Glad you’re enjoying it. As an owner of (I don’t even know how many) Vostoks going back to the Soviet Union era, I would hesitate a bit to call what you list as “flaws” exactly. Watches at this price point have to be accepted on their own terms, for the most part. And Vostoks happen to be among the quirkiest around.

 

You are 100% right. Even the sharp edges. It would have been nice knowing it bwfore buying rhe watch though 😄 but hey. I'm perfectly fine with it and like the praying that it arrives eventually from russia it's fun. You grow with every watch.

 

I like it, a very nice watch. Does it have the second hack?

 

No it does not hack.

 

The 120512 was my first Amphibia also.
The first thing I did was change the bezel and put it on a shark mesh bracelet.
Then I changed to a red seconds hand.
Finally I put it in a 710 case.
I tried a bunch of other changes before I reached the final form that I like.
One thing you'll find after you've got more Amphibias in your collection is that it's fun to change things around. And you can always change things back if you change your mind.

 

The 120512 was my first Amphibia also.
The first thing I did was change the bezel and put it on a shark mesh bracelet.
Then I changed to a red seconds hand.
Finally I put it in a 710 case.
I tried a bunch of other changes before I reached the final form that I like.
One thing you'll find after you've got more Amphibias in your collection is that it's fun to change things around. And you can always change things back if you change your mind.

Beautiful watch!

 

That's a lovely Amphibia. Good choice. If you want to hack it then simply put some back pressure on the crown when in time setting position. There's a knack to getting it right but it's quite satisfying when you get it.

I'm a big fan of aftermarket bezels on Vostoks but the blue markers on yours bezel perfectly compliments the blue seconds hand.

You can easily polish scratches out of the crystal with toothpaste / polywatch / brass polish ...etc.

 

Thank you i already saw an aquamarine bezel i might buy. What do you think?

 

If you're in the US, there are two American Vostok dealers that I have bought a lot of watches from. They ship fast, you have the watch in a few days, and if it has problems, they'll stand behind it.

Scuba Dude Store

and

Buy Vostok

The acrylic crystals Vostok uses were chosen for a reason. The domed acrylic is somewhat flexible, unlike glass. Under high water pressure, it flexes instead of breaking and the flexing pushes the edge of the crystal outward toward the sides of the case, increasing the water seal! If the crystal gets scratches (and it will since acrylic is softer than glass or sapphire), they are easily polished out with a cotton ball and some polishing compound. SimonCK mentioned Polywatch; it is what I use. A tube of it is about $7 on Amazon.

Vostoks vary in 'out of the box' accuracy. I have 16 Vostoks; out of the box, they ranged from +2 sec. per day (incredibly good!) to +50 sec. per day (awful!). They're easy to regulate, though and can be made very accurate. Remember that these are very inexpensive. I've seen $800 Seikos that were running at +30 sec. per day out of the box. They can be regulated to great accuracy, too; but I feel less bad about having to do that on a $100 watch than I do with an $800 watch!

 

One thing to note about back hacking your watch is that it only works well when the mainspring is almost all the way run down. If it's half wound, too much force is required to hack it and the second hand will tend to jump forward erratically when you release the crown, and if it's fully wound it probably won't back hack at all.
I don't bother to back hack my Amphibias unless I want to do an accuracy test.

The old 2214 (later 2234) Komandirskies are the only Vostoks that had a proper hacking mechanism. The civilian 2214s didn't have it and none of the Amphibias had it.
I wish the subsequent 2414 (contemporary) Komandirskies had hacking, but they don't.

 

easy to scratch glass

Which is why it's great to have a tube of Polywatch for a weekly buffing!

Polywatch SCRATCH REMOVAL plastic/acrylic watch Face Repairer | eBay

Polywatch SCRATCH REMOVAL plastic/acrylic watch Face Repairer | Jewellery & Watches, Watches, Parts & Accessories, Parts, Tools & Guides | eBay!

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After years of wearing watches with acrylic crystals, you develop a kind of subconscious awareness of your crystal, and you rarely scratch it or bang it on things. You will need to have Polywatch, but you won't need to use it all that often.

 

Agreed, i think I polish mine once maybe twice a year.

 

I have that one and have kept it in stock form. Great dial and overall look. I have it on a black nato strap. It came on a rubber strap which goes back on in the summer and around the water.

 

Regular toothpaste works fine for buffing out scratches.

I got myself a "Pamphibia" cheap, because it had a moderately deep scratch in the crystal. I used toothpaste and an electric toothbrush to buff it out. It took away the scratch completely, but also matted the crystal. I finished it with some more toothpaste and a cloth. Good as new.