Today's post is a guest contribution by "DC guy," a denizen of the Affordable Watches and Russian Watches forums on watchuseek.com.
This is a review of the Vostok Amphibia SE 420361B, available exclusively from Meranom, an
authorized dealer in Chistopol City, Russia. It's fitting that my first
post is about an Amphibia, as it was the Time Bum's review of his
"Scuba Dude" Amphibia that originally led me to this blog. That article did
a good job summarizing the interesting history and innovation behind
this line of Russian diving watches, so I won't retread that ground
here.
I
was amused to read that the Time Bum spent more money modding his Scuba
Dude than on the watch itself. That shows what an exceptional value an
Amphibia represents. But the urge to mod is evidence that these budget
watches leave much to be desired in terms of material quality and
finish. Nearly everyone tosses the tinfoil-like OEM bracelet in favor of
nylon, rubber, or leather. Many also swap the chromed bezel for a
stainless steel one.
Enter Meranom and their Special Edition (SE) Amphibias.
Introduced in 2013, this ever-expanding series of souped-up Vostoks
finally brings these watches out of the post-Soviet era and up to modern
standards of look and feel. Not content to simply right the wrongs in
the bracelet and bezel, Meranom has taken the Amphibia to the next level with new/revived dial designs, case styles, and even movements.
When first released in August 2015, the Amphibia SE 420361B immediately sold out. One look
at its iridescent blue dial, and it's easy to see why. The watch is
just now becoming available again, along with its color variant cousins.
I ordered mine last month after incredulously spotting the words "In
stock" during a Google search.
The
watch features a "sandwich" dial consisting of two layers: a lower one
coated with luminous paint; and an upper one with cut-out indices that
cast shadows in the light and let the lume glow through in the dark. The
upper layer features a radial sunburst in a brilliant shade of blue
that makes my 2008 Scuba Dude look dim (see photo). The hour indices at
3, 6, 9, and 12 are triangles while the others are slits. This layout is actually based on a Soviet heritage dial though the sandwich format adds a new twist.
There's no whimsical frogman, captain's wheel, or other graphic on the dial; just a clean, centered "Boctok"
logo for a professional look. Below that are four lines of text ("31
Jewels / Automatic / 200 M / Made in Russia"), which is a lot, but since
it's in Cyrillic, I feel it adds to the cool factor of the watch.
Minute and hour hands are lumed swords with polished steel borders. The lumed seconds hand is the same as in other Amphibias, but painted white instead of red.
For
some of you, I'm sure my earlier mention of a sandwich layer consisting
of pure lume sent tingles into your nether regions. Sorry to
disappoint, but I find the lume on this watch to be on par with all my
other Vostok watches ... that is, barely visible and basically useless.
When
you finally tear your eyes from the dial, Meranom's other
customizations become apparent. First, there is the stainless steel
bezel providing a 12-hour chapter ring in matching metallic blue. Unlike
many Vostok bezels (e.g., the weird colored dots and dashes on the
Scuba Dude), this one looks thoroughly modern and attractive while still
avoiding the Submariner copycat look. It also has a much-improved grip
edge compared to the fine-toothed original.
For
those who SCUBA dive, I'm afraid you won't be using this bezel for
timing, as the numbers don't work for that. There isn't even a marker to
set a countdown. But for the rest of us, I like how this bezel serves
an actual, everyday purpose and doesn't scream, "Look at me, I'm wearing
a diving watch, even though we're nowhere near the ocean." This is a
diver you can wear to the office without any hesitation, and I do.
As
a bonus, you can use the bezel as a poor man's GMT complication when
traveling to other time zones. Just set the main hands to local time,
then rotate the bezel to the hour offset of your home time.
Minor
nitpick: maybe it's just my watch, but the bezel is super loose -- even
more than my Scuba Dude's -- and when rotated, it occasionally pops as
if the tension wire is misinstalled. Probably an easy fix, but I haven't bothered to try.
Moving on to the case, Meranom
has applied a handsome brushed finish to the normally over-shiny steel
case. Toning down the bling gives this watch a much more refined
look. You still catch nice glints from the polished edges of the hands,
bezel, and crown. The brushing extends to the case back, which has a nice engraving of the Scuba Dude, in case you missed him.
The solid stainless steel crown is an upgrade from the smooth, hollow original. Its well-defined
ridges and edges make it more pleasant to look at and operate (even
though it's still "wobbly" by design). Mine is unsigned, but I have seen
other SE's with the Vostok "B" on the crown.
The
many combined upgrades to the Vostok 420 case make it hard to believe
it's the same one found on the classic Scuba Dude. Another factor at
play here is the Meranom
SE bracelet. While its end links are 18mm to fit into the lugs, the
rest of the bracelet is wider (maybe 21mm at the widest). Since most of
us are used to seeing the 420 case worn on an 18mm strap (with a gap
between it and the case), the wider bracelet and end links give the
whole package a bigger, better presence.
The solid stainless steel bracelet is a breath of fresh air for those of us who have only ever worn Amphibias
on straps. The brushed finish matches that of the case and is satiny
smooth to the touch, even at the joints. The bracelet has six removable
links; I managed to fit it to my tiny 6" wrist by removing just four. At
first, I thought the links were held together by screws(!), but they are just split
pins that you can pop out with a thumbtack. The double locking, double
push button safety clasp has three micro-adjustment holes and is signed
with the Vostok logo. Although I am a leather strap guy, I find this to
be a very comfortable bracelet.
A word about the movement... as the Time Bum lamented, the Vostok 2416B movement in the classic Scuba Dude has a date complication with no real quick set function, which is an annoyance for those of us who rotate our watches. The SE 420361B uses the 2415, which is the same automatic, hand winding, bulletproof movement, sans date. I much prefer it, even though I still catch myself checking my watch for the date.
Overall, I find the appearance of this watch appropriate for both dressy and casual occasions. The bracelet goes with black or brown shoes. The water and shock resistance make the watch safe for swimming, sports, or household chores. The bezel makes it useful for travel. At 39mm wide, the case size is sensible for a wide range of wrists, including small ones like mine. Had this watch existed a year ago, it may very well have become my "One Watch" and saved me a bunch of money! (Well, we can dream.)
The Amphibia SE 420361B is currently priced at $152 at meranom.com.
For $134, you can also get the charcoal (SE 120359NB) or golden (SE
120360NK) variants in the larger Vostok 120 case with plain steel bezel
and a nylon strap.
Pro: Beautifully executed dial, case finish, and bracelet.
Con: Disappointing lume for a sandwich dial.
Sum: Finally, an Amphibia you can fully enjoy straight out of the box. You'll pay a lot more for it, but the price is reasonable compared to other divers at this level. And you won't
need to shell out for a replacement band.
 |
| Because DC does not have an ocean. |
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