Vostok Scuba Dude Review: Watches Are Fun Again!

This may be some kind of record but I’ve gone almost 10 years in the hobby without having own a Vostok. I know, it’s ridiculous that I love affordable watches and emphasize on value. Yet, this Vostok Scuba Dude is my first ever Vostok. Honestly I’ve just never felt an intense urge to buy a Vostok. I know they exist, and I know Vostoks are the epitome of toughness and value for money. And unlike the Seiko SKX’s, Vostoks have not gone ahead with price inflation and material “shrinkflation”.

However, when I did find myself pulling the trigger, I had a hard time paying via credit card on Russian websites. Other times, I couldn’t justify the 5-6 months shipment time. So, when one came up for sale in a local Facebook group, you bet I jumped on it immediately. Lucky for me, it’s the one I’ve always wanted, the Vostok Scuba Dude. The best part? I paid AUD$100 for a basically brand new piece. 

Vostok Scuba Dude: What’s the history?  

The year was 1942, where the Soviet Union founded Vostok, then known as the Christopol Watch Factory. It had one job – create and supply reliable timekeeping instruments to the military – the Soviet Air Force and Navy. Upon their consistency and success, Vostok was officially appointed as the timepiece supplier for the Soviet Ministry of Defense. Around the same time, Vostok had expanded their target audience to include the general public. 

It wasn’t until 1967 when Vostok released the Amphibia, a diver for the Soviet Navy. The story was that the Soviet Defense Department wanted a Russian counterpart to the Swiss powerhouses. The Vostok Amphibia was the Soviet’s answer to the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, and Omega Seamaster, and they delivered. The designers Mikhail Novikov and Vera Belov created the sealing mechanism that increased water resistance as pressure increased. At some point, Vostok even had a number of patents across the industry. Nowadays, Vostok are known for their commitment to their history, the durability and simplicity of their watches. 

The Vostok Amphibia that we’re looking at today, is one of the more famous model, the Vostok Scuba Dude (reference 420059). Do bear in mind there’s about five to six different Amphibia cases, most larger, some smaller. For those with smaller wrists, I’d suggest sticking to the rounder case – the 420’s or the 120’s. 

Case & Bezel:

The case on the Amphibia is a straight classic. The Vostok Amphibia sports an extremely round case without any sharp angles – the lugs barely exist. At a glance, all you see is the dial, the case almost disappears. Being all-polished, it’s undoubtedly going to attract some unwanted scratches here and there, but I’d argue that makes a Vostok more appealing. Because of the compression case design, the Vostok Scuba Dude is quite tall, at 15mm in height. However, due to the lack of protruding lugs, you won’t actually feel much of the 15mm height. 

The Vostok Scuba Dude crown is another quirky aspect of the Amphibia line. It’s big and wobbly, no like, really wobbly, and it’s not broken. Its a design feature that actually protects the movement under high ocean pressure. When the crown is screwed in, the stem system is actually in two separate parts. It isn’t until the crown is unscrewed and pulled out when the entire system is engaged as one single piece. That’s why upon unscrewing to the first position, it’s just kind of dangling loosely. 

The bezel itself is bi-directional friction bezel, which means it does not ratchet and has no clicks. I may be inexperienced (i.e., I have never gone diving), but I would find it difficult to time anything without any numerical markings on the bezel. Not that I would need to, I’m a 24-hour desk diver. The coin-edge bezel have embossed red and black circles as the markers, with a line throughout connecting them together. In my opinion, the bezel completes the Vostok Scuba Dude look – very much Soviet vibes. 

Dial & Hands

There are many different types of Vostok 420 dials, some are more Soviet-inspired. No kidding you can find a Russian KGB dial on one of these. My favorite is the by the 420059, the Vostok Scuba Dude. To sum it up in a short phrase, I’d describe the Scuba Dude as “retro-inspired charm and toughness”. It’s pretty to look at, and you know it can take a beating. 

The dial starts off with a gorgeous matte blue with shades of green that’s itching to escape on some viewing angles. Every 5 minutes, rectangular metallic markers are applied with lume inserts within, except for the 3 o’clock date window. The same metallic material forms the handset, with a broadsword minute hand and an arrow-style hour hand. The seconds hand is a fun pop of red, with a lumed circle closer to the tip. 

What makes this Vostok great, however, is the Scuba Dude that is present on the top half of the dial. In white print, a dude in scuba gear, diving under water with Vostok’s logo right next to it. How fucking cool is it? I love how unserious Vostok takes themselves, but at the same time creating a cult classic with just a $100 watch. Vostok if you’re listening, if you make the Scuba Dude lumed, the industry would collapse just like how it did during the Quartz crisis. 

Movement

The Vostok Scuba Dude sports the Russian made in-house calibre 2316B with 31 jewels and 31 hours of power reserve. It’s essentially the Russian 7s26. The 2316B is robust, and will stand the test of time as these  essentially don’t ever have to be serviced. The one downside is how you set the date on the 2316B movement, there isn’t actually a date-setting position. To set the sate, you need to move it past the 12 o’clock to gain a day, then move it back to 8 o o’clock and repeat. In short, if you haven’t worn the Vostok in 15 days, you’re better off just waiting until next month to place it back on your wrist. 

Comfort & Wearability

The Vostok Scuba Dude weighs in pretty light on a nato strap, 39mm diameter and 45mm lug-to-lug. Sounds like 6 inch wrist friendly dimensions, until the 15mm scares you off as it did me when I first got the piece. That’s until you get it on the wrist, and somehow the 15mm feels completely fine. Don’t get me wrong it is a tall watch, but given how light it is, it wears quite comfortably on my 6 inch wrists. A quick tip, get a single pass NATO, or DIY it. That should trim off some height off the Scuba Dude. 

The Vostok Scuba Dude is made to live on a NATO strap. Mine certainly won’t be seen on anything else. It’s not exactly an everyday watch however, it’s more suited for summer, and on days where your outfit is monochromatic, and you want a pop of color on your wrist. Either way, the Scuba Dude is a fun piece. 

I’ve owned many watches, but none have provided me with the fun and personality this affordable Russian watch has. At the ridiculously affordable price of $100, and an in-house movement? I can see why this is a classic. 

Vostok Scuba Dude: Closing Thoughts

Aesthetics: Packed with Soviet-inspired vintage aesthetics, full of personality and fun beyond belief. 

Comfort: 15mm might put some people off, but take it from me, even on a 6 inch wrist, you barely feel the height. 

Price: At $100, sometimes less, is it even a question? 

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