Vostok watches
Encyclopedia
Diving watch
A diving watch is a watch designed for underwater diving that features, as a minimum, a water resistance greater than , the equivalent of . The typical diver's watch will have a water resistance of around , though modern technology allows the creation of diving watches that can go much deeper...
mechanical watches at its factory in Chistopol
Chistopol
Chistopol is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Kuybyshev Reservoir, on the Kama River. Population: It is served by the Chistopol Airport.-History:It was first mentioned in chronicles at the end of the 17th century...
, Tatarstan
Tatarstan
The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. It also makes clocks and watch movements for other watch brands.
The Vostok Company was founded in 1942 when one of the Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
watch-making plants of the First Moscow Watch Factory
Poljot
Poljot , is a brand of Soviet/Russian wristwatches, produced since 1964 by the First Moscow Watch Factory . The flagship brand of the USSR's watch industry, Poljot produced numerous historical watches used in many important space missions, including the world's first space watch worn by Yuri Gagarin...
was evacuated to Chistopol
Chistopol
Chistopol is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the left bank of the Kuybyshev Reservoir, on the Kama River. Population: It is served by the Chistopol Airport.-History:It was first mentioned in chronicles at the end of the 17th century...
, a small town located on the Kama River
Kama River
Kama is a major river in Russia, the longest left tributary of the Volga and the largest one in discharge; in fact, it is larger than the Volga before junction....
in Tatarstan
Tatarstan
The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...
. Only defense equipment was produced during the war years, but as soon as the war was over the company started making mechanical wrist watches. However, the Company did not begin using the "Vostok" brand name until the 1960s. *Presumable "Vostok" brand was named after the Vostok
Vostok programme
The Vostok programme was a Soviet human spaceflight project that succeeded in putting a person into Earth's orbit for the first time. The programme developed the Vostok spacecraft from the Zenit spy satellite project and adapted the Vostok rocket from an existing ICBM design...
space program, which gave the initial advancement of the USSR in the Space race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
(as some others soviet watch brands, named to space topics in 1960s - Poljot
Poljot
Poljot , is a brand of Soviet/Russian wristwatches, produced since 1964 by the First Moscow Watch Factory . The flagship brand of the USSR's watch industry, Poljot produced numerous historical watches used in many important space missions, including the world's first space watch worn by Yuri Gagarin...
and Raketa
Raketa
Raketa watches have been manufactured since 1962 by the Petrodvorets Watch Factory in Saint Petersburg. The Petrodvorets Watch Factory is Russia's oldest factory, it was founded by Peter the Great in 1721 as the Peterhof Lapidary Works to make hardstone carvings...
).
The company was appointed an official supplier of watches for the Defense Department of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1965. This year also marks the creation of the well known Komandirskie ("Commander's") watch. (See photo, below left.)
Watches issued to the military were marked "ЗАКАЗ МО СССР," meaning "By Order of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR." These models were subject to rigorous quality control and sold exclusively through Voentorg stores, which catered to military personnel with identification only. (Today, these models have become sought-after collectibles.)
At turn of the 21st century, Vostok launched a line of 1940s-style replicas called the Kirovskie K-43 collection. Vostok also began producing a "luxury" line of watches called Kremlevskie. Both lines are made of stainless steel, produced in limited quantities, and aimed toward a more affluent consumer.
In 2004, Vostok Watch Makers began supplying movements to the Koliz Company of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, makers of the Vostok Europe
Vostok Europe
The Vostok-Europe brand of watches debuted in 2004, aimed at the Western European market. These watches are assembled by the Koliz Company of Vilnius, Lithuania....
brand of timepieces.
In 2006, Vostok Watch Makers began marketing another new line of watches branded "Amfibia." This brand, like most other Vostok products, features the familiar 31-jewel automatic (No. 2416B) movement. These watches feature "diver" styling with polyurethane
Polyurethane
A polyurethane is any polymer composed of a chain of organic units joined by carbamate links. Polyurethane polymers are formed through step-growth polymerization, by reacting a monomer with another monomer in the presence of a catalyst.Polyurethanes are...
or stainless steel bands.
An updated version of the Komandirskie debuted in summer, 2007, and a special anniversary edition of the Amphibia (called the "1967") appeared in early 2008. Both of these models feature high-quality assembly, materials and packaging.
