Molnija Frankenwatches, opinions?

1543 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Chascomm, Apr 9, 2015

spreckityall

Discussion Starter · Apr 8, 2015

I recently bought a couple Molnija "Frankenwatches". I'm a college student on a budget and wanted a decent mechanical watch. After spending more time on here than I should have (instead of studying), I ended up buying these two watches with Molnija 3602 movements. I realize that these are not fantastic watches, but I do enjoy the crazy faces, and its good to know that they have seemingly solid movements behind them.

Overall I am pretty happy with my purchases. They both keep time pretty well, the only complaint I have is that both of the faces are not centered, a caveat to buying these kinds of watches no doubt.

What do you all think? Have any stories, comments, advice on these kinds of watches?

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93EXCivic

· #2 · Apr 8, 2015

I am building a Molly powered Panerai Radimor styled watch right now.

The first one is kinda cool. I'd own it.

The way I look at it the made tons of Molnija pocketwatches and very few people use pocketwatches so why not enjoy them on your wrist.

All that being said I wouldn't pay a lot for one and the lack of shockproofing means that they aren't as robust as a normal wristwatch movement.

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schnurrp

· #3 · Apr 8, 2015

Yes, neither shockproof nor waterproof and personally I can't help but think what authentic collectible you can buy for the price of those two fantasies. However, I hope you enjoy them and didn't pay too much.

Welcome to the forum!

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spreckityall

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 8, 2015

Thanks for the response. I am looking into buying a cheap lot of watches and a cheap kit to just start tinkering around with the mechanics of watches before I get into modding any, but its something that I really want to to do when I get more time. Any suggestions on good places for buying equipment other than amazon/ebay?

Yeah, I took into consideration the lack of shock proofing when i bought, but as a student I am not too rough on them though.

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spreckityall

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 8, 2015

schnurrp said:
However, I hope you enjoy them and didn't pay too much.

Welcome to the forum!

To be honest these were my first buys other than a Moscow Classic Baykal that I bought from a good friend of mine. So, I'm not sure if i paid too much... out of curiosity, whats do you think a fair price for each would be? :think:

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schnurrp

· #6 · Apr 8, 2015

spreckityall said:
To be honest these were my first buys other than a Moscow Classic Baykal that I bought from a good friend of mine. So, I'm not sure if i paid too much... out of curiosity, whats do you think a fair price for each would be? :think:

That's very hard to say but when I look on ebay at what these are going for (I searched "Molnija wristwatch") I think it would be hard to re-sell any of these fantasies for what they are asking. On the other hand if you buy an authentic collectible you may have something that will at least maintain its value and perhaps even increase. As a beginner, you are the target market for these watches and we've all been there to some degree.

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Thirdgenbird

· #7 · Apr 9, 2015

Eh, at the right price, I would consider one with a few different Natos.

Sure, a collectible may retain value, but it also may require an expensive service to do so. In the sub $150 range, I say have fun. just don't get too many of them, then its not longer cheap

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Chascomm

· #8 · Apr 9, 2015

The first one is not what I would call a 'Molnija frankenwatch'. Rather it is a modern wristwatch powered by a Soviet-era Molnija movement. The second one uses a Molnija pocket watch crown as well as [post-Soviet movement (regulatuer modified), but again the case looks new rather than modified.

I see nothing in either of these which attempts to pass them off as genuine Soviet vintage pieces. So my only (slight) concern would be in the use of a large pocket watch movement with no shockproofing in a wristwatch where it may be subject to shocks beyond what it was designed for. Wear it with care and it should be fine.

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