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| My First Russian Watch Arrived : ) | Rating: 
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 02:07 pm |
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1st Post |
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DM71 3T WIS 
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Hi everyone, Just received my first Vostok Europe Russian watch and thought i would share my first impression on that Gaz-Limo ( base on the Gaz 14 Limousine clock ) a dual time automatic watch. It's actually my first experience with a Russian watch. First, I was not expecting much from it but the watch look superb on pictures and at $244USD shipped, I found it was very reasonable for an automatic dual time watch. The best price I found was from Russia2all and i had to wait about 6 weeks for new production to be ready. According to what i read, and I'm not 100% sure about that, every Vostok Europe watches are limited editions and when the model run out, it usually comeback with some minor changes. Mine is 372/3000. Didn't care to much about the LE but found it was a nice bonus. Now, my first impression when I open the box. -The Bad :X: It was obvious that the watch had not been handle with care. The case is all polished and I received it with multitude of scratches all around :X. Nothing major but hey, that's a new watch, I was expecting it to be scratchless and I don't think it's to much asking. The front and back mineral glass were protected with a clear plastic but no protection applied to the crowns. Then, my eye saw right away that the "35" printed on the dial was not printed properly, the "3" is not completely printed :X. You can see it on the wrist shot. I then adjusted the time but the Vostok movement, Caliber 2426 do not have a quick set date and I had to move the hour hand from 8H to 12H, back and forth to adjust the day...long process and I will make sure that this watch sits on the winder not to have to adjust it every time because it's a pain. The bracelet is a no go and will have to disappear fast, I don't like the color, nor the feel or the reptile pattern on it but I knew even before I bought the watch that I would not keep it and prefer having I nice watch on cheap bracelet than the opposite. Also, I wish to keep the signed buckle (20mm wide) for the next strap. -The GOOD :D: Well, from what you just read, you might thing that I have regrets and feel disappointed about the product but, that's not the case. I think that you can see from the pictures that this is a beautiful timepiece. I know that taste are personal, but I really believe that this watch has a stunning dial and the combination of texture on it with the blue numerals, bezel and hands just looks fantastic! The movement is very smooth to wind and time is set easily (ecxept for the date like said before). I think that a lot of attention was put on this design, I like everything about the dial but I would have like to see the writing in Russian to be a bit more exotic. The movement is nice to look at with blued screws and the rotor has some kind of "Côtes de Genève" on it and the whole look is good for such a low priced watch IMHO, much nicer in person than on the picture. The inner 24H bezel is moved by using the crown at 2 o'clock and their is a nice positive resistance and distinctive click when it moves. The second time zone hand cannot be adjusted separately so you set the second time zone by moving the inner bezel. At 43mm wide and 12mm tall without the dome crystal, the watch has the right size IMHO. Because of the inner bezel, the dial looks huge and i like it. The date window sits at 2 o'clock and make the dial look very balanced. So, i didn't test accuracy yet and will have to come back in a few days with my observations. The lume seems decent (Superluminova is used) but i doubt it will long efficiency due to the small amount used on the hands and on the lumed dots at 3,6,9 and 12. -Conclusion:  I like it even if not perfect. VE will have to improve on QC since few companies offer products of very high quality for even cheaper, Seiko, Citizen and others comes to my mind, but the overall watch is impressive. I have a Poljot mechanical alarm on the way and can't wait to compare the two companies. By the way, I would like to hear your advise on a replacement strap. The watch has 22mm lugs that taper down to 20mm at the buckle. I would like to keep the original signed buckle but would not mind if the strap is 22mm all the way. If possible, include a link or picture. THX! in advance for your help and recommendations and thanks for reading. I'll let the pix do the talking now.     
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 02:53 pm |
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2nd Post |
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mcwright Admin 
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Nice looking watch, but I would have sent it back if it arrived with scratches on the case. No matter what it cost, it should arrive scratch-free.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 03:08 pm |
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3rd Post |
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scottran 3T WIS 
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Yes, very nice watch but, I agree with Mcwright. If you got it from Russia2all, I would contact Craig, the owner. He is a member here at 3T and his CS is outstanding. hand6.gif I am sure he would take care of the dial issue and scratches. Craig's 3T name is VEV 1138
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 03:41 pm |
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4th Post |
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Nabco 3T WIS 
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Agree 100% with the other guys, contact Craig immediately...his CS is as good as anyone's out there, I know he will make it right. As I posted previously I own several V-E's and the problems you described I have not seen before. Also, as previously posted the bracelets are hit and miss....the bracelets on the Energia and the Arktika are as good as any bracelet on any watch I own, solid, heavy with screwed links...on the other hand the bracelet on my Maxim Gorky is very cheaply made...not sure why they do that...but they do. The date changing is an inherit issue with all Russian movements I have seen...its an inconvenience but not a big issue to me....worst case it may take 2 or 3 minutes to get the date right. Anyway congrats on your first Ruskie...
