How to buy very affordable vintage Russian watches

[MoonPhase]

Hey !

I like mechanical watches but have very limited budget. After reading a lot from this website, it brings me to looking into vintage Russian watches. From the Bay, I found a lot of watches like Raketa, Zim and Pobeda which I really like and can afford.

1)Do you have any experience buying these watches mentioned from the bay ?
2)Is there any problem occurred , like fake one etc....?
3)Could you recommend some reliable sellers ?
4)If I only want to spend 20 to 40 dollar per watch, is this the way to go ?

Thank you for helping this newbie !!:thanks

Regards,
MoonPhase

[Vaurien]

Hey !

I like mechanical watches but have very limited budget. After reading a lot from this website, it brings me to looking into vintage Russian watches. From the Bay, I found a lot of watches like Raketa, Zim and Pobeda which I really like and can afford.

1)Do you have any experience buying these watches mentioned from the bay ?
2)Is there any problem occurred , like fake one etc....?
3)Could you recommend some reliable sellers ?
4)If I only want to spend 20 to 40 dollar per watch, is this the way to go ?

Thank you for helping this newbie !!:thanks

Regards,
MoonPhase

I think you've got a great idea!
Old and vintage russian watches are fine, reliable, with a fascinating history, and very cheap. You can really find a good one for $20-40.

But there are some seller, expecially on ebay, that sells fantasy or franken watches so you must be very cautious. Learn as much as you can from the very experts on this Forum and eventually, when you find something interesting, you'd put a picture on WUS, to ask them if the watch is good enough.
Good luck!

[tjvreeken]

Hi MoonPhase,

Good idea to collect Russian watches. Yes, you can buy good stuff on eBay. You also can get information on the internet. I use some published collections to find out if a watch is not a fake. A few forum members have good sites you can visit. Try these:

http://www.netgrafik.ch/russiantimes.htm

http://www.ussrtime.com/

On this forum is also a lot of information, about books, brands, genuin watches, etc...:

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f54/

And you can always ask, there are very experienced collectors on this forum.

Good luck!

[constantin-o-politan]

Hello MoonPhase,

Vaurien and Tom Vreeken are right, it is seconds away to buy a fantasy/fake watch in the bay, especially if you are not familiar with the seller. In this forum there are a couple threads discussing the reliable sellers both at the bay and beyond. I strongly recommend you to check those threads before you buy something from the bay.
Cheers,
Constantin

[Infinis]

An I would recommend you to take your time, browse throu the offerings on ebay, choose one, and ask our opinion in this topic, so we can keep you out of trouble for your first buy ;)

[MoonPhase]

Thank you for all your answers and kindness ! Tom, thanks for the links !!
I was ''away'' from the Russian watches, to cool my head..
Many time people mentioned Franken or frankensteinian , what does it really mean ?
What is the real problem if we bought such kind of watch ?

[tjvreeken]

A franken watch is a watch that is (at best) made out of parts from different other watches, pretending to be a genuine watch. Sometimes fake or fantasy dials are used.
If you buy a franken watch, you pay for rubbish and support these bad practices.

[tomshep]

Watches made like Frankenstein's monster, out of parts. In earlier times, they were called marriages but this term refers to a more honourable sort of repair when the correct parts were scarce.
FOr around your $40, you can buy a new Russian watch, the Vostok Amfibia.
Stay off the bay for it because the sharks there will eat you. There is a Russian seller who retails them and they are good watches for the money.

[MoonPhase]

Sorry for reply earlier . I am grateful for all your answer ! I need help with a question:
Which one is better quality :
Vintage Russian watch, new Russian or Chinese watch (Jaragar, Fineat, Goer etc...)

Price range is preferably below 30 dollar.

Thanks a lot !!

[Infinis]

Buying chinese is often a lottery, either you win or you loose. Russian is a lottery too, but with bigger chances to win. Below 30$ you almost have no choice to buy a Chinese. Keep in mind that mechanical watches need care and sometimes service (that goes up to 60-80$+). My choice would be to save some money either for a Kommandirskie (Manual Wind for 40$) or Amphibia (60$). You may get lucky and get a cheap one on ebay for around 40$...