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Vostok Amphibia history

The Vostok Amphibia Watches are produced at a watch factory “Vostok” in Chistopol, Russia.

The history of the brand Vostok dates back to the fall of 1941.

Vostok Amphibia History. Watch

In November – December of 1941 150 railway carriages arrived in Kazan with more than 1000 tons of equipment and materials of the 2nd Moscow Watch Factory along with about 700 workers and their family members.
There was no railway communication between Kazan and Chistopol. Kazan is more than 100 kilometers away from Chistopol and there is a crossing through the Kama river.

Navigation has already been shut down and thin ice would not allow trucks with heavy equipment to pass only supporting horse carts. It took more than three thousand carts to carry the people and the bulk of the equipment.
Machines that have been laying for a few winter months in the open air required a full sorting out.

But despite of everything in April, 1942 the factory already started to provide the Soviet Army with its first produce and in May equipment installation was finished. The newly created facility was named “The 5th Watch Factory”.

It was placed in the buildings of two schools, the Pedagogical Institute (“Teachers’ Institute” as it is listed in the documents), a college, and a library.
Since February, 1943 following the order of People’s Commissariat of mortar arms the factory began producing peacetime products. It was the first in the country men’s wristwatch “Kirovskie”.

Vostok Amphibia History. Watch
Vostok Amphibia History. Watch

In 1965 the Chistopol Watch Factory became the official supplier of watches for the Ministry of Defense of the Soviet Union.

In 1963 watch 2214 (with calendar) was introduced. First editions of “Vostok Komandirskie” watch were in 1965. The mechanism of this watch unlike the regular 2214 had a device that stopped the balance when the winder was pulled out and has been marked 2234. The watchcase was water resistant, numerals and hands were coated with a luminous compound. At the bottom of the dial there was a clearly visible inscription “Order of the USSR Ministry of Defense.”

Vostok Amphibia History. Grechko

That’s exactly when the “Vostok Komandirskie” watch that are known today all around the world was created.

The first “Vostok Komandirskie” did not have a rotating time disk.

Designing of the 24 caliber mechanism that nowadays is in all the “Vostok Komandirskie” was launched in 1966 and the first watch with this mechanism was released in 1971. In 1968 based on the K-22 mechanism watch “Vostok Amphibia” was released. Stronger watchcase, glass, and back panel allowed a dive to a depth of up to 200 meters.

A famous Soviet cosmonaut G.M. Grechko owned the Vostok Amphibia watch and in 1975 they traveled with him in space on Soyuz-17 and the space station Salyut-4. The “Vostok Amphibia” is the first Chistopol model with rotating time disk. Since then it was installed on almost every watch that has been produced by the factory.

The developer of the watch Vostok Amphibia was Michail Novikov. Here is what he told in one of his interviews:

“Seemingly the Vostok Amphibia is not so different from the regular watches. But in fact almost every element in it is exclusive and each of them required a lot of work. The glass: it is almost invisible but it has a special contour. After all the glass is under pressure of 20 kg per cm2 which is a lot. It is several times greater than the pressure of a car tire on the road.

At this level of pressure the glass bends up to 0.5 mm. Bending inwards while also flattening a little it has to additionally seal the watchcase and not touch the second hand. Calculating the curve is difficult even for the flat glass let alone for the glass such as the Amphibians’.

… In the “Amphibia” the screw-in winder and time disk were first introduced.

If pre-dive you set “0” on the disk against the minute hand then later you will be able to determine the time spent underwater by the numbers on the disc. Only in the 90s these same features appeared on the “Komandirskie “. The rear panel was also special – instead of 0.5 mm as the regular watches have it had a thickness of 1 mm.

Even the screw that held the back panel has been strengthened. … After the creation of the “Amphibians” the International Diving Watch Standard has been updated on our suggestion. The paragraph was included according to which if under water you apply pressure perpendicular to the winder or buttons the watch should not let in moisture. Of course the “Amphibia” met this requirement.

