How good are Soviet watches?
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- čas přidán 1. 04. 2022
- Today we have a non-runner Soviet-era Poljot chronograph on the bench, with what seems like an after market Chinese dial but the rather highly thought of 3133 movement inside it. The Soviet Union had a reputation of making shoddy products, so how good is this watch? There are a couple of clues that do not bode too welll....
Join us for a repair of this non-runner and a discussion on how it measures up to the original, the Valjoux 7734. And we'll get into the topic of Soviet-made rear end devices!
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Sadly a simple video about a Soviet watch has attracted Russian bots in the comment field. Take note that any pro-war comments will be removed.
Stian two interesting videos on CZcams I’d like you to take a look at (The school of life) “Philosophy” Soren Kierkegaard & (The school of life) “History of ideas” The renaissance ✌🏻
Полет 3133 самый обычный хронограф, правда это не ссср, а 90-е Россия.
Poljot 3133 is the most common chronograph, although it is not the USSR, but the 90th Russia.
@@Kithzer unfortunately I cannot read Russian I would like to know what this message says😎👍🏻✨
Copy and paste it into Google translate
Bulgarian here. "Slava Ukraini" is the war chant of the Junta. There is no such thing as a "non" pro-war side in the Ukraine civil war.
I'm 54, and just now realizing the absolute wonder of mechanical watches and their amazing complexity. Started watching a few watchmakers and I am never bored. You sir, are in my opinion not only a master and teach us so much, your humor is perfect. I enjoy the humor as much as the watchmaking. I don't know if anyone else would agree, you sound a little like Ray Romano... but you're way funnier! 🤣😂😎
My voice is nasal? 😳
@@VintageWatchServices Lil bit... lil bit. 😂🤣😘
@@VintageWatchServices Big fan of yours! I look forward to your videos, and are watching the older ones since I just recently found your videos. I hope your channel grows exponentially, you deserve and are obviously a master in your craft! God bless you and yours!
Ray Romano? Not getting that at all.
Amazing to see how you found the problem on the bearing in the main plate for the barrel. Master class as always. Thanks again
Thanks so much! More to come today, so stay tuned :)
I have a few Soviet Wristwatches that I rather prefer over many other brands. They are elegant, while remaining just a little understated, are very reliable, while still keeping good time. Have seen the Poliot watches for auction on E-Bay, but have found few that function and know there are few watch repair technician's here in Central Ohio. Thank you for an engaging video. My thanks.
Thanks so much, Murray! These are also getting more and more expensive, but their internals are not very complicated, so any decent watchmaker should be able to help you 👍
I also have a Soviet era Poljot Chronograph my Dad got as a gift back in the 80's, I got it serviced recently and I occasionally wear it.
Very cool!
Thank you very much for making and sharing another fantastic video, Stian! I always learn new skills/information and it's a real pleasure watching you work.
Thanks Woody, that's very nice to hear 😊
I look forward to these videos. Very informative and the watches you choose are so nice. Great work again.
Thanks a lot, that's very cool to hear :) More to come!
Another great video, Stian. The repair segments are particularly interesting and insightful. Takk.
Thanks so much :)
@@VintageWatchServices lovely looking time peace
Thanks Michael!
@@VintageWatchServices you are welcome
You are a genius in repairing watches back to life
I love how Russian watches have a unique look and feel. They have real character. Those hands look amazing.
*For what it’s worth, I think the design of the hands is not pretty BUT the paint-on blue color makes them FUGLY, yet supermodels exist who make some men drool, women I wouldn’t touch with an enemy’s hands, much less my own. Different tastes for different aches (& pains).*
@@joeskeptical4762 I like 'fugly'
They have character for sure! Not everyone's taste, but what is anyway 😉
Another brilliant one. Keep 'em coming!
Thanks so much, Mark :)
Fascinating video, I couldn't take my eyes off it. The amount of tiny parts that go into a mechanical watch is amazing.
Thanks Fred! I'm planning to make a watch running through the logic of how it works.