Despite the introduction of the new lines of Komandirskie and Amphibia, the "classic" models (mostly designed in 1960s and 1970s) of these lines was still in production (as of 2009).
In early 2010, Vostok Watch Factory filed for bankruptcy and their official web page was disabled. Despite that, the production didn't stop and the factory is still working and supplying watches and movements (as of May 2010).
Trivia
- The Company also makes a 12 jewel, very accurate mechanical submarine wall clock that was in Officers areas on board, known to stay on time in a wide band of temperatures. It is highly sought after in certain collectors markets especially in Soviet Union items collectors.
- Usually PoljotPoljotPoljot , is a brand of Soviet/Russian wristwatches, produced since 1964 by the First Moscow Watch Factory . The flagship brand of the USSR's watch industry, Poljot produced numerous historical watches used in many important space missions, including the world's first space watch worn by Yuri Gagarin...
watches are associated with the Soviet Space Program. But Vostok watches were also frequently worn in space by the Russian cosmonauts. Some of the famous Vostok watch users were the cosmonauts Georgi GrechkoGeorgi GrechkoGeorgy Mikhaylovich Grechko is a retired Soviet cosmonaut who flew on several space flights among which Soyuz 17, Soyuz 26, and Soyuz T-14.Grechko graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Mechanics with a doctorate in mathematics. He was a member of Communist Party of Soviet Union...
and Yuri RomanenkoYuri RomanenkoYury Viktorovich Romanenko is a former Soviet cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union . Over his career, Yury Romanenko spent a total of 430 days 20 hours 21 minutes 30 seconds in space and 18 hours in space walks. In 1987 he was a resident of the Mir space station, launching on Soyuz TM-2 and...
.
- After the Desert Storm operation in 1992, the PentagonThe PentagonThe Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
reward the soldiers from the allied forces with special edition Vostok Amphibian military watch called Desert Shield.
- Vostok was the only producer of chronometerChronometerChronometer may refer to:* Chronometer watch, a watch tested and certified to meet certain precision standards* Hydrochronometer, a water clock* Marine chronometer, a timekeeper used for celestial navigation...
precision wristwatch in Soviet Union (Volna, Almaz and Vostok Precision), based on their movement Vostok 2809 with 22 jewels. The watches were produced in 1960s.
- In the movie The Life Aquatic with Steve ZissouThe Life Aquatic with Steve ZissouThe Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is an American comedy-drama film directed, written, and co-produced by Wes Anderson. It is Anderson's fourth feature length film, released in the U.S. on December 25, 2004...
, Steve (Bill MurrayBill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
) is wearing a classic Vostok Amphibia watch.
List of Vostok movements
Vostok produces all the mechanical movements by itself. The company also owns daughter-company "Briolet" specialized in production of technical ruby-jewels. Vostok supplies movements for other watch makers like Vostok-Europe, Volmax, Moscow Classic and Poljot-International. All the mechanical movements oscillate at 19800 semi-alternations per hour. The 24mm caliber movements of Vostok, currently in production (as of 2010), are presented in the table below:| Code | Height, mm | Type | Jewels | Specs | Used in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2403 | 3,7 | Manual | 17 | Central Hour and Minute hands; Second hand at 9'o clock | Vostok VOT |
| 2409 | 3,7 | Manual | 17 | Central Hour and Minute hands; central second hand | Vostok Amfibia lady first, Junior 2409A |
| 2414A | 4,14 | Manual | 17 | Central Hour and Minute hands; central Second hand; date indicator | Vostok Komandirskie manual |
| 2415 | - | Automatic | 31 | Central Hour and Minute hands; central second hand | Vostok Amphibia 1967 |
| 2415B | - | Automatic | 31 | Central Hour and Minute hands; Second hand at 9'o clock | Vostok K-43 |
| 2416B | 6,3 | Automatic | 31 | Central Hour and Minute hands; central Second hand; date indicator | Vostok Komandirskie, Amphibian, Kremlyovskie, Prestige, Breeze, Titanium, 2416B, VIP Vostok-Europe Pobeda |
| 2423 | 3,7 | Manual | 17 | Central Hour and Minute hands with 24h dial; central Second hand | - |
| 2424 | 3,7 | Manual | 17 | Central Hour and Minute hands with 24h dial; central Second hand; date indicator | - |