Vostok Amphibia History. Watch
Vostok Amphibia History. Watch
Vostok Amphibia History. Watch

… The watch Vostok Amphibia was tested in very hard conditions. The tests took place during fleet military training in the North Sea.

The submarine went to the bottom at the depth of 120-130 meters simulating an accident. There were two rescue ships, a huge floating crane “Karpaty”, diving bells, decompression chambers, and a diving team.

The scheme worked as follows: bell went down from a ship and was installed on a special docking area on the submarine. It was attached to it by pressure. Men came out from the submarine out to the bell and were raised to the decompression chamber.

A group of six sailors took part in this training. Our watches were worn by the divers who were working at a depth. The tests and the training both went well. The watch was tested at extreme depths of more than 100 meters even though in real life they are intended for other purposes.

Deep-divers hold constant radio contact with the ship and besides in their heavy equipment at such depth it is just too inconvenient for divers to look at the watch. But for scuba divers and our combat swimmers the Vostok Amphibia was irreplaceable. “

The success at the field of professional watches manufacturing determined the course of development in the following years –the factory focused on mechanical watches with accurate timekeeping at any temperature, in any medium withstanding high pressure and heavy blows.

For all these years the Chistopol watchmakers did not divert from the classical scheme: all models have a so-called Swiss anchor escapement system, steel anchor wheels and forks, ruby ​​stones support, wind-up clock spring from special precision alloys, and shock resistant balance.

In addition to civil watches the Vostok factory manufactures a lot of different products for the military. This depth gauges, course recorders, various special watch mechanisms. All of these devices had to meet requirements that are much higher than the ones for regular watches.

In 1991, the Vostok factory fulfilled a special order from the Pentagon. It produced 40 thousand watches for participants of “Operation Desert Storm” with appropriate symbolics.

Vostok Amphibia History. Watch
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100 BEST VOSTOK AMPHIBIA MOD WATCHES