You gave me a few good chuckles, thanks. Nice work and good banter, that's a balm nowadays.
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Volume is spot-on! Thanks!
Great to hear, thanks!
Why are these videos so satisfying to me .. well done
I don't know, but great that you like them 😁
Yes, I really like the dial too! That was my first thought! All in all it’s a pretty watch with even a heart shape inside. Thank you for sharing!
It's not bad looking! 👍
Great stories and dry humor! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it, Johnny! More to come today, so stay tuned :)
I love watching you work...
So relaxing! Thanks for the nap!
So it seems the bots are filling the commentary field?
Yes you are correct . I too have had a snapped operating lever . Plus a ridding high yoke allowing the sliding pinion to jam on the intermediate wheel , stopping the movement.
You are a good teacher
Thanks so much, Andrew! Did the operating lever snap on a 3133 or a Valjoux?
Another entertaining and informative piece of watchmanship, thank you...
Thanks a lot, Phillip 😁
Thanks for sharing this. I am more into machining but Your presentation is just addictive ...
I have owned a Lada. The model was 1200L and it was a very reliable car especially when it was cold. For extreme weather it had this hand crank for starting the motor by hand. When it was really cold, You just turned the motor over a few times with the crank before trying to start it. That made it little bit less stiff and it started as if it would be summer. With cold weather I mean temperatures -25C or less.
That car had very stiff steering and most uncomfortable driver seat. In Finland we said: "Visit the gym before buying a Lada".
Very few Ladas have survived because they had some corrosion problems and were usually scrapped because of their affordable prise.
Thanks so much! Ladas were indeed quite cool and I was in general very happy with mine. The only letdown was when the heating gave up in the middle of winter, but that was because of a faulty water pump. Relatively easy to fix and afterwards it worked just fine again!
What an absolute beauty of a watch Stian. And thanks for not embroiling yourself in politics. Far too many people think they are qualified to proffer their opinion. I'm more than happy with the bad jokes and occasional bursts of song!
Well, maybe Russia is going to find out what time it is.
Thanks so much, Martin! Yes, I don't want they comment section to turn agressive and unfriendly, after all watchmaking should be soothing 😊
@@VintageWatchServices Your sense of humour is great. I follow several watch repair channels, but have only just found your channel. Liked and subscribed.
I have that movement in a Poljot chrono. Your fine and informative video has convinced me that I will never open the caseback. Thanks.
That is huge. Great job, thanks.
Thanks again Stian for another lovely video on a really cool watch.
My pleasure!
A nice watch and a nice repair, Thank you 👍👍
Thank you!
I just wish I had your knowledge and skill. Very nice watch and restoration!
Thanks so much, Ronald 😊
I love Poljot watches, I have a Poljot Strela Chronograph and it's gorgeous and keeps excellent time.
check out some of the 1МЧЗ alarm cals. very neat little mechanisms
Amazing work thank you for making this video 😀
Thanks so much, Lloyd :)
I have a Strela with the 3133. Nice to see the insides completely, and not only the visible parts through the display back.
Thanks for watching! It's certainly nice to see the movement through the display back but also cool to see all of it!
Stian -- Another good video, my big PROBLEM with your videos is that you do not make enough of them.... Ha Ha. Ha, I totally understand how much work goes into these videos, your hard work is shown in the quality. Thank You for taking the time to make these videos. Bob
Thanks so much, Bob! I'll actually most likely will slow down the output rather than increase it, I'm afraid :) It takes me a full day just editing the video, so I'm considering going to a bi-weekly publishing schedule.
Now I'm wishing I could find this Soviet-made pocket watch I bought in the mid to late 1980s. It stopped working in fairly short order, and now that I'm getting into watchmaking as a hobby it would be interesting to open it up to see what I could do with it.
Mind you, if it has broken parts like this one did, I don't know where I'd source them.
That would be fun! I think you can register on Cousinsuk.com as a private citizen and there are for sure material houses in the US you can do that at also.