| 2426 | 6,3 | Automatic precision | 32 | Central Hour and Minute hands; central Second hand; 24h indicator; date indicator | Vostok Komandirskie K-34 Vostok Europe Rocket N1 and Expedition 2006 |
| 2431B | 6,3 | Automatic | 31 | Central Hour and Minute hands with 24h dial; central Second hand; date indicator | Vostok automatic 24H |
| 2432 | 6,3 | Automatic precision | 32 | Central Hour and Minute hands; central Second hand; date indicator; day/night indicator | Vostok New commander Vostok-Europe Mryia, Arktika, K3, Lunokhod, Red Square |
| 2434 | 4,14 | Manual | 17 | Central Hour and Minute hands; central Second hand | Vostok military manual |
| 2435 | 6,3 | Automatic precision | 31 | Central Hour and Minute hands; central Second hand; date indicator; day/night indicator | Vostok-Europe Metro |
| 2441 | 6,5 | Automatic | 32 | Central Hour and Minute hands; Second dial at 10'o clock; date indicator | Vostok-Europe Energia |
Timeline
1942, July 1, in Chistopol, watch factory NK MV 835, is created on the basis of the Second Moscow watch factory and DOS factory, manufacturing products for needs of frontlines.1943, Release of K-43 men's watch, and instrument production is begun. The machine-tool construction for watch manufacture is organized.
1949, Serial release of a K-26 "Pobeda" man's watch, wall-mounted ship clocks with a luminous dial, clocks for a/m "ZiM", "Volga", "Pobeda", wall-mounted and street industrial clocks are begun.
1950, The factory has started construction of own industrial buildings.
1952, The factory released of "Kama" shock-proof watches in water-proof case, clock devices for various branches of a national economy.
1957, Release of precision watches: K-28 "East", "Mir", "Volna", "Saturn", "Cosmos" with lateral and central second hands, a lens and shock-proof movement is mastered. Export of Chisopol watches has increased 7 times.
1962, Chistopol Watch Factory is awarded the gold medal of the Leipzig international fair; Komandirskie watches are developed and manufacturing begins; Chistopol watch factory became the official supplier of these watches to the Ministry of Defence of the USSR.
1968, Release of Amphibian" watch; Since 1969, all watches are manufactired under the "Vostok" trademark, and the Chistopol Watch Factory is now referred to as "Vostok Watch Factory"
1972, Release of a new 24 calibres man's watch with a numerical calendar, a double calendar, and an automatic movement; Watches are exported to 54 countries of the world.
1976, Cosmonaut G. Grechko presents the "Vostok" watch which has visited space to the Factory.
1980, This year the factory manufactures 4.5 million pieces; All production is deemed the "first" and "supreme" categories of quality.
1986, Release of water-meters, tahografov accustoms, release of manometers are begun. The factory passes in the Ministry of the radioindustry. Chistopol faculty “Vostok” of Kazan Aircraft University is opened.
1989, The factory passes to self-financing, in 1990 - on rent. The assortment of watches is annually updated on 70%, release of watches with custom-made symbolics is mastered. Export of watches increases.
1992, The factory passes under jurisdiction of Republic Tatarstan and becomes an Open Joint Stock company. The majority of watches are exported to Italy, USA, Switzerland. In USA the greatest popularity was received with "Desert storm" watch.
2000, Vostok Watch Makers Inc. is the leader of the domestic watch and clock industry on volumes of release and sales of men's watches. Release of the female watches, an expensive, prestigious man's watch, and a quartz alarm clock are begun.
2001, The factory became the owner of "The Russian National Olympus” the prestigious premium in a nomination "To Technology. A science" and the winner of "The Russian organization of high social efficiency" competition in a branch nomination.
2004, The company "Koliz Vostok Co. Ltd" was founded as a joint venture between the Russian movement- and watch-maker "Vostok Watch Maker Inc." and the Lithuanian enterprise "Koliz Ltd." offers the world market a new generation of automatic watches based on the traditional Russian watch-making technology and new designs from Lithuania. The first collection of the new watch brand Vostok Europe was introduced at Basel, Switzerland.
2006, "Amfibia" brand, featuring modern-style diver watches, launched.
2007, Updated Komandirskie debuts to public.
2010, Vostok Watch Factory filed for bankruptcy. The Factory has been split in more than 40 juridical entities, most of them have no longer links with watchmaking.