The Joker and the various models of the Wristmons collection that followed them are one of the most unexpected and spectacular discoveries in the watch industry of recent times. Hardly anyone, including Konstantin Chaykin himself, the author of the design and the inventor of the movement of this watch, could have expected such a positive reaction from connoisseurs of watchmaking and professionals.
For Joker and other wristmons, Konstantin Chaykin invented a spectacular dial of the "regulator" style with a two-disc hour and minute indication (Joker's eyes) and a moon phase indicator (the Joker's star smile). The bezel is decorated with symbols or inscriptions made in relief — different for different models. The bezel of this watch depicts the famous "Five of a Kind", the biggest poker hand in games with a Joker. Konstantin Chaykin, in the development of watches with a face-shaped dial, was more interested not in complex mechanics itself, but in the idea of a watch as an art object that evokes a direct emotional reaction. The attractiveness of Jokers is also enhanced by the freshness of the idea, which is especially impressive in contrast to the traditional world of classic dials and hands, and expressive design with harmonious features of the dial-face, and recklessly positive image of the character. The dial of a classic watch is truly expressive only a few times a day. There are no standard hands on the dial of "wristmons", and eyes and a moon smile, which are in constant rotation, make this watch always unusually emotional and unpredictable. The human eye can easily catch over twenty thousand different grimaces of the Joker's dial-face — on the full moon at 03:42 an expression is philosophically pensive, and in the first quarter of the moon at 15:48 — incendiary crafty.
The collection status of the watch is confirmed by the small-scale production typical of the manufactory with the maximum use of manual labor, meticulous finishing of all parts and components without exception, which is typical for the best brands that are at the forefront of fine watchmaking. The proprietary indication module and all the details of the external design of the Joker watch — the case, the dial, the buckle of the strap — are completely made in the workshops of the Konstantin Chaykin manufactory. A combination of fine longitudinal grinding, abrasive blasting and polishing is used in the finishing of the case parts, in the finishing of the dial parts — fine longitudinal and circular grinding, abrasive-jet matte finish, manual chamfering and polishing, two types of guilloche embossed decor, galvanic silvering and rhodium plating, pad printing and multilayer varnishing. No plastic parts are used in production.
The Joker by Konstantin Chaykin is rightfully included in our collection of Russian watches — the base caliber is Swiss, but it is a serious manufacture revision, more than 60% of the cost of the watch is made in Russia, so by all the rules it is, of course, a Russian watch. A total of 8 jewels are involved in the module to reduce friction, the moon phase indicator is based on a wheel with 59 teeth. In the design and decoration of the module, the master was guided by the laws of fine watchmaking, despite the fact that the module is hidden under an opaque dial. Konstantin Chaykin approaches the finishing of every detail of the module with extreme meticulousness, using classic techniques: pearl textured grinding, fine longitudinal and circular grinding, abrasive-jet matte finish, manual chamfering and polishing, engraving, polishing of recesses for screws, pins and stones, spherical wheel axle tips polished, rhodium plated. An additional fixed crown, set at the 9 o'clock position, is equipped with a recessed corrector for correcting the moon phase indication.
Limited edition of 99 pieces (this is number 74).
Case stainless steel, diameter 42 millimetres; height 13.7 millimetres; sapphire crystal with antireflective coating Dial finish silver and ruthenium plating, two types of guilloche Strap alligator leather, calfskin lining, green stitching Caliber K07-0, automatic winding Base movement Swiss made ETA 2824-2 Movement dimensions diameter 31.5 millimetres; height 7.6 millimetres (incl. module) Escapement lever escapement Balance frequency 28,800 vibrations per hour Power reserve 38 hours Jewels 33 (25 jewels for base movement, 8 jewels for module) Functions regulator dial for hours and minutes, moon-phase display
Vostok — Compressor 800B28
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Meranom's limited edition (design #2 — with date), quite rare and collectible
One of the main "Holy Grails" for collectors of modern Russian watches from Meranom — Russian watch forum limited edition Vostok Amphibia Compressor 800B28 (the name is also written as Amfibia, Russian for Amphibian). This is the so-called design #2 (with date), limited edition of 250 pieces (this is number 078, for sale we have a brand new number 214).
Steel case, 42.7 mm. Water resistance, as expected, up to 200 m. Automatic Vostok 2416B movement. Hands are of classic design, but oversized and with better lume. Applied hour markers and marks with superluminova. Matte black dial. The caseback with an original design. Milled stainless steel crown (upper crown controls the inner bezel). Tempered mineral glass K1.