What is strange, they normally write "Made in CCCP" or "Made in Russia" on the dial and the equivalent in Russian on the back. Also the painted instead of heat-blued hands are indicating Chinese origin. On the other side, Soviet movements look more rough in general, the surface treatment is less shiny.
This might very well be a Franken, the dial and case might not be original to the movement. From what I know, the movement is from the late 80s but the dial seems newer and possibly Chinese according to other commenters.
@@VintageWatchServices верно! Механизм это СССР, корпус - Китай)
@@VintageWatchServices Yes , it could easily be a franenstein watch , that would account for the part being broken and maybe that screw that you had to put a shoulder on might have been a wrong one used by whoever cobbled it together
I have a watch that says USSR, and it has a more traditional dial and is heavily gold plated. Looks very different from this watch.
I think you could make a successful comedy channel as well as a first rate watch one.
Always exciting to watch a real macho watchmaker swing Mjölnir.
Nice watch, great dial, entertaining video. Thanks.
😂 Right you are!
THANKS for another GREAT video !!!
Thanks a lot, Greg :)
great job as usual!
Thanks Ricky!
I like the dial. Very nice restoration with a few non obvious fixes.
Thank you very much!
Beautiful watch, going to see if i can find one
Thanks Russell! They have their charm :)
That’s a fabulous looking watch 👍 thanks good video
Thanks a lot, James!
I so much enjoy watching your videos! You have a wonderfully funny personality and you always make my day after watching. And, of course, you are a very talented horologist as well! Cheers! Till next time.
Thanks so much, Kevin! That's very nice of you 😊
Like the dial and large date. Read up on Telemeter, wasn’t sure what those numbers were on the dial. Good job on the watch. 🎉
Very enjoyable thank you, nice looking watch, i want one
Thanks, George!
Great video
Thanks so much!
Great stuff again 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻
Thanks so much, Alan 😊
You make good watch restoration. By the Lada was a quite good car. Popular in the 1970-90 here in Finland. My daddy also has 3 of them. He (and I) was able to fix them.
Regards from Stig Österberg from Dalsbruk in Finland.
Thanks Stig! I was actually quite happy with my Lada, it was probably the best value for money car I ever had :)
Humour. Diagnosis, repair and restoration. Always good viewing.
Thanks for watching, Keith! 😊
great video. thanks for sharing your craftsmanship with us. Are you recoding this with voiceover or are you speaking while you are working? if you are speaking while working that would be very impressive. Greetings, Heiko
Hello Heiko, thanks so much! No, I do the voice-over afterwards. The audio quality wouldn't be good enough if speaking while working and my jokes would be even worse! 😁
Do you know what would be a good beginner chronograph movement to get to try my hand at them? I can do automatic day date builds is the most complicated movement I’ve ever done. Hopefully you will have an answer. Awesome video as usual.
Thanks for watching my videos! I'd say probably a Landeron 48 is a good beginner chronograph. It is a straight forward one and the easiest to come by at an affordable price of the traditional chronographs. The 7733/34 is also not too complicated and easy to find, but it does have a few more tricky parts.
Your dry joke delivery actually made me lol.
I think it has a certain understated elegance, and the the flip back is an interesting nod to the pocket watches of old. Your tweaks should make for a reasonably reliable timepiece considering the original quality control issues. All in all a good job and something I wouldn't be ashamed to own.
Thanks! It has a certain charm indeed and the dial is very nice :)
The buzzer joke made me laugh out loud, Great skill and humour as always 😀 👍
Thanks! 😁
Thanks for taking the time (all puns intended!) to explain the mechanical underpinnings of the chronograph mechanism and showing how it works. The question I have though is, why didn't the roughness around the barrel pivot hole in the baseplate cause the watch to run poorly earlier on in the life of the watch? Did this roughness develop over time, or do you think it was always there?
