house.

You can make purchases with fewer than 200 posts, just send the seller a PM if you are interested in something that is listed. The 200 post restriction is to make your own listings.

Bob Neville Bob Neville
Just kidding, I'll stop now😉

I know you're kidding around, but the moderators don't like this. It is called post-farming, and sometimes the posts are deleted.
 
Bob Neville
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
Love your avatar. I had a 1970 6 cyl mustang convertible. Great fun driver, good gas mileage, low production car (1200 made?) I think it had an electric roof too. Another one I wish I hadn't let go of.

EDIT: Here is some more reading material
https://www.watchuseek.com/forums/russian-watches.10/

Something I picked up off of Ebay from Poland
20200505_092418.jpg
Cool, thanks, and nice!
I had a mustang while I was in college, but it wasn't a classic, it was a '79 (4-banger). Got me where I needed to go though when money was tight
 
Bob Neville
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Dan S Dan S
You can make purchases with fewer than 200 posts, just send the seller a PM if you are interested in something that is listed. The 200 post restriction is to make your own listings.



I know you're kidding around, but the moderators don't like this. It is called post-farming, and sometimes the posts are deleted.
Ok, great info, I didn't know that, thanks!
Yeah, just messing around. If you've seen my 500-word stream-of-consciousness posts then you would know I'm not post-packing - I could easily break those out into many more separate posts just to put up stats like a second-string QB during garbage time.
Or, I have at least another 100 engineer jokes that I could put in that thread. What's the difference between a civil engineer and a mechanical engineer? Mechanical engineers build weapons, civil engineers build targets. You know, like that.
 
Bob Neville
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Dan S Dan S
You can make purchases with fewer than 200 posts, just send the seller a PM if you are interested in something that is listed. The 200 post restriction is to make your own listings.



I know you're kidding around, but the moderators don't like this. It is called post-farming, and sometimes the posts are deleted.
Oops, one more reply to this...
I don't have anything to sell anyway, and I thought I needed 200 to buy (which I may not even do that, just wanted to be able to "browse"). I don't have a lot of knowledge in this area (not just Soviet watches, I mean I don't have much knowledge in mechanical watches in general) so not much I can contribute to most discussions, but I'm really enjoying reading the discussions and posting questions and learning about this new interest of mine.
Thanks for your patience!
 
AAAKK
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I'm no expert on Soviet watches by any stretch but I picked up this 80s Vostok Amphibia for maybe 45-50 bucks a few years ago. They are a bit crude but it runs like a top. Lots of interesting dials and case styles so just be patient and find something you like and hasn't been polished to death. They made millions of them so they'll be plentiful and inexpensive for years to come. Just stick to "CCCP" dials"

20210422_091358.jpg
 
SkunkPrince
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I have mentioned before a watchmaker friend adjusted a Vostok Amphibian to COSC specs.
 
Bob Neville
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AAAKK AAAKK
I'm no expert on Soviet watches by any stretch but I picked up this 80s Vostok Amphibia for maybe 45-50 bucks a few years ago. They are a bit crude but it runs like a top. Lots of interesting dials and case styles so just be patient and find something you like and hasn't been polished to death. They made millions of them so they'll be plentiful and inexpensive for years to come. Just stick to "CCCP" dials"

20210422_091358.jpg
I think I read somewhere that you want to look for "SU" engraved somewhere in the movement or on one of the bridges. I also read to look for exactly what's on your dial "CAE^AHO B CCCP". I've also seen some with "3AKA3 MO CCCP" on the dial - you know anything about that?
 
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