  1. Vostok Amphibia 090916 mod with stainless steel polished shark teeth bezel , ceramic insert, stainless steel crown and rubber OSC 22mm strap. (by arvac)090916by_Arvac.a.4-3.1080p
  1. Vostok Amphibia 090380 mod with stainless steel “atlas” rotating bezel, Orange Planet Ocean style insert , silver sec hand Zulu OSC 22mm strap. (by arvac)090380by_Arvac.b.4-3.1080p
  2. Vostok Amphibia 710486 mod with stainless steel bezel , Sub Ghost white ceramic insert and stainless steel crown. (by arvac)710486by_Arvac.b.4-3.1080p
  1. Vostok Amphibia 150 SE mod with stainless steel polished shark teeth bezel , ceramic GMT insert and Nato Zuludiver 22mm strap. (by arvac)150_SEby_Arvac.b.4-3.1080p
  2. Vostok Amphibia 710 SE mod with bronze bezel, black 45 aluminum Insert and Sorrento Black Cheapestnatostraps 22mm. (by arvac)710_SEby_Arvac.a.4-3.1080p
  3. Vostok Amphibia 090 mod with orange insert and black leather strap. (by wotsch2)16637431092_5e2d51740e_z
  4. Vostok Amphibia 090 mod with brown ceramic insert and brown leather strap. (by wotsch2)16710797683_306c5fec0a_c (1)
  5. Vostok Amphibia 100 mod with the vintage-look brown leather strap. (by wotsch2)21908848552_6d8140ef98_c
  6. Vostok Amphibia 100 mod with stainless steel bezel, green ceramic insert and vintage brown leather strap. (by wotsch2)22592391308_e4c296f891_c
  7. Vostok Amphibia 420 mod with a plain Boris-bezel and leather strap. (by wotsch2)24086640543_be2a4589d8_c
  8. Vostok Amphibia 710 mod with an AM-Watches bezel and a Meranom new-style bracelet. (by wotsch2)P1040962_zpscuior6zy
  9. Vostok Amphibia 670SE mod with stainless steel bezel, aluminum Insert Dark Orange OSC and Leather 2 Piece Nato Watchgecko 20mm. (by arvac)670_SEby_Arvac.2016.a.4-3
  10. Vostok Amphibia 710662 mod with stainless steel bezel , speedy ceramic insert, golden sec hand and leather strap. (by arvac)Amphibia 710663 mod
  11. Vostok Amphibia 020SE mod with brown leather strap. (by arvac)020_SE.mod.Arvac.2017.a.1080p
  12. Vostok Amphibia 150SE mod with stainless steel brushed bezel and Black&Red ceramic insert. (by arvac)Amphibia 150SE
  13. Vostok Amphibia 090059 (Scuba Dude) mod with stainless steel bezel, sub ceramic insert and Dievas Nato strap. (by arvac)Amphibia 090059
  14. Vostok Amphibia 150349 mod with stainless steel bezel and Sub Ghost white ceramic insert. (by arvac)Amphibia 150349
  15. Vostok Amphibia 100 mod with Black&Red insert and red leather strap.image035
  16. Vostok Amphibia 100640 mod with stainless steel bezel, green insert and green leather strap. (by arvac)image036
  17. Vostok Amphibia mod watch (mod 10) by vostokamphibia.com.DSC09608-600x600
  18. Vostok Amphibia 420 mod with Atlas One bezel and rubber strap. (by Seikotherapy)image040
  19. Vostok Amphibia 710439 mod with orange insert and Rally strap. (by Elbakalao)image042
  20. Vostok Amphibia 110 mod with Dave Murphy Bezel. (by lowrider)image044
  21. Vostok Amphibia 100 mod with Black&Red bezel. (by kraudara)image046
  22. Vostok Amphibia mod with frosted case, Dave Murphy bezel black insert by Monsterwatches. (by GR162)image048
  23. Vostok Amphibia mod watch (mod 4) by vostokamphibia.com.DSC09647-600x600
  24. Vostok Amphibia 100 mod with leather Nato strap. (by kraudara)image052
  25. Vostok Amphibia 100 mod with Atlas bezel and black Nato strap.image054
  26. Vostok Amphibia mod by wrenchdevil.image056
  27. Vostok Amphibia mod with Nato “Sanchez” strap. (by BLinky)image058
  28. Vostok Amphibia mod with Atlas bezel. (by kraudara)image060
  29. Vostok Amphibia mod with black insert and two-color strap. (by NeoMonster)image062
  30. Vostok Amphibia 110 mod with matt case and handmade vintage leather strap. (by kraudara)image064
  31. Vostok Amphibia 110 mod by kraudara.image066
  32. Vostok Amphibia mod with brown leather strap. (by seiko55)image068
  33. Vostok Amphibia 110 “Radio Room” mod with Zulu strap. (by uhrto)image070
  34. Vostok Amphibia mod with rubber strap by viso.image072
  35. Vostok Amphibia mod with bronze bezel and leather Nato strap. (by tiktak66)image074
  36. Vostok Amphibia 110 mod with stainless steel bezel, Black&Blue insert and Nato strap. (by kraudara)image076
  37. Vostok amphibian mod by kraudara.image078
  38. Vostok Amphibia 710 mod with black bezel and olive-green leather strap. (by vostokamphibia.com)image080
  39. Vostok Amphibia 710 mod with red&blue bezel and Nato strap. (by vostokamphibia.com)image082
  40. Vostol Amphibia 090 mod by vostokamphibia.comimage084
