Vostok Amphibia 090486: a hundred-quid brute with a wobbly crown, and I love this clock
Hats off to Mr David
Welcome back. Hats off to my benefactor and good friend Mr David Givanovich, a truly exceptional man, a friend of the channel for many years, an Englishman living in Moscow, and a friend I've never met. He sent me a twerp of the highest calibre. I offered to send it back. He flatly refused. I'm almost moved to tears by the sheer generosity.
And the twerp? The Vostok Amphibia 090486. I've heard about these for years and finally I've got one. About $130 now, about £98. A few years ago you could get them for £60. You may call it rubbish. It isn't at all. It's a brutal twerp. It is just special.
Price should not determine status
I think personally that price should not determine a watch's status. Brand history, pedigree, originality of design are far more important, and Vostok's legions of loyal fans would agree. The factory in Chistopol, Tatarstan, was founded in 1942, made military kit in the war, then dove straight back into twerpery for the military and the cosmonauts. The Amphibia was developed for cosmonauts in the 1960s. They didn't have the Swiss machinery, so they came up with their own low-spec techniques to make a twerp that's rugged as anything and developed specifically for the beach.
Ingenious Russian engineering
No screw-down caseback. A bayonet back with a threaded lock ring, and under it a massive rubber gasket. As the pressure increases, it squeezes the whole clock together and the seal gets tighter. 200 metres, and I've seen one pressed to about 1,000 before it gave way. The acrylic crystal, about 3 mm I think, squashes in too. It'll scratch as soon as you touch it, but it's great. And the bezel: no clicks, bidirectional, friction fit, just slides round. I've never seen anything like this watch in all my twerpy days. I love this clock.
Then the crown. I forgot it in the full review, so I did a follow-up. The best thing about this watch is its crown. Big, stainless steel, and when you unscrew it, it goes wobbly. It detaches from the stem completely, then you wind it back and forth. If you'd never owned one you'd think it was broken. Clicks back on. Brilliant piece of kit. It's a 2415 automatic, 31 jewels, 31 hours. It doesn't hack. None of them do.
The measure of the man
42.5 mm, 47 lug to lug, about 15 mm thick. It is big. Stark white dial, 12, 3, 6, 9, red lollipop seconds hand, legibility beyond thunderdome. Lume? Not a lot. It does have some. Quite nice.
Straps are the struggle: the lugs are shallow. The white Tropic was a nightmare to fit, the engineer looks great but is a bastard to get on, and the Barton silicone went on easily and is comfortable, but it's too short for me. About $20, plus £8 or £9 delivery. The comfortability matrix, though, especially on the Barton? Beyond thunderdome.
Verdict
In the follow-up I had it next to a two-and-a-half-grand Doxa. What's the difference? Not much, really. Both legendary, with storied pasts. I wore it round town on the white Tropic and it catches the eye. If you can't afford your SNR029 or your SLA025 or your Pelagos, you can afford this, and it's great. I recommend you all buy one immediately. Stay freaky. Never give up.
