You can also get amphibias from ebay. Sellers like zenitar and favinov are recommended.

 

I've never had issues purchasing Vostoks from Meranom or Chistopolcity.com and getting them delivered to Poland. They both have a wider range of products available and offer better prices.

I buy lots of stuff from Amazon and have had one or two problems over the years. Fortunately most sellers are polite and deal with problems quickly so for a few extra £ you do get a little extra security I guess.

Still, I would definitely try either of the direct sellers I've mentioned and Meranom in particular has a very good name on this forum.

 

I've never had issues purchasing Vostoks from Meranom or Chistopolcity.com and getting them delivered to Poland. They both have a wider range of products available and offer better prices.

I buy lots of stuff from Amazon and have had one or two problems over the years. Fortunately most sellers are polite and deal with problems quickly so for a few extra £ you do get a little extra security I guess.

Still, I would definitely try either of the direct sellers I've mentioned and Meranom in particular has a very good name on this forum.

I do not recommend chistopolcity.com. When I bought my first Amphibia from them, they had an offer to change the bezel to any bezel of choice for free. This they neglected to do in my order, and when I mailed them about this they did not answer anything. If you get warranty problem, I suspect they would do the same: to stay silent and do nothing.

This seller is far away from Chistopol, and not at all close to the factory as he claimed on his site.

 

Thanks for the info everyone. Maybe I,ll give Meranon a try. I'm sure they honor the warranty.Does anyone know about how much postage it would cost to return from the USA if it didn't work? The reason I'm a bit hesitant is that I once collected Soviet rangefinder cameras, when they worked they were great, but most didn't work.

 

Hello.
If you pay for your order through Paypal, then Paypal pays for the return sending of the watch to us for some countries.
Can be found at google like https://www.google.com/search?q=australia+paypal+return+refunded
For example, for the USA https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/returns

 

I bought a few on Amazon- two of them fulfilled by Amazon. Pretty much what you said- bit more expensive and less choice, but they get to you a lot more quickly and if something goes wrong odds are it'll be an easy fix. Also easy to return if you aren't familiar with them and found out you didn't like them- that was one of the main reasons I bought from them. (I did like them, fwiw.)

 

Thanks Dave!
That's what I was thinking. I,d like my first one to work and have a good return option if it didn't. I just remembered that this is not my first foray into Russian watches. I bought a Plojot manual wind watch new back in the late 90s. It sure looked nice, but it only worked a couple of weeks! Anyway, I have read that that time was a low point for Plojot and that Vostock is more dependable.

 

Rey

Where are you located? My advice is geo-dependent.

Barry

 

Hi Barry,

I'm in New Mexico, USA

 

I knew somebody must live there..........hahaha.

I endorse Meranom for a new buyer, to bathe in Dmitry's warm embrace.

While you are on the site, processing your purchase, you can modify your watch before you get it by buying the parts and asking for them to be fitted - a custom watch. I recently got a 120 and had the stainless steel stem installed. Buy some spares too like seals and springs.

Good luck and welcome to BUM - Bostok Union of Modders.

Barry

 

We have similar tastes!

I love my Russian rangefinders and my Vostoks!

I've had good luck buying from and communicating with meranom.com. I would recommend them, but buying from Russia the headache and expense of trying to get warranty work done is not worth the price of the watch. At 65 bucks they are hard to beat, and easy to fix. I'm sure one of us around the forum would assess a problem watch for you for very little.


I purchased one of my Vostoks from Amazon and it came running very slow, slow enough it would stop running sometimes. It also came with the lume dot at 11 loose and rattling around under the crystal. I replaced the lume and regulated the watch myself as the seller would not respond to me or Amazon, so I got a credit from Amazon for the purchase as the seller did not respond in a reasonable amount of time. If you get one of the few models available to be fulfilled by Amazon I'm sure if you got a dud you would have no problem getting a new one.

-Nick

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

 

Here's my two favorite Russians

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

 

Here's my two favorite Russians

What a phenomenal strap. Did you make that yourself?

 

Hi Nick,

Wow, a Zorki 3! That and the 3m are my favorites. I,be got an early 4, but it requires a CLA, so it's just a bookmark. Thanks for the info. I,m now leaning toward Meranom, getting the stainless 670 case, without date.

cheers
Rick

 

That 670 case does look nice.

I have experience with the 120, and 150 cases only, and I like them both. The 670 has a nice look and has a 20mm Lug width, which is my favorite strap size.

The Zorki's can be finicky, especially the 3, but slow speeds and a combined vf/rf it's my favorite camera. I think the 3 with the front slow speed selector maybe one of the best looking cameras period! I have never had a 4, I know alot of people like them though! I have a 1 and a 5 as well as the 3, but a friend has the 1 out on loan, and the 5 I have stripped down to repaint and repair (shutter curtain needs to be replaced), I'll probably finish it this winter when things slow down a bit.

Good luck with choosing an amphibia!

-Nick

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

 

If I were you I would go for one of Meranoms SE models soch as the Neptune or one of the new Amfibia models,if your budget allows
https://meranom.com/en/amfibia/

 

Joecool,

I'd like to, but I recently purchased an Orient Mako II (which I love), so I'm looking for something on the economy side as a second automatic diver. I thought about an Invicta with the Seiko movement, but there is something about the Classic Vostock Amphibia that I like.

