Opinions on new (and old) Strela's?

[KennethRSloan]

I just discovered Strela - and will probably pull the trigger within the month. What should I be concerned about? Strengthes/Weaknesses? reliable vs unreliable sources?

Help a newbie avoid disaster, please.

[OhDark30]

Be very very careful and do lots of homework!
So many frankens of both vintage 3017 and 3133s out there
More later - gotta get ready for work - there's some good resourcesout there to help you know what you're looking for :-)
Great choice, it's a total classic :-)

[is that my watch]

well there is some nice choices and is on every Russian watch lovers hit list just got to be careful of franks

[KennethRSloan]

I started looking at vintage - but now I'm leaning towards new. That seems to be a way to minimize the Franken-risk. One supplier with high visibility seems to operate out of Munich. Lately, I've been opting to purchase Russian watches mostly from Russia (duh!) - because I'm not experienced enough to deal with anything that comes out of Ukraine. Am I being mis-guided?

[KennethRSloan]

Hmmmm....just found an AD in Vienna. As it happens, I will be in Vienna in September. A plan begins to form in my mind...

[OhDark30]

OK, here we go.
Historic Strelas first.
Obligatory eyecandy

my 1979 3017 Sekonda badged Strela

my former 80s civvie 3133

Some history:
http://www.wristwatchreview.com/2011...-moon-watches/

The picture in Is's post above gives some idea of the range of 3017 dial variants out there. Some guys on WUS f10 (Russian forum) have a Strela *drawer* :-)

Check out Ric Capucho's lovely white dialled no-tachy variant for a real bit of class:

pic: R Capucho

Things to look out for on 3017s:
No shock protection (if this bothers you), many frankens, the availability of excellent dial/ hand sets of some variants (an f10 guy realised an ebayer was selling frankens because of the number of these kits on the seller's purchase list!)

For 3133s, this guide by polmax is invaluable for sorting the wheat from the chaff:

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f54/gui.../topics/599503

Good luck!

[Strela167]

http://www.strela-watch.de

http://www.strela.com/eng/intro

http://www.poljot24.de/en/chronographen.html?limit=36

Julian at poljot24 has prob. the best selection around of the newer

[OhDark30]

New Strelas I'm less good on, but check out the Daves! Both DJW GB and Strela167 on here own great modern versions

There is no official maker of Strelas, but a few manufacturers assemble homages of the originals, using dwindling supplies of the no-longer manufactured 3133 movement.

Sources?
Highly recommended by many who've dealt with him is Julian Kampmann at poljot24.de

Be aware that the Strela brand is owned by Juri Levenberg. Author of a great photographic guide to Russian watches, he polarises opinion by some of his business practices - eg acquiring the rights to the Strela name in many countries. See the posts by Emoscambio, a patent lawyer over at f10
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f10/str...topics/2055946

Good luck!

[KennethRSloan]

Yes, well...it appears that one will not be enough. New is nice - but vintage is the real deal.

I suspect that a new/vintage pair of Strela's will not be as jarring as my pair of Benrus's (1947 and 2015 - literally all they share is the name)

Here, by "vintage", I'm thinking I want to go back to the 3017.

But, for that era - can someone comment on the idea that the latin versions (made for export) were superior to the domestic versions (all Cyrillic markings)? That is...do I want a Strela, or a Sekonda.
or, am I confused (as usual)?

And finally - any experience with the Strela AD in Vienna? I'm actually going to be in Vienna in September. One bad sign...they haven't yet answered my inquiry.

[OhDark30]

Good call there, Kenneth!
The last 3017 was made in 1979, so if there were any differences in quality, they'll be well submerged by events in the life of th watch, servicing (or not) etc.
Plus Poljot was a premium maker of what were essentially scientific or military instruments for the wrist, I doubt they would have had two different quality standards

I'll repeat what I said about Juri Levenberg's 'Strela' brand above - he has acquired the rights to the name, and his watches are no more or less authentic than anyone else's.
For a worry-free buying experience I'd go with Julian poljot24.de
Of course, it would be nice to see the watch in the metal before buying, but that's never happened for me in all my Russian watch buying! :-)
The trick is to check out loads of wruw pics, review threads and owner experiences. Sorry I can't help on this, as my interest is in the Soviet side of things
Dave?