  41. Vostok Amphibia mod with black Atlas bezel and brown Nato strap. (by Sebastianauru)image086
  42. Vostok amphibia mod with matt case and bracelet. (by Sebastianauru)image088
  43. Vostok Amphibia mod with jeans strap. (by kraudara)image090
  44. Vostok Amphibia 100SE mod with orange bezel and Nato strap. (by MrOllium)image092
  45. Vostok Amphibia mod with black dial, bezel and strap. (by wrenchdevil)image094
  46. Vostok Amphibia mod with two-color bezel.image096
  47. Vostok Amphibia mod with a leather Nato strap. (by Cheapest NATO Straps)image098
  48. Vostok Amphibia mod with customer bezel and leather strap.image100
  49. Vostok Amphibia mod by Bob van Baack.image102
  50. Vostok Amphibia mod with black bezel and brown leather strap.image104
  51. Vostok Amphibia mod by Sebastianauru.image106
  52. Vostok Amphibia mod with green bezel and Nato strap.image108
  53. Vostok Amphibia mod with matt case and blue bezel. (by MrOllium)image110
  1. Vostok Amphibia mod by Don Promillo.image112
  2. Vostok Amphibia mod with Nato strap. (by Tatim)image114
  3. Vostok Amphibia mod with Black&Red bezel and strap. (by NeoMonster)image116
  4. Vostok Amphibia 110 mod with matt case and bracelet. (by Raoul_Duke)image118
  5. Vostok Amphibia 420280 mod with shark teeth bezel. (by meini)image120
  6. Vostok Amphibia 150SE with 24H insert. (by kraudara)image122
  7. Vostok Amphibia mod with matt case and stainless steel bezel. (by xtorf)image124
  8. Vostok Amphibia orange mod by kraudara.image126
  9. Vostok Amphibia mod with matt case, Kommandirskie hands and neutral bezel. (by uhrto)image128
  10. Vostok Amphibia 420 mod with 090916 dial and Boris bezel. (by lufu)image130
  11. Vostok Amphibia mod with PO-insert and Nato strap. (by Sebastianauru)image132
  12. Vostok Amphibia mod with PO-insert and leather strap. (by Sebastianauru)image134
  13. Vostok Amphibia 150SE mod by me-leech.image136
  14. Vostok Amphibia mod with matt case and strap. (by kraudara)image138
  15. Vostok Amphibia 150SE mod with leather strap. (by Tatim)image140
  16. Vostok Amphibia 100 black mod by wotsch.image142
  17. Vostok Amphibia 710 mod with pers184 bezel and Komandirskie hands. (by wotsch)image144
  18. Vostok Radio Room Amphibia mod with matt case. (by ticktack66)image146
  19. Vostok Amphibia 150SE mod with ceramic insert and leather strap. (by Tatim)image148
  20. Vostok Amphibia mod with rubber strap. (by Sebastianauru)image150
  21. Vostok Amphibia mod by Raoul_Duke.image152
  22. Vostok Amphibia 710 mod with matt case and bracelet. (by Spezi Matik)image154
  23. Vostok Amphoboa 090 mod with light-beige leather strap and Seiko-style insert. (by Osborne)image156
  24. Vostok Amphibia 090 mod with blue insert and leather strap. (by kraudara)image158
  25. Vostok Amphibia 2414 mod with PVD Nato strap. (by Sebastianauru)image160
  26. Vostok Amphibia 710 mod with black and silver insert and grey strap. (by jayjay74)image162
  27. Vostok Amphibia mod with Boris bezel and leather strap. (by watchoholik)image164
  28. Vostok Amphibia Radio Room mod by ticktack66.image166
  29. Vostok Amphibia mod with bronze bezel and brown leather strap. (by HorstSt)image168
  30. Vostok Amphibia mod with stainless steel bezel, green ceramic insert and stainless steel bracelet. (by massi64)image170
  31. Vostok Amphibia 090er SE mod with GMT-insert. (by jayjay74)image172
  32. Vostok Amphibia 420 mod with transparent back and leather strap. (by brodi)image174
  33. Vostok Amphibia nod with Dagaz dial and Seiko insert. (by Beam_Ho)image176
  34. Vostok Amphibia mod with Yobokies insert and Nato strap. (by kraudara)image178
  35. Vostok Amphibia 100SE mod with black and red insert and Nato strap. (by UsAs)image180
  36. Vostok Amphibia mod with bronze insert and light beige Nato strap. (by UsAs)image182
  37. Vostok Amphibia 110 mod with stainless steel shark teeth bezel, olive insert and strap. (by Insomnia-)image184
  38. Vostok Amphibia mod with black Seiko insert and rubber strap. (by watchoholik)image186
  39. Vostok Amphibia mod with orange Dagaz insert and Sportiva strap. (by tiktak66)image188
  40. Vostok Amphibia with blue jeans strap. (by kraudara)image190
  41. Vostok Amphibia 090 mod by vintwatch.image192
  42. Vostok Amphibia mod with blue, white and red colors. (by Raoul_Duke)image194
  43. Vostok Amphibia 090 Black&Grey mod. (by Skyjack)image196
  44. Vostok Amphibia 100SE “Purple blues” mod with alligator strap.image198

