Vostok Antarktika - limited 24h watch from forum.watch.ru or limitka (AWW 34)
Specifications
Name: Vostok Antarktika
Reference: 150001
Movement: 2423.01 Vostok, 18 jewels, shockproof, 19800 bph
Time display: 24 hour, minute, seconds, 12 on top
Case: all stainless steel with snap back
Size: 42 mm without, 44 with crown, 48 mm lug to lug
Height: 11 mm
Face: blue with white Antarctic continent in the middle, white odd hour numbers and even hour markers, white minute markers and numbers
Text on dial: АНТАРКТИКА [Vostok logo]
Text on back: 55 ЛЕТ ДОГОВОРУ О МИРНОМ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЙ АНТАРКТИКИ (55 years of Antarctic Treaty System) 31/49
Hands: narrow metallic silver hands
Water-resistance: water resistant
Crown: unsigned crown at 3 to set time
Crystal: flat mineral crystal
Lugs: 20 mm
Foreword
The project was started in August 26 with first post by watch.ru member jus1897. The idea was to create a modern 24h watch in contrary to outdated Raketa-based grey market watches filling the market. Some years ago Vostok produced some 24h models, but in a limited quantity and they all are hard to find.
If you are interested in details of this project, then main threads in watch.ru are:
http://forum.watch.ru/showthread.php?t=182764
http://forum.watch.ru/showthread.php?t=185275
http://forum.watch.ru/showthread.php?t=185591
Last of them contains a lot of good pictures of Vostok Antaktika. Nice pictures of this watch are also posted by Tiktakmir.ru in our forums
https://www.watchuseek.com/f5/photo-album-24-hour-watches-107859-19.html#post7042822
The entire project developed very quickly and was very well managed. The total timespan three months is a very good effort. As I said, the very first post questioning "should we do it" was posted in August 26. From the very beginning the idea was to build a watch based on Vostok 2423 movement. Vostok factory had in this moment exactly 49 last movements of this type in stock. That's why it was decided to have a limited series of 49 watches.
By the beginning of October the design was ready. The final price was RUB 4450 (slightly more for foreign members like me because of shipping etc.) The limited numbered series of 49 watches were produced at Vostok factory in Chistopol very quickly. I sent my payment on October 5 and after one month the watches were ready. My watch was posted in Chistopol in November 15 and after only 10 days I got my watch from post office in November 25. Even Russian Post showed his best performance in this project
Comments
The agreed design is here:
Nice watch. You always look at the face first. It is clear and legible, a little bit cheap, but efficient. After a while you discover, that this simply made dial has some hidden values. Depending on lighting and angle it is showing different shades of blue, sometimes looking greenish. Very nice floating color remembering seawater.
Several members of watch.ru are posting pictures of this watch trying to catch these color shades, but mostly without success.
All the main features and design options were voted during the project, like option to have 12 on top. On the dial is written only АНТАРКТИКА (Antarctica in Russian) and Vostok logo.
The metallic silver hands are narrow. The length is right and for me they are OK and contributing well to the overall legibility. But the feedback by watch.ru member is pointing to hands as one of the weakest points in this watch. Nothing is lumed, neither the dial nor hands.
Case is all stainless steel with nice back side. With "Poler" watches it is always the question - should we put on the case back some penguins or polar bears or unhappy polar researchers ... They are all well-worn ideas. Here we have something original - unique and famous Soviet off-road vehicle Kharkovchianka (the girl from Kharkov). This giant snowmobile was made by Kharkov tractor factory, located in Ukraine. Kharkovchiankas were introduced in late 50s and are maybe used even today. See also
Dark Roasted Blend: Unique Soviet Snowmobiles
On the case back is written in Russian - "55 years of Antarctic Treaty System" and watch serial number. The water resistance is not marked, but according to passport the watch is water resistant (that means 3 ATM).
Several contemporary Russian watches have snap case back. Even with smaller and older watches (diameter less than 40 mm) snap case back can be a headache. With Russian watches over 40 mm diameter - never open a snap case back. Let the watchmaker do it and press it back. Even with special tools it is hard to close the case again. I opened my watch only to show you a picture what is inside.
And inside is the well-known Vostok 18 jewel 19800 bph movement 2423. The bridge is signed as "RUSSIA 2423" Don't expect any expensive decoration here, but it looks nice with blue screws. Several watch.ru forum members were surprised that this watch is so accurate; often the deviation seems to be less than 10 sec per day. My timing machine shows -4 sec. Very good for a $ 150 watch. The guaranteed accuracy according to passport is -20/+60 sec per day. And the power reserve is 38 hours.
Vostok 2423 is overall described as 17 jewel movement. In passport here is written 18 jewels. In booklet is written that the movement type is 2423.01 and maybe this is one of the differences.
The weakest feature of this watch is crown, no doubt. The (unsigned) crown is too small. I have small fingers and still it is very difficult to wind up watch. Shame, that a little component will ruin the impression of a good watch.
BTW, for some reason these watches came with genuine leather buckle strap from another Russian brand - Poljot.
Vostok Antarctic was nicely packaged, came in box with papers. Half of this small 49 pieces series came with penguins on the booklet, the other half with iceberg on the booklet. Both booklets and passport are displayed on photos. Booklets tell you about Antarctic Treaty, Kharkovchianka and Vostok 2423 movement.
What else I found in passport is that this model's design reference is 150001, the production date was November 14 and the warranty is one year.
Summary
Nice watch. Good collective effort of several members from forum.watch.ru. The price/performance ratio is very good. And not only the design and quality are on the level, the overall project development speed exceeded all my expectations.