Vostok — Compressor 800B27
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Another Meranom's Amphibia Compressor (design #4 — no date), but this is a version without caseback number (so technically not a limited edition, but also a rare piece) (the name is also written as Amfibia, Russian for Amphibian).
Vostok — Amphibia 1967 196500
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Bronze Jubilee Amphibia, second edition (the name is also written as Amfibia, Russian for Amphibian)
Reissue of the bronze limited anniversary model of 2017, iconic among fans of the brand. In a new (slightly modified) version there are 300 pieces. And we have one piece of this unique watch for sale — number 201, new, not worn.
Water resistant up to 200 m. The body is made of bronze, which the manufacturer designates as CuSn8. This is a type of phosphor bronze alloy with an 8% tin component. Here Cu = copper and Sn = tin and the 8 refers to the 8%. CuSn8 is the strongest of all the commonly used phosphor bronze alloys and has good corrosion resistance to sea water. It is considered a marine grade alloy, which is pretty handy in a diver's watch. Bronze watches are very popular now. Brands that make CuSn8 bronze cases include Panerai and IWC, as well as a range of smaller brands such as Archimede, Borealis, Ancon, Steinhart, Magrette, Helson and Benarus. Over time bronze develop a natural patina and apparently CuSn8 develops a deep, dark brown patina. The case is brushed with a radial pattern on top and vertical brushing down the sides.
The bronze bezel has one of the classic 090 Amphibia bezel patterns with black and red markings and good-sized dot of Super-Luminova lume at 12. It is a unidirectional bezel with a nice, solid feel, 60 clicks around and has a depth of approximately 5 mm. As with the case, it feels solid and well-built. Whereas the case has a brushed pattern to it, the bezel has more of a matt look to it. The crystal is made from slightly convex sapphire glass with an anti-reflective coating (unlike the more usual domed plexiglass crystal of a normal Amphibia).
The watch has a sandwich type dial which was essentially a dial developed in the 1930s and 1940s in an effort to produce a more luminous dial for ease of reading. Panerai, tasked with producing watches for the Royal Italian Navy were one of the early developers of such dials. The result of the sandwich dial is that the hour markers appear slightly recessed. The dial features the old Vostok logo beneath the 12 and a small "1967" above the 6. The lume is Super-Luminova. It is very bright, pretty persistent and appears to have a light greenish/white colour. The finish of the dial surface has a slightly textured look to it, almost a slightly unpolished metallic look. Meranom describes it as "rock surface".
The hands are the classic Vostok "Paddle" type — because they look like paddles! Paddle hands seem to be pretty specific to Vostok watches. Only some Strela watches have a slightly more delicate version of these. The hands are bronze coloured. The lollipop seconds hand is also bronze coloured. All with Super-Luminova lume.
The caseback and the tension ring that holds it in place appear to be stainless steel. The center part of the caseback is matt and features the Vostok "B" logo, the word Amphibia in Cyrillic script across the centre and "1967". There is an outer ring of Russian words including 200 m, 31 jewels and Vostok 2415 amongst others. At the bottom of the caseback is a small "121/300" signifying the watch is number 121 of a limited run of 300 watches.
The screw down crown is bronze, with a nice sharp, straight knurl. It is signed with the Vostok "B" type logo and measures about 8 mm in diameter, a little larger than standard crowns.
The watch is equipped with Vostok's automatic 2415 movement with 31 jewels and a 31 hour power reserve.
The strap is a pretty well made, light brown/tan leather Vostok strap (we have a bronze heraldic insert on it). It is soft and supple and tapers from 22 mm at the lug end to 20 mm at the buckle end. The buckle itself is bronze and signed with the Vostok logo.
Based on a review of the previous 1967 bronze model. Here's another review of this particular model.
Vostok — Amphibia 1967 196500 (green dial)
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Unique bronze green dial Jubilee Amphibia (second edition, factory mod)
In general, the watch is identical to the regular bronze anniversaryAmphibia (second edition; the name is also written as Amfibia, Russian for Amphibian), issued in a limited series of 300 pieces (this is number 273), but has a green dial from the steel version of the same anniversary series. So we call it a "factory mod" — that is, a modification of the base model using only factory (not third-party) components. This is part of the set of three Jubilee Amphibias, which also includes the bronze version with a blue dial and the steel version with a black one (the set is for sale!).