 

 

 

 

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We discredit myths: is it possible to give watch?

Some people still share strange belief  that watch can’t be given. Let’s try to understand sources of this belief, why this fine and useful accessory has deserved bad glory as a gift?mini-chasyi-v-podarok

Myth: to grant watch is to separation.

Version of the same myth: it is impossible to grant sharp objects, and watch has sharp hands!

Truth: some heard that to present watch to the beloved or friend means to predict parting. People inclined to superstitions will tell you that sharp objects can “cut” the relations. Well, any opinion takes place to be, and still we insist that the similar statement is absolutely groundless, at least because already millions of times it was confuted in real life.

However perhaps there is an element of truth in this superstition: having presented the Chinese hand-made article of the known brand which will be scattered in a week, you will precisely force your friend or darling to doubt sincerity of your feelings. The stylish exclusive model with the exact course made of qualitative materials, on the contrary, will only strengthen mutual good feelings.02

The myth (from China): to present hours means “to invite to a funeral”.

Truth: it seems, in the 21st century “black tags”, signs of mafia and frightening symbols had to remain only at cinema.

Perhaps, today, in the world where to visit the website telling the fortunes it is considered no more than a joke about which you forget in one and a half minutes, places for such superstitions already didn’t remain. If all of you still are subject to them, think that the concepts “time” and “eternity” are inseparably linked, and in good sense. Distract reading the good popular scientific book about nonlinearity of time or viewing of series “The Client Is Always Dead”. The healthy humor considerably prolongs our life so we will transfer a silly belief to the joke plane. Rather experiences about what  it isn’t necessary to think of are capable to reduce life.chasy-v-podarok-muzhchine

Myth: having received watch as a gift you acquire with them pain, emptiness and misfortune.

Truth: the phrase written above should be said for Halloween, beforehand having dressed up the vampire or the zombie.

Pain and emptiness can overtake people, subject excessive suspiciousness and to groundless fears. But it already should be discussed with the expert in medical subject. And watch as a gift can bring only satisfaction, joy from use of the functional gadget and pleasure from carrying a stylish and elegant accessory.

And of course if it came about pain: selecting a gift, it is worth remembering the person to whom he intends and to be guided by his tastes and needs, but not the ideas of fine, because they can vary. The gift shall please the receiver. And if you know the person, it rather will be able to introduce happiness, joy and other good things in his life.darit_chasy_plohaya_primeta

Myth: watch can’t be given and received as a present, it is necessary to pay for them at least the symbolical sum having given in exchange, say, a coin.

True: barter harmed nobody yet so why not to “pay” for a gift.

So, this myth is quite harmless, though senseless. Time can’t be bought or sold though many characters of works of art tried to manipulate it anyway. And if from philosophy and metaphysics to pass to real facts, then the watch is first of all a beautiful accessory and the functional device, it can be given as well as any other thing ever made by the person. Even moreover: it is necessary to give hours! All of them still remain not banal and status gift, and the huge choice allows to pick up easily suitable model for every taste and a life case today.

