**** What was the first Russian watch that got you addicted to collecting them ****

[is that my watch]

Well I was chatting about Russian watch and someone had said I had a few well I might have one or two haha .
but I was trying to think where I had got my first and which one was it and it was this.



a zim from the Maslennikov watch factory afraid no longer with us




pulled down in the end of 2007 start of 2008 I think it was so my one.. I think is from the mid nineties so let's see yours

[DJW GB]

My first was rather predictable , it's the good old scuba dude . I had this a while and it was not until a GTG that OhDark30 organised and i saw her collection and Arktika1148 that i realized what i was missing . Since then as usual the collection has grown and the next was a Poljot from Julian , and many more. DW.

[is that my watch]

yeah a few of the one's I have has come via oh dark very keen eye she has for them and not just the Russian one's to got some great one's in my collection thanks to oh d

[is that my watch]

yes think my second to join the collection was this 1970/80 what I like to call a vossie lot easy to say than... vostok komandirskie submarine commander watch.. well it is for me any ways here it is

[ken_sturrock]

I guess I became interested in Russian watches, initially, because of the "Giant Russian Diver" fashion. I realized that these watches were usually tourist items but, it got me interested in learning about the history of the Russian Watch industry. Later, I was assigned to work in a former Soviet country and was learning the Russian language (a beautiful and complicated language of which I am unworthy....). That re-fired my interest in the watches. My first Russian watch was sold under several names but I knew it as a "стриже" (Swift - like the bird). This watch had a 3133 chronograph movement and an inner rotating bezel for a second 12 hour time zone. After that, I bought a JL 3133 powered "стрела" (Arrow) copy/homage/reissue/whatever. After that, I bought a 40th anniversary Yuri Gagarin "ШТУРМАНСКИЕ" (Steer man) reissue. I eventually passed both the стриже and the Gagarin off to people who love them but I kept the Strela.

[Kevinw]

The Russian watch I always wanted...



The Radio operator

This got me interested in Russians, but I could never find one, so I bought this Raketa



(Now in the custody of ITMW) it was a lovely piece, but didn't quite light my fire

Then during the holidays I found this



Not the Radio operator, but a submarine
This hits the spot beautifully!

Now from this point I see the future and the future says vostok!

[93EXCivic]

My first one was a Vostok Amphibian Radio Room SE.

TBH, I have had a number of Russian watches at this point but I am basically only interested in Amphibians.

I will add a Strela 3107 and Strumaniske Gargin at some point though.

[Strela167]

Not my first , but the one that was a dead cert. for me was the K43 re-issue.



At the time no longer available anywhere so asked the works. Had a black dialed but on request found a white and swapped. Paperwork still for black on reciept.
Stunner imo. Well made.Good lume too.

http://bdwf.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=90

A little research led to a few re-issues too

[Der Amf]

I've only had three...but two more did pass through my possession quickly...and this was the first:



ps wish I had got myself a Photobucket account ages ago! It makes *such* a difference

[meijlinder]

Only got three but the first was the Big Zero.


Edited: Oops, remembered I actually have 4 russians... well.