Hello Tim, I don't know how the watch ran earlier in its life, and unless the barrel was changed, the roughness would have been there to some degree for a long time. But these things indeed grow worse over time. As soon as there is somewhere that dirt and debris can gather, it will, and that will cause wear.
I have one Buran Flagman is 15 years old now. Still working great.
Very nice!
Hi Stian, another excellent interesting and informative video, i quite like Russian movements i have 4 good ones a Raketa 2609 ha 2 poljot 2614.2 H that i got from ebay got one in a job lot both just needed a service and regulating now both are around +-3 s/d 36 mm in Seconda watches and another with a Slava 2427 that needed work cracked jewel and worn barrel bridge on the arbour close to the crown, i didn't have the tool's then so got a doner movement now runs like a top i did know to put into time setting to remove and replace stem Ranfft on google, had to have a sensitive touch to replace though, Russian movements for practice and learning great, thank you for sharing Stian. I hope to have a go at fixing a chronograph soon.
Thanks Dave! They are indeed excellent movements to learn on and generally quite solid although this one had more than it's share of problems...
Go for the chronograph, you can do it! Take a lot of pictures and be very careful :)
Hi Dave, I’ve not serviced a Chronograph yet, it will come.
When I first started collecting Russian watches I longed to have a Poljot 3133 in my collection. I got one, and then sold it and some other watches in order to buy a much nicer Omega. Then, a few years ago a good friend in Ukraine gave me a Aviator 3133 chronograph and another Buran came into my possession. The Aviator had something wrong with its case and so I found a different one and dial/hands to swap out. It worked fine. All this to say, I love the 3133 chronographs even though they aren't all that pretty and suffer from poor craftsmanship. Probably from folks who weren't exactly "watch makers" but knew how to follow directions to assemble them. Thanks for doing this one. It's pretty, and yet has its flaws, like most of my experiences in the former USSR.
The base 3133 design is very sound of course, based as it is on a Valjoux design, but the execution of it is indeed a bit rough around the edges (literally). The newer ones are apparently more refined though, so I suppose they improved :)
@@VintageWatchServices nothing time and care cant fix!
What a brilliantly entertaining video.
Great to see your professional hammer work Stian, its definitely improved now you know what an FGH is haha
Take care & stay safe 👍🇬🇧🍀
Thanks Ray 😁
Great vid thnx
Thanks Robert!
Yay! My weekend treat! Tusen takk! 🇸🇯🇺🇸🇸🇯🇺🇸🇸🇯🇺🇸
Thanks so much, Donny 😁
There's no way in USSR that watch would be sold in the western market without "Polet" logo and "Made in USSR" and letters in latin. Period. That is post-Soviet era watch, possibly from the early 2000's or even late 90's.
Thanks for that info! I have some suspicion the dial, case and movement might not be original to each other. From what I know, the markings on the movement and the materials used indicate a post-1983 but pre-1992 manufacturing date, but the dial indeed seems newer.
A beautiful watch! I wouldn't mind wearing it. Good job.
nice work again stian, with the lathe work again standing out to me, i have no idea how you can hand machine parts that small!
Thanks a lot Jon! With a microscope and a good lathe a lot is possible :)
We are also supposed to learn from our failures... thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching, Randy!
It's not often that people can successfully combine comedy with informative content.
One day you might achieve it.
😉👍
😂
*Another great video, beautiful movement, fugly hands. GREAT JOB.*
Thanks so much, Joe!
Thank you Stain for another superb video. Had a great chuckle about the Ass buzzer!!!!
Thanks Ben! 😁
Thanks Stian, thanks again for another informative video where you show us how to obverse and fix issues, great stuff! Also nice to see Russian, I have serviced a Poljot that is going great and I have a few Zims, I think these are also Russian?
Zims are indeed Soviet, they were mostly a movement factory i believe, making the 2602 that was in the Russian watch in my other video
Nice video! Just a couple of comments: Yuri Gagarin´s space flight was in 1961, not 1964. The Lada, of course, was not originally Russian/Soviet; it was based on the Italian Fiat 128 with some minor changes and was manufactured in the city of Tolyatti (formerly Stavropol), named after the Italian communist Palmiro Togliatti. In Finland, it was renown for starting reliably in the winter cold, which you might expect was rather important for a car built in a country mostly not warmed by the Gulf Stream (like Norway).
Nice view on oiling the pallet stone. Do you do this with a microscope? I try to do it in a microscope but sometimes I miss the middle of the pallet stone (the grease can be added a bit of centered on the stone) and it can "spread" a bit above the escape wheel teehts. Do you remove this "residue" if it happens or does it spread out after some time? Or maybe this isnt a problem? I try to put the smallest amount of grease on the pallet stone each time so I dont put to much, but hard to hit exactly in the middle of the stone. Well done as always, I learn a lot here, thank you!
Thanks a lot, Watcheyes! I think there are no better macro shots than yours on CZcams, tbh. What equipment do you use for that?
I use a microscope for the pallets, yes. My eyes aren't good enough to do it with only a loupe. You want the oil to stay on the stone face, that's where epilame comes in handy. If the oil spreads over the edge you need to take the pallet out, clean it and reapply, otherwise the oil will creep more.
@@VintageWatchServices Your welcome. Wow I appreciate it a lot coming from you, thank you :). I use SonyA7s, sigma 70 mm macro. I see, yes I use microscope also, it can reach max 30x but I think I need 45x (this is also used for filming sometimes). Well its Okey now but sometimes my aim misses, so if I atleast hit the stone and not over the edge I guess it's okey then, thank you :), have a good evening!
Thank you for yet another interesting and entertaining video, Stian. The highlight for me was when you ground down that tiny screw to create a shoulder for it. Your fingernail looked huge next to it. Amazing! Well, the real highlight for me might actually have been the "ass buzzer" joke. Too close to call, really!
Thanks a lot, Richard 😁
@@VintageWatchServices Wait, the closed captioning says your name is Stian. Is it something else, maybe Tian?
i am a newbie. to this. think i will start with a large pocket watch. i enjoy learning
Pocket watches are indeed great to start with, but make sure it is running before you start. Otherwise it might be very difficult to find out what the problem is!
Soviet watches are the things I am most impressed with from that era. You mentioned the LADA which had the reputation of being the best soviet car, I lived in England in the early 80s the cheapest motorcycle you could buy was soviet built, it had the reputation of destroying itself in a year. I had a roommate with a soviet camera it had a shutter release like a cheap shotgun. And in 1985 Soviet TVs exploding caused 5490 fires some fatal.
@BumbleBee I don't remember the name just that it was big and was very loud when the shutter was pushed.
There's a certain charm to these kinds of products 😁
Bravo, maestro!
Hey that was a pretty cool one. A bit too funky for my taste with the whole pocket watch style case back though.
Thanks George! It's a bit off the beaten path for sure but cool enough within its own context :)
Excelente restauración, muy lindo reloj. Saludos desde Argentina!
Muchas gracias, Daniel ! Saludos desde Suiza :)
One of my favorite Soviet era quote’s goes like this, as long as they pretend to pay us we will pretend to work.
😂
Used to work with a Russian dude, actually a nice guy. He would always say "Good enough for Government work."
How did you resolve the broken tab on the pusher lever? Are some of the Valjoux specific parts interchangeable?
I replaced it with a VJ7733 lever. The levers are indeed interchangeable but not all parts are.
What a nice and little bit complicated service ! First time I saw Russian chronograph, this one is absolutely stunning 🤩 ! Buy the way, I love your inside joke !! 😂😂. So again another very interesting video ! Than you Stian to share !! 👌✨
Thanks so much, Alain, for watching the videos :)
After greetings, let me ask about that fix drop, in Omega ,they use it with another name called Lubita.to prevent the lubricant from spreading. Is it the same under different name?another question, they put the parts after Lubita on a metal surface for 15 mnts. Under cover ,then we assemble it. An other remark, this Lubita also for lubricating the non reverse wheels
Hello Samir, thanks for watching! It sounds like you mean Lubeta, which is an ETA lubricant (lub eta), for reversing wheels (lubeta v105) and ball bearings (lubeta v106). You would use a similar bottle for soaking the parts and indeed let them air for 15 minutes, but these are lubricants, while fixodrop is an epilame. The purpose of an epilame is to prevent lubrication from creeping. It is thus used prior to lubrication.
Did you do any more work on the chronograph operating lever after putting the shoulder on the screw because you can clearly see the screw unwinding itself when you operate the lever so I asume this would eventually wind itself out or did you increase the shoulder size?
Hello Mark, I'm not sure which clips I ended up using in the video, to be honest, as I had to make several adjustments and tried the screw many times, but ultimately the screw does stay tight.
my first watch was a Poljot Chronograph which i bought aged 16 back in 1969. I lost that after i stopped wearing it in favour of a LED one when they came out in the mid seventies. Sorely tempted to get another one as they often appear on eBay
LEDs were super cool back in the 70s and no one wanted a mechanical watch indeed :) These ones are generally good value for money!
@@VintageWatchServices the one I had had red Leds that only illuminated when I pressed a button on the case, a bit of a nuisance especially when I have had cover the watch with my hand in bright sunlight
@@admiralcraddock464 Very small price to pay for the über coolness, no? 😁
Super watch sir
Thanks a lot, Covai!
really cool watch 😃
Thanks! It does have its charm :)
Fun video although I was slightly disappointed that you didn't put the minute hand back at EXACTLY 12 when reassembling.
Thanks Jack! If you check the video closely you'll see that the hands are perfectly aligned 😉 The reason I placed the minute hand slightly off was that the hour hand had moved slightly. It's a bit risky to do it this way, but with a bit of experience it can work :)
More Wizardry from the man. A great looking watch and I am fairly certain that in a room of watch junkies you would stand apart rocking this piece.
It's a pretty cool watch on the wrist indeed! Not entirely my style but for what it is, it looks nice :)
Another great job Stian! And useful for me since I have a small collection of these, and there's a couple things I can apply...
Regarding quality, the specific movement you sre servicing here seems to be from 89 (change from 4 to 5 digit s/n) to 91 (when chrono bridge inscription changed), a time where things were going south in USSR, and quality control in Poljot was suffering. I find that early 80s pieces are better built. Also, the dial and case are most certainly either post-soviet era, or chinese imports. All in all, IMO a not-so desirable 3133, especially compared to the steel case military pieces.
BTW can you share the mainspring replacement reference? I haven’t been unable to find anything in GR, and it is increasingly difficult to find NOS replacements.
All the docs I found say it should be 1.60, and you used 1.70, has it caused any trouble?
Yes, this is indeed most likely a Chinese case, dial and hands. The metal in this movement is low quality. After this service a subscriber bought the watch and only after a few months the reset lever flag broke off in the exact same manner as the operating lever flag...
I used the mainspring list from watchguy.co.uk, it is in general very good. You will find it under Technical Information
Thanks a lot, I will look in there.
Russian sailors working on the Morflot ships between Liverpool and north east America and Hull to Northern Europe bought nearly every Lada in the north of England for parts to sell back home. Legend has it that there is an undersea trail of stripped car bodies that were pushed overboard after all saleable parts were removed
Very funny! No smoke without fire 😉
That's my favourite video so far. Your commentary was hilarious. Of course, the watch did make it easier for to make fun of it. I mean, why would you fake bluing the hands and slap paint on?🤣🤣I won't be swapping from Gin to Vodka anytime soon. Thanks for sharing, Stian.
Thanks for watching, John!
Stian this one came out great most likely the best service it’s ever had. Regards from NZ
Thanks a lot, Bruce 😊
I've never seen this kind of Poljot before - the chronograph I mean. Interesting.
Thanks Ross! They've actually made a lot of them and they're quite cheap still...
Where did you get this one, if you don't mind me asking? Also - would you be so kind to reply to my email to you? Thanks.
Interesting model...Having a few 3133's myself, I love the robust build....breaking the chronolever must require a lot of force, maybe dropped on the pusher?
Thanks Rich! Dropping it in pusher wouldn't break it, no. I think the problem was that the lever was completely stuck and someone pressed as hard they could on the pusher... But the broken piece was nowhere to be found, so it's all a bit strange...
@@VintageWatchServices given its good condition it may have come from the factory that way and never been fixed. they just wore it as a watch until it died.
@@VintageWatchServices strange indeed but a great watch
Very nice watch indeed and unique. Not likely to bump into someone else wearing the same thing!
Indeed!
I have two versions of this movement. One, a Sturmanskie I bought at a Lions club flea market here in Austria. It was piled in a box of plastic watches. It was on its orginal Blue sharkskin strap and was pretty much as new. The lady said it needed a new battery (!) so she would sell it to me for €2!
I can´t believe how quickly I paid, walked away, gave it a couple of winds and off it went! Wound it fully, pushed the chrono pushers and everything workd perfectly. Four years later the ruddy thing still works perfectly and keeps incredible time!
The second I got for a bit more, €150 and is a Buran and has some fun added complications, It is a regulator and a 24 hour movement. Again, in NOS condition and again, 3 years later keeps perfect time.
My pride and joy is an NOS Strella from 1972, Paid more for that but still, much less than what they go for as the chap selling it at the antiques fair thought it was just a regular watch!
I have had Soviet watches since childhood. My first watch was a Timex but back in 1979 I was over the moon to receive for my birthday a new fangled quartz made by Sekonda. Never ever had issues with any of my Soviet watches, perhaps I am lucky! This one is beautiful.
Wow, that's some story! $2 is not a bad price at all 😂 These watches used to be really good value for money but they're getting more expensive now...
@@VintageWatchServices oh yes, The Strela I got for €320 three years ago. Absolutely new old stock and that is a bargain compared to what they are going for now. These may not be the most beautiful movements and the cases are plated brass but still, if your lucky you can get into a mechanical Chronograph for not a lot of money. I really love the dial and officer case on this one!
I have few Russian watches with 3133 movement and I love them all. I also have a 1950s Sturmanskie ‘Gagarin watch’ which has a really nice logo for the ‘First Moscow Watch Factory’ on the dial.
Sounds nice! A lot of these were very good value for the money.
I have a Poljot Sturmanskie watch, either 1970's or 80's. I'd love to get it serviced but I don't know any watchmakers in Dublin that actually know how to properly service a watch.
Quite a different look. I noticed that there were at least three "leftist" screws, perhaps to be expected on a Soviet watch. Great work, comrade!✊
Thanks Frank! Yes, they put in lots of leftist screws in this movement... Always a danger if less experienced people work on the watch or if they don't have party approved leftist tools :)
@@VintageWatchServices At least it doesn't have a mosaic dial 😆
@@jamesrobert4106 😁
But the Seiko Arnie doesn't even need winding! I have a soft spot for Vostoks. Just love the simplicity and charm of the Amphibia. This Poljot really is a brute of a chronograph. I might have to look out for one. Cheers, Howard
Thanks Howard! I really like Seikos but Soviet/Russian watches have a certain charm :)
I see a lot of these soviet watches on etsy and really like some of them but I don't know if I can trust them to be genuine or in general never bought anything on etsy, with that in mind, would you recommend them or any other tips you can give me if I decide to buy one.
Hi Steum you could tell the parts are thin and stamped out that as long as it works 🤷🏻♂️
Yes, many of the parts are stamped out, that was part of the more industrial turn Valjoux did with the 7733 and of course to an even greater extent with the 7750. That made the manufacture much cheaper and easier for us to find spare parts even today :)
As a hobbyist, is there a technical reason you use angled tweezers or is it just preference?
Pretty much only preference :)