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Use and service of Vostok

  1. As well as any mechanical watch, Vostok demand rather careful relation to themselve. It is undesirable to throw them, to drop, shake, overheat or overcool, to subject to influence of powerful electromagnetic fields.

Though Amphibia are reliable watches and you can hear many stories about their survival in extreme conditions, it isn’t recommended to do if you don’t want to damage your watch.

  1. Always reliably twist a carving clockwork head after installation of time. Hit of moisture in the mechanism — perhaps the worst of troubles which can occur with hours.

Of course there are cases of a production defect when hours aren’t tight initially, but much more frequent reason of “fogging” or drops on glass — not twirled rather well clockwork head. Not incidentally all “Amphibians”, as well as the majority of diving hours are equipped with the automatical winding that need for untwisting of a clockwork head was as seldom as possible.

  1. In ideal conditions everything that is required for your watch is a preventive maintenance in a watch repair shop one time in 3-4 years. During this procedure watch will be completely dismantled: details will be washed out, repaired or replaced if necessary, then gather with new lubricant and the pressurizing laying.

But in the real world it isn’t excluded that Amphibia suddenly will cease “to work like clock-work” — will begin to lag behind more than on 20 or to hurry more than for 60 seconds a day, date will cease to be put, watch will cease to be wound or go at all. In this case you besides should address the watchmaker — in a warranty workshop or any watchmaker who has experience with the Russian watches and spare parts for them. Anyway don’t forget to receive the document on the carried-out works with date and a name of the master.

vostok-amphibian-001

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What Vostok Amphibia model to choose?

Number of model

All Amphibia models have number of a look 123456. The first 3 figures designate the case (and besel), the second 3 figures — design of the dial.

Before bezels on all cases were identical, but since 2013 all types of cases have own besel design.

Case

Types of cases and their comparative sizes are presented on the picture:

vostok-amphibian-cases-s

Main distinctions

Different Amphibia models except of design have in fact 2 main differences:

-the index of date on the dial

– Strap (bracelet) width 18 or 22 millimeters.

Both of these parameters depend on the model case.

the index of date is absent in models with 090 case and is present in the 710 and 420 cases.

Strap width on cases 900 and 710 is 22, on the 420 case — 18 mm.

Dial

It isn’t possible to present all types of dials. The added complication is that Amphibia also sometimes have dials from Komandirskie.

Two most popular and recognizable types of the dial with date is the well-known “Scuba Dude”.

Black “dude” is the opaque black dial with the printed drawing, hour tags are noted by phosphor points.

Blue “dude” is the poured dial of a metallic color with volume hour tags. Color can change depending on a series — from “cornflower-blue” to “turquoise”.

Watches in the 090 case (a so-called “new barrel”) have own design of the dial without date in style of a special series 1967.

Other differences

The mass of hours also depends on the case. So the 090th case (barrel) is the most massive and heavy, and the 420th — the most compact.

With each type of the case there is the type of a bracelet that it isn’t so important as all bracelets demand replacement because of the superlow cost.

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Amphibia Watch History

“… 10… 7… 5. Inevitably, the car wheel gradually moves. People stiffened with bated breath. What will it be?… 3… 1 meter and at last the thing that people expected with such curiosity finally happened: the wheel of Volga rolled over the… watch.”

This is how newspapers described the demonstration of “Amphibia” –
the first Soviet waterproof watch – capabilities in 1967. Today its creators tell us about the birth and features of this model.
mikhail-novikovvera-belova

Mikhail Novikov:

The task was this: to develop a watch that is not inferior to foreign analogs and can function reliably at a depth of up to 200 meters in the conditions of considerable pressure differences and temperature.

At that time, I was the chief of New Design Bureau and generally worked on “Amphibia”. The name was thought up by one of our employees. We held a peculiar competition for the new watch’s name and chose “Amphibia” for symbolizing being equally comfortable both in water and on land.

At that time there was a set of waterproof watches of various designs produced in Switzerland. It would seem that we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. But we couldn’t repeat the designs as our equipment didn’t allow to provide the required accuracy. Besides, almost all designs were protected by patents and it was impossible to copy them. The question of the patent acquisition didn’t even arise, as far as I remember, there was no attempt to purchase a patent or a license in the USSR. We patented our work, protected it, and didn’t buy “their” patent.

I studied patents for the waterproof watch, the so-called 43rd class, very carefully. But the stories about Italian and other watches for submariners and I learned and began collecting later when work on “Amphibia” was completed.

Our task was not in finding a technical solution but in finding the same effective solution, as good as foreign examples were (if possible, find better), but not patent. And we developed our own design which could be manufactured and which didn’t repeat someone else’s. Of course, at the same time, many options of sealing were considered, we rated them by the efficiency of sealing and the cost.

And the car rolling over the watch was just a demonstration of its durability and had nothing in common with real testing. The pressure at the maximum depth is several times more than the pressure of the tire upon the road, but the mechanical pressure and pressure in liquid work differently, and it is impossible to compare them.

At the first glance “Amphibia” doesn’t differ from a usual watch. But actually almost all elements of the case here are special and it was necessary to tinker with each of them.

Let’s take glass: it is almost not noticeable, but it has a special cross-section. Glass is under pressure of 20 kg/cm2, it is several times more than the pressure of car tire upon the road. With such pressure glass caves in on 0,5 mm. When caving in and flattening a little, it has to additionally pressurize the case and at the same time not touch the second hand. It is difficult to calculate bending even for flat glass, and far more difficult for “Amphibia’s” glass.

Vera Belova

“Amphibia’s” glass is thicker than usual: if “Komandirskie” has 2 mm, then for it is 3 mm. But the point is not only in thickness and configuration: it is also made by special technology. Unlike usual glass, it isn’t just cast from plastic but it is also ground away. To provide tightness with a big pressure very high precision on diameter is necessary and even the slightest scratches on a contour are inadmissible. To achieve all this, glass is ground the.

Mikhail Novikov:

It would seem that what could be simpler than rubber laying? Sometimes they say: you get one from a water tap. But requirements to rubber laying in “Amphibia” are much tougher. In a usual watch its thickness is 0,5 mm and in “Amphibia” it is 0,75 mm. Under the pressure of 20 atm laying is compressed in size by 20-30%. If you squeeze the rubber band from the tap like that it won’t be straightened back, residual deformation is too big. And our laying has to restore its initial form completely. Add temperature drops here, and you will understand all complexity of a problem. To provide the set parameters, it was necessary to develop not only details but also materials. For achievement of necessary laying characteristics at one time, we even tried to process them by an ionic method – the technology that is used in space equipment.

Vera Belova:

We were choosing rubber for a very long time. To avoid leaks the rubber had to be smooth, without pores. For a regular watch we used laying from usual rubber from the Kazan plant of rubber products. They are good for small pressure but cannot maintain the big one. That’s why we made laying for “Amphibia” at the plant ourselves, producing it from crude rubber and then cutting.

Mikhail Novikov:

There were problems with other materials too. The case of “Amphibia” was for the first time made not out of brass but out of stainless steel. The steel case is better: it is stronger, more durable, and, besides, it is anti-allergenic.

Traditionally the case is manufactured like that: we cut work pieces of the case from brass tape on a special press, it is later ground, chiseled, etc. But steel is much more tough than brass. And we couldn’t cut work pieces of the necessary form for a long time: “ears” to which the watch band fastens broke off constantly. Therefore the first cases were with “fragments” instead of actual ears. Then we tried to cut the case in 12 stages. But it also did not go very smoothly.

By the way about steel, from which the cases are made. When the “Amphibia” was developed there was no such brand of steel produced in the country. And we had to add a new position to the GOST (the state standard).

Vera Belova:

The change in the case has concerned not only material. The screwing-up head and the timing disk (bezel) have been used on “Amphibia” for the first time. If before immersion you set “O” on the disk against a minute hand, then it will be possible to determine the time spent under water. Only in the 90s these elements have appeared on the “Komandirskie” watch. The back cover was special too: instead of 0,5 mm, it was 1 mm thick. Even the screw which holds a cover has been strengthened.

Mikhail Novikov:

After creation of “Amphibia” according to our proposal, the international standard for scuba diving watch was changed. A condition was added that if one applies pressure perpendicularly to the head or buttons of a watch under water no moisture should get in the watch. Of course, “Amphibia” met this requirement.

Also, military modification NVCh-30 of “Amphibian” was issued. When seamen came to NIICHASPROM with the order for diver watch, they were told that they already produce a similar model in Chistopol. To provide the hermeticity required for 30 atm pressure we had to modify serial “Amphibia”. In NVCh-30 there was a different glass configuration and thicker cover.

Vera Belova:

These watches were tested according to a very tough program. Even the watch band was checked for durability. By the way, the band of NVCh-30 had the unique fastening that was a little strange in appearance but very strong.

Mikhail Novikov:

The main part of tests was carried out in NIICHASPROM, and the component acceptance test was passed during maneuvers of the fleet in the North Sea. By the way, there was a rehearsal of something similar to the rescue of Kursk crew. The submarine laid down on the bottom at a depth of 120-130 meters, imitating accident. There were two saving ships, the enormous pontoon crane “Carpaty”, diving bells, decompression cameras, and a crew of divers. The scheme of operation is this: the bell goes down from the ship, it is set on the special attached platform by the boat, it is forced to it by the pressure. People go from the boat into the bell and they are lifted up to the decompression chamber. During that training, we lifted one group of six people. Divers who worked at depth had our watches. Both tests and maneuvers went well.

During this training, the watches were tested at maximum depths of more than 100 meters though really they intended for other purposes. Deep-water divers have a continuous radio communication with the ship and in their heavy equipment, it is simply inconvenient to look at the watch at such depth. But for scuba divers and fighting swimmers our NVCh-30 were irreplaceable.

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Updated “Amphibia” watch collection

Soviet and foreign newspapers were written about the first waterproof watch still in the mid-sixties. The watch ensuring reliable functioning at a depth up to two hundred meters in the conditions of the considerable differential pressure and temperature of the environment were created. These watch were designated “Amphibia”.

And today the experience accumulated decades allows to make watches capable to withstand extremal operating conditions.

Watch “Amphibia” are created for fans of the active types of rest, free and offen people.

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NEW WOMEN SPORTS WATCH MODEL “AMPHIBIA”

Chistopol watch factory “Vostok” has released “Amphibia” watch collection for women.

This new model of women sports watch “Amphibia” is for active recreation and sport. In the fitness center, on the beach and even in night club these bright and expressive watch will be reflection of taste and the proof of activity in life. Watsh follow two main tendencies of modern watch fashion: aspiration to a visibility and classical design. Diameter of the case is 34 mm. Dials have original design, are decorated with cubic zirconias and are issued in several color options – red, white, blue and black. The same color scale is used also in straps. There are polyurethane or genuine leather straps. The watch has a simple and reliable mechanism Vostok 2409 with the manual winding. The case has water protection up to 10 ATM.

These are hours which will be the real decoration of everyday life of any modern woman.

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NEW COLLECTION KOMANDIRSKIE K-39

Dear friends! We are glad to report that the first prototypes of watches Komandirskie K-39 are collected. The collection is created on the basis of mechanisms with the autosubplant and various additional functions (an additional 24-hour hand, a side second hand, the day-night indicator) in the massive case from stainless steel and with a glass back cover. Tightness – 20 atm. One of models has tubes from tritium not demanding feeds for a luminescence on five-minute divisions  instead of a phosphor. The complete set of these watches is supposed two belts: one leather – will be already established in watch, another silicone – is placed in a case. Start of sales – October – November, 2016.

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