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 03:44 pm |
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5th Post |
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DM71 3T WIS
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Thx for your comments, McWright & Scott. I guess you guys are right, I don't know what I'll do. There is no question that Craig & Kristine are very nice people to deal with, I just don't know if i feel like paying shipping again to send it and then... The scratches on the watch are not what bothers me the most, it's the miss print 3. The case can easily been fix, not the dial. Ho man, I guess I'm going to give Craig a call to see. Then what about strap ideas? I'm sure you guys can help me with that. Daniel
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 03:46 pm |
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6th Post |
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DM71 3T WIS
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Thx Nabco, your the final push I needed, I will contact Craig and see what happens.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 04:18 pm |
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7th Post |
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rvs1111 3T WIS 
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Congrats on the nice looking VE GAZ Limo you have there. It's unfortunate to hear that yours arrived with scratches and the problem with the number 35 on the dial. I guess I was a bit luckier when mine arrived (a month ago). I totally agree with you on the 'not so thrilling' strap it came with. It seems that this is not an uncommon thing with Russian watches on leather straps. I have a Sturmanskie Gagarin that came with a mediocre quality leather strap too - which eventually was replaced with a 2 piece Maratac Zulu then a metal bracelet. I have replaced my PVD/rose gold GAZ with a black PVD mesh instead and I think I will stick with that combo. The date adjusting as mentioned already is typical for Russian watches. I've gotten used to it however, by using a crown winder tool (for manual wind watches) to do my date adjustments - it makes it a lot easier for me due to my fat and clumsy fingers  Hope your issues are resolved if/when you send your watch back, because the VE you have there is really a nice watch in all respects. Enjoy!
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 04:28 pm |
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8th Post |
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mcwright Admin
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Ok, try this strap if you want a sportier look. It is affordable at $29.95 and a very rugged strap. Maybe the blue stitching or the white stitch version for your watch. Takes a day or so of wearing to break in. It can be purchased at: http://www.fredawatchstraps.com/panny1515.html Attachment: yhst-65904186478273_2067_27135410.jpeg (Downloaded 99 times)
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 04:38 pm |
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9th Post |
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DM71 3T WIS
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Thanks for your support RVS! I was thinking of a mesh bracelet too. Could you post a pic of yours so I can see the look, it would be greatly appreciated hand6.gif McWright, that black and blue look good two, I will check that as well. Thx! I sent an email to Craig and will see...
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 05:08 pm |
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10th Post |
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VEV 1138 3T WIS 
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Daniel... I got your email. My apologies for the problems. This came direct to us from the manufacturer to you. We inspect the watches before we ship them... actually we do a multi-point inspection that includes a timegrapher test for accuracy, testing the date and other functions, and taking a loop to the dial. That said, we can certainly miss things sometimes. The scratches may have occurred in shipping. Those are baffling to me honestly. I'll have to wait until I get it back to fully understand that. The faulty number on the dial, I just missed that. Clearly they did at the factory as well. Things slip through sometimes, no matter how much we all try to prevent it. Get the watch on back to us and we will replace it right away.... Everyone here is absolutely correct. If you buy a watch that is new, it should come to you perfect. (even if we all know that doesn't last nearly as long as we would like!  )thanks, Craig
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 05:29 pm |
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11th Post |
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DM71 3T WIS
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Craig, you're the man! Thanks for your fast intervention! I believe that you are right about scratches during shipping. The watch was very well packed but was loose inside the box, it was not attached to the pillow, I guess not to damage the band, i don't know. Anyway, the fact that you stand behind your product is what matters to me and I really appreciate. Like I told you in some of our previous emails. Just the fact that you took the phone to call me on my cell. in Canada the other day, just to let me know the status on my order, blew me away  Also Craig, what about the bracelet? Like I told you in the email, i wore the watch for about 3 hours and put it back in the box with the band attached, if you want, I can just send the watch head or you could, if you prefer, swap the bracelet from the old one to the new one. Like I said in my quick review here, I don't care about the band, I care about the watch!!!hearteyes.gif You can PM me for the best thing to do. And no offense for missing such a small thing (the miss print number), we're all human! Thanks again Craig! P.S:small correction, i know you probably figured it out, but i made a mistake in the review, the date is positioned at 6 o'clock, not 2, my apologies.;) Last edited on Thu Aug 27th, 2009 05:36 pm by DM71 |
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| Posted: Thu Aug 27th, 2009 07:01 pm |
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12th Post |
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VEV 1138 3T WIS
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Hey Daniel, I'm sending this directly back to the factory. Just reassemble the whole deal like you got it and send it back to me. There is no way to repair the dial (certainly not here) so I have to send it back. I'm going to just replace it... If you could get that on the way soon, I would appreciate it actually. I have some other things I need to ship to VE and would just include this with those items. thanks! Craig
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