In this set, with standard/original components only, the idea was realized to find the most spectacular, beautiful and "correct" combinations for each model, maximally revealing the watch — both bronze and steel. Many people asked (so far unsuccessfully) Meranom to release bronze "1967" with colored dials — and here it has already been done! The blue dial from the steel watch "went" to bronze, the black one from bronze "went" to the steel one. And the second bronze one (this) is equipped with a green dial from another steel model (the original black one is also preserved, it is available). In our opinion, all the watches involved benefited greatly from this exchange. The colored dials match perfectly with the gold hands. The steel model became more reminiscent of the classic Soviet NVCh-30 in the barrel case in appearance and sensations (which did it good). Everything is original — just the puzzle is finally correctly solved! You can always return everything to its original state, but why — after all, this is the quintessence of Vostok!
Custom genuine leather strap (brown-green, light green stitching). The original strap is also available.
Vostok — Amphibia 1967 196500 (blue dial)
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Unique bronze blue dial Jubilee Amphibia (second edition, factory mod)
In general, the watch is identical to the regular bronzeanniversary Amphibia (second edition; the name is also written as Amfibia, Russian for Amphibian), issued in a limited series of 300 pieces (this is number 288), but has a blue dial from the steel version of the same anniversary series. So we call it a "factory mod" — that is, a modification of the base model using only factory (not third-party) components. This is part of the set of three Jubilee Amphibias, which also includes the bronze version with a green dial and the steel version with a black one (the set is for sale!).
In this set, with standard/original components only, the idea was realized to find the most spectacular, beautiful and "correct" combinations for each model, maximally revealing the watch — both bronze and steel. Many people asked (so far unsuccessfully) Meranom to release bronze "1967" with colored dials — and here it has already been done! The blue dial from the steel watch "went" to bronze (this), the black one from bronze "went" to the steel one. And the second bronze one is equipped with a green dial from another steel model (the original black one is also preserved, it is available). In our opinion, all the watches involved benefited greatly from this exchange. The colored dials match perfectly with the gold hands. The steel model became more reminiscent of the classic Soviet NVCh-30 in the barrel case in appearance and sensations (which did it good). Everything is original — just the puzzle is finally correctly solved! You can always return everything to its original state, but why — after all, this is the quintessence of Vostok!
Blue branded perforated rubber strap perfectly matched to this model (original strap is also present, never used).
Vostok — Amphibia 1967 2415/190B03 (black dial)
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Unique steel Jubilee Amphibia with a black dial (second edition, factory mod)
In general, the watch is identical to the regular steel anniversary Amphibia (second edition; the name is also written as Amfibia, Russian for Amphibian), issued in a limited series of 500 pieces (this is number 355), but has a black dial from the bronze version of the same anniversary series. So we call it a "factory mod" — that is, a modification of the base model using only factory (not third-party) components. This is part of the set of three Jubilee Amphibias, which also includes the bronze versions with green and blue dials (the set is for sale!).
In this set, with standard/original components only, the idea was realized to find the most spectacular, beautiful and "correct" combinations for each model, maximally revealing the watch — both bronze and steel. Many people asked (so far unsuccessfully) Meranom to release bronze "1967" with colored dials — and in this set it has already been done! The blue dial from the steel watch (this one) "went" to bronze, the black one from bronze "went" to this steel one. And the second bronze one is equipped with a green dial from another steel model (the original black one is also preserved, it is available). In our opinion, all the watches involved benefited greatly from this exchange. The colored dials match perfectly with the gold hands. The steel model became more reminiscent of the classic Soviet NVCh-30 in the barrel case in appearance and sensations (which did it good). Everything is original — just the puzzle is finally correctly solved! You can always return everything to its original state, but why — after all, this is the quintessence of Vostok!
Forum Limited Edition — Comandante Fidel
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Forum limited edition to the anniversary of Fidel Castro
Comandante Fidel, 1926-2016 — a forum (the largest Russian watch forum watch.ru) limited edition — to the anniversary of Fidel Castro. 50 pieces (we have No. 02, also we have absolutely new watch for sale — No. 44). It is based on Vostok Komandirskie K35.Vostok 2415 automatic movement. Steel case and bezel. The crown is milled. Plexiglass. Water resistance 100 m. Custom strap by Rix Strap (Naberezhnye Chelny) — Italian premium vegetable-tanned leather from the Ecopell factory, individually designed, hand-dyed (not for sale). Strap lettering: ¡Patria o muerte! ¡Venceremos! (Motherland or death! We will win!) — with these words Fidel usually ended every speech.
The only watch in the world with the inscription Hecho en Rusia ("Made in Russia" in