 

Rey

Coincidence, because I just did the same from Marc at Island Watches today, partly because the Mako 2 has an upgraded winding/hacking movement and also because the pound is temporarily high against the dollar which made Marc's price ridiculously cheap. I bought the blue and it is a thing of great beauty.

The Amphibia is a great choice and you will fall in love with the strudy beast. I have to admit that I often spend more on the modding than the original watch cost (bezels, straps, casebacks etc) so the final cost is about the same as the Mako........hahaha.

Welcome to the party,

Barry

 

Barry, Larand,

Well....I guess someone has to live here. Great place to wear a diver watch....in the middle of the desert! Based on every ones input, I'm going to order from Meranom, as they regulate the watch before shipping and know how to ship. I'm leaning toward the 670 scuba dude or 927 dial. I'll likely order it soon and let you guys know when it arrives. Once again, thanks you all for the input.

 

New Mexico is an amazing place full of great scenery, and interesting people. The Fibby will be happy there I am sure because it loves rough terrain.

The only drawback for Meanom is that excruciating wait for the watch to get through the russian bureaucray and clear customs.

 

The Mako II is a great watch. I'm really impressed with the quality for the price, however, I just picked it up a couple of weeks ago, so I'll probably wait a bit before getting the Vostok. I think I have decided on the 670 case with the 970 dial.Much as I like the scuba dude, that black and grey dial is really attractive! Im hoping to pull the trigger some time this month or early October. I wonder how many Vostoks there are out here in the dust,

 

I've ordered 2 watches from Meranom and have no complaints. Certainly would buy from them again.
Lived in NM for 10 years, left there 4 years ago. Miss the smell of green Chile roasting in the fall.

 

Hey Milehigh!

It's roasting now, smells wonderful. Fall is the only time I really love living here!

 

Thanks Meranom,

That just sealed the deal. I,ll be ordering soon!

 

Dont forget use wus2015 coupon

 

Meranom,

Thanks for the reminder on the code. I just ordered!

 

Hahahaha........smart move Dmitry. I thought that you might be lurking somewhere.

Post your Fibby when it comes, Rey, and tell us how long it took to reach the desert.

I know you joked about a diver in the desert but actually its very practical because it will keep the sand and dust out, besides standing up to the heat.

Tener cuidado

Barry

 

Yup,
It was good timing, but I would have bought it from him anyway. Just too many good recommendations here. I'll post a photo of it when I get it!

 

I purchased a Komandirskie on Amazon last year... at five months it stopped dead. I sent it to Amazon's watch warranty company Asuron? About three weeks later I received a phone call they could not be repaired and told me I would get a full refund including shipping. I purchased an Amphibia this year... so far so good.
Not all Amazon sellers use the Amazon watch warranty program offering manufacturer's warranty instead.

 

That's good to know. The Asuron warranty was what I was considering. Good to know that they honor it!

 

This forum is dangerous--I just fired off another order to Meranom. Looks like I'm averaging about two months between orders for the last six months. I should probably slow down before my wife notices.

 

It's here. My first Amphibia! Less then two weeks shipping. Thanks Dmitry!

 

Sadly, I had a bad experience from Meranom. I was on the waiting list for a Vostok Classica for 18 months. I paid around €20 for expedited delivery to Spain but the courier (3 letters, begins with a U, ends with an S) lost it. Meranom refused to refund me unless the item was returned. I emailed and asked if the delivery was insured... about five times. My emails were ignored. After two months I just gave up. I'll attach a photo below of the watch I will never own.

I'd recommend Zenitar on eBay though. A guy called Viktor. Fantastic customer service.

 

Sadly, I had a bad experience from Meranom. I was on the waiting list for a Vostok Classica for 18 months. I paid around €20 for expedited delivery to Spain but the courier (3 letters, begins with a U, ends with an S) lost it. Meranom refused to refund me unless the item was returned. I emailed and asked if the delivery was insured... about five times. My emails were ignored. After two months I just gave up. I'll attach a photo below of the watch I will never own.

I'd recommend Zenitar on eBay though. A guy called Viktor. Fantastic customer service.

Hello

On our website, when placing an order, there is a warning that customs duties may arise when delivering parcels. If customs duties are not paid, then it is very difficult to return items through courier services.

And we are still trying to return the package that was sent to you. Every week we write 2-3 letters to ups. Unfortunately ups works very badly sometimes. They request the same return documents from us every time.

We decided to return the money to you without waiting for the return of the parcel.

 

My one and only Vostok is from eBay Zenitar. He's still going strong after so many years of selling Vostoks.

 

#Meranom This is probably not the right place for this discussion. It's a shame you didn't respond to my emails.

I have no problem paying import tax in my country. As you know, because I've emailed you about it, this case was about theft. I almost had my identity stolen because of my purchase from you. My bank has frozen my account as a consequence of the transaction... so you cannot possibly have refunded me. Maybe you want to email me privately about this matter?