[vintagemisfit]

Hi everyone... I'm relatively new to Russian watches and have been a voracious reader of the various posts over the past few weeks. I'm looking to purchase a watch soon and I'm interested in the Amphibian and the Komandirskie watches.

Which leads me to a series of questions, beginning with which one do you prefer and why?

Are the differences between the two great? Or are they comparable? Please correct me if I have made an error in my deductions, though I have noticed (from various websites and the article by Irina Maier) that the Amphibian's case is stainless steel and that the Komandirskie has a stainless steel back but the case is polished chrome. Does the stainless steel of the Amphibian have a "mirror-like" quality like that of the polished chrome of the Komandirskie or is it more subdued or possess a "brushed" quality? It is difficult to tell from photos.

Personally, I'm leaning towards purchasing an Amphibian. From what I have gathered from reading the posts is that everyone seems to prefer the "Blue Diver" Amphibian over the "Black Diver". Most of these watches have a distinct military feel and air to them, as demonstrated by the various branch affiliations, are these "diving watches" designed for the military?

Please provide any advice you can offer and let me know which watch you would recommend for beginning a collection (and specifically the color between the "blue diver" and the "black diver" as I am most torn between these two.)

Any advice, opinions or comments would be most helpful. Thanks in advance.

 

[jean-luc]

Hi !
Just my two cents about the Komandirskie and Amphibia :
Amphibia's case is in stainless steel, with mirror finish.
Komandirskie's case is brass with chrome coating. the main default about the chromed brass, is that it can be sometimes corroded by sweat.. My newest Komandirskie don't seem to have problems with it, while an older one was corroded very quickly.The prejudice is only aesthetic, and limited to the back edges of the case near the crown and the crown itself. The back itself is stainless steel.
Of course, the Amphibia, with its SS case, is completely trouble-free about that.
If you want to avoid any trouble about that, you can use a band that insulates the watch from your wrist, like a Bund or NATO strap, for example. They are nice and comfortable.
Regarding the strap, most Amphibia come with a metal bracelet, and IMHO, the newest bracelets are quite nice, well made and comfortable (well, actually, the ones I had).
The Komandirskie usually come with a leather band, generally quite basic and ... ugly. It looks the same as the ones I got with my Raketas. The latest Komandirskie I've purchased came with a leather band, about which, I'm not actually sure it leather or plastic. Well, they don't actually cause problem, and are quite comfortable, but you may try to find something that suits the watch better. (NATO-like fits nicely).
Both the Amphibia and the Komandirskie have 18mm lugs, but the Ministry Amphibia, with the tonneau case, has 22mm lugs.
Regarding the caliber used, the newer Amphibias, use the automatic 31j 2416b caliber. The Komandiskie can be found with both the 2416b and the manual-wound 17j 2414. Both are very good, rugged workhorses, and the 2414 I have is capable of an excellent accuracy.
I don't dive, but used to swim with my Komandirskie without problems, simply take care to screw the crown correctly.The Amphibia is 200m rated, when the Komandirskie is rated 2 ATM only, but considering that the waterproof insulation is quite similar, you can expect a good protection in real condition : same typical back design (but the gasket is a bit different), same crown design (but crown an its gasket are bigger on the Amphibia).
Regarding aesthetic, Amphibia has a typical, out of fashioned massive design. The Komandirskie is close, but take care that some indexes are not very elegant : the Amphibia-type, with a point every 5 minutes, is very nice, but some are not so nice, just my personal taste :
Just an example :
http://www.smirs.com/product_info.php?products_id=330
On this watch, the rotating index is useless and not very attractive.

The last one I purchased, this is what I mean when talking about Amphibia-type index on the Komandirskie :
http://www.smirs.com/popup_image.php?&pID=87

 

[chchz]

I personally prefer komandirskie just because I like the 2414 much better, however, I think Amphibias are nicer looking. There is nothing wrong with the 2416b, I just like 2414 better. I also like the 2409, just a non-date 2414, it was used in older vostoks.

 

[Loddonite]

I read lots of threads on this forum before jumping in and getting an Amphibia, (though not the Scuba-dude) I was swayed by the Stainless Steel case but I suspect that if I'd seen a Komandirskie that I really liked the look of I may have gone for that (albeit many of the dials are common to both).

...and a truly GREAT thing about the Amphibian v. Komandirskie debate is that they are inexpensive enough that it is possible to buy both and test for oneself all the comments and opinions that other posters provide.

 

[TZAG]

There are many things to say but most important for me is the production date (!) So to which one are you refering? If we are talking about new productions, there are also the new Komandirskies which have brushed SS cases and I find them nice to own.

Here is an example

http://www.smirs.com/popup_image.php?&pID=2430
http://www.smirs.com/popup_image.php?num=1&pID=2430

Otherwise, If you are refering to the older ones I agree with jean-luc

 

[jean-luc]

I agree with you, those "New Komandirskie" are very nice and attractive!
BTW, the price is somehow higher than the traditional Amphibia and Komandirskie range. Still acceptable anyway.
But the "New Komandirskie" line is specific, and what we said about the movements, cases, etc., doesn't apply to them.
http://www.smirs.com/popup_image.php?&pID=1727