Post by marsss25 on Nov 22, 2020 3:01:57 GMT
A couple weeks ago, as i was going through ebay and looking at the Russian watches, I came upon one that caught my fancy. The odd thing about it and several watches in a specific Russian watch line (Volna, Almaz, Vostok) is the use of the "Zenith" name when talking about them. These are the Precision Russian watches. The Volna I purchased was no different.
The dial and hands first caught my eye
The shockproof and dust resistant designation stamped into the back
And the movement looks so interesting.
Seller's photos.
But why Zenith?
Apparently, in an effort to create a precision watch in a hurry, the people at Vostok took a shortcut- they "imitated" a design from Zenith. This was the Caliber 135, a chronometer grade sub second watch movement of high esteem.
The Zenith caliber has an indirectly driven minute wheel and a low profile escape wheel bearing to allow for an oversized balance wheel.
Photo fromRanfft
The Vostok caliber has an indirectly driven second and minute wheel and a low profile escape wheel bearing to allow for an oversized balance wheel.
Photo fromRanfft
So, in essence the movements are similar, except the Vostok movement swings out the seconds wheel to make contact with a center seconds gear. There are plenty of other differences as well as similarities, all hashed out in these articles I've found:
Anatomy of the Vostok 2809
Vostok Precision
The Zenith Calibre 135
In the end, what has happened is that the Zenith name got tagged on in a "by association" manner; the exact same way as a Sicura watch has now become a Breitling since 1979, when Ernest Schneider bought the name.
The dial and hands first caught my eye
The shockproof and dust resistant designation stamped into the back
And the movement looks so interesting.
Seller's photos.
But why Zenith?
Apparently, in an effort to create a precision watch in a hurry, the people at Vostok took a shortcut- they "imitated" a design from Zenith. This was the Caliber 135, a chronometer grade sub second watch movement of high esteem.
The Zenith caliber has an indirectly driven minute wheel and a low profile escape wheel bearing to allow for an oversized balance wheel.
Photo fromRanfft
The Vostok caliber has an indirectly driven second and minute wheel and a low profile escape wheel bearing to allow for an oversized balance wheel.
Photo fromRanfft
So, in essence the movements are similar, except the Vostok movement swings out the seconds wheel to make contact with a center seconds gear. There are plenty of other differences as well as similarities, all hashed out in these articles I've found:
Anatomy of the Vostok 2809
Vostok Precision
The Zenith Calibre 135
In the end, what has happened is that the Zenith name got tagged on in a "by association" manner; the exact same way as a Sicura watch has now become a Breitling since 1979, when Ernest Schneider bought the name.