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 Vostok Men's 2432/0325028 K-3 Submarine Automatic Black Dial Watch By: Vostok Europe Average Rating: 3.0 Total Reviews: 6 More Information My first (and last) Russian watch  On: 2009-02-25I bought this watch back in 2005 so I could have a 2nd timepiece while my Oris BC-3 went in for routine maintenance. After a few weeks, the Day-Night indicator got out of sync - showed black during the day instead of red. Unfortunately Vostoks American branch would not replace the watch - but required it be sent back for repair - to Russia. I had to pay the shipping - and it took about 5 months to get it back. I think I wore a junk Timex while both my trust Oris AND my new Russian watch were gone for repair. I got it back - finally - it worked properly about a week or two, and then (you guessed it) the Day Night Indicator jumped back out of sync. Wished Id known about Seiko autos before I bought this thing - at $160-170 dollars cost more than either my Black Monster and nearly as much as my Samurai - both watches Ive had for more than 2 years and both totally trouble free. Poor quality and poor customer service from Vostok - if youre paying more than $40 youre paying too much. Stay away from this brand. Extremely Pleased With This Watch  On: 2008-11-01I have had the Vostok K-3 watch for about a week, so I cant comment on long term reliability, but I nevertheless think that this watch is a terrific timepiece. I have a few other automatic watches. My other autmatic watches include a couple of "Slava" Chinese knockoffs, a real Russian Vostok Amphibia, a 1970s era Tissot, and a Chinese "Goer" branded watch. The Vostok K-3 is head and shoulders above the rest. The K-3 has a real Russian made movement, and in six days it has kept nearly perfect time with an "atomic" radio controlled desk clock we have at home. The case, face, dial, hands and crystal seem top shelf and compare favorably with watches that cost hundreds. The crown is large enough and the knurling on it is deep enough to provide a comfortable grasp when making adjustments. The bezel has a precise rachet and is very secure and not prone to popping off the watch case as is true with my Amphibia. The self winding mechanism works *exceptionally* well, and unlike a couple of the other automatics that I own, this watch actually has lots of power to spare when you lay it down. I havent tested it to the full 31 hours claimed for this watch, but I have gone about 24 hours without wearing it, and the watch was still running strong at that point. (This trait is shared by both of my Russian automatics. The Tissot and Chinese movements dont fare as well here.) Date adjustment is not easy, but I didnt expect it to be with a waterproof watch such as this, and I really never use the date function on my watches anyway. This watch looks very handsome and must be seen to be appreciated. The arabic numerals on my dial are bold and lend this diver watch a bit of "pilot" style that I like very much. I paid $99 including shipping for mine, and I can tell you that I have absolutely no "buyers remorse" about the decision to purchase this watch. It is worth much, much more than this and I recommend it highly. Major design flaw in my opinion/Runs way fast On: 2008-07-11I received this watch, and everything about it is worth the price paid, except for a major design issue (for me): The only way to set the date is to advance the hands with the crown, and back up to about 10 Oclock, then forward again. That takes forever when you have to do more than a couple of days. The day night indicator seems to me to be changing at the wrong time of day, but I guess on a submarine, and maybe near the North Pole, night and day occur at non-North American times. Other than that, I like the looks and feel of it, the leather band is a nice padded strap. Just the date changing in such a primitive way makes me need to return it. It is made in Vilnius, Lithuania(According to the d/l manual from Vostoks official website), with the Russian movement. No Cyrillic lettering either. ( I was hoping for that) It seems solid, other than my complaint about it. I guess 2 stars would be a better rating, but I cant change it now. Update: July 14, 2008: I decided to give this watch a second chance, and when I tested it for time keeping against an Atomic clock (3, actually) I found it ~ 5 minutes fast in ~ 12 hours! If I wanted that kind of accuracy, I would have kept my 1965 Timex, which had to be placed on the TV to get it running every week( for you younger folks, that was to get the lubrication flowing from the heat of the TV so it the movement would run). Major design flaw in my opinion On: 2008-07-11I received this watch, and everything about it is worth the price paid, except for a major design issue (for me): The only way to set the date is to advance the hands with the crown, and back up to about 10 Oclock, then forward again. That takes forever when you have to do more than a couple of days. The day night indicator seems to me to be changing at the wrong time of day, but I guess on a submarine, and maybe near the North Pole, night and day occur at non-North American times. Other than that, I like the looks and feel of it, the leather band is a nice padded strap. Just the date changing in such a primitive way makes me need to return it. It is made in Vilnius, Lithuania(According to the d/l manual from Vostoks official website), with the Russian movement. No Cyrillic lettering either. ( I was hoping for that) It seems solid, other than my complaint about it. I guess 2 stars would be a better rating, but I cant change it now. Nice Russian Watch On: 2008-02-09I was curious about Russian watches and the Vostok K-3 was especially interesting because of its automatic movement, date, rotating bezel, 32 jewels, viewing window on the back, and the small square window that tells submariners if it is day (red square) or night (black square), and its price. Now that I have it, I am glad I made the purchase. It has a functional look to it that is expected with military watches, and a better fit and finish than you see in the photograph. It has been keeping time on par with an Invicta automatic, which is fine. It is a keeper. Keeps Time - Just Not The Right Time  On: 2007-02-07This is a stunning looking watch and the sweeping second hand reminds one of a Rolex. However my watch gains over two minutes a day! Too bad because for the price and the looks it seems like a real bargain. For those punctuality-challenged folks this might the perfect solution. "Sorry Im early, its my Russky watch!" Keeps Time - Just Not The Right Time On: 2007-02-06This is a stunning looking watch and the sweeping second hand reminds one of a Rolex. However my watch gains over two minutes a day! Too bad because for the price and the looks it seems like a real bargain. For those punctuality-challenged folks this might the perfect solution. "Sorry Im early, its my Russky watch!" Excellent watch worth hundreds! On: 2005-08-13The new Vostok-Europe line by Vostok and Koliz is just wonderful. I can simply call it a breakthrough! When you just inspect the watch you feel how much money, effort, and time is invested in it. The details are perfect. Large SuperLuminova numbers that glow very nice in the dark, the black dial with the date and day/night indicator, mineral crystal, see-though back that exposes the automatic mechanism are just some things that I can mention. The watch is very accurate. Where can you get a limited edition of 999 pieces watch (the numbers are engraved on the back) for under $200? I managed to buy my K-3 for $100 but it looks like a $500 watch. I am glad Vostok is improving and advancing on the Western market and wish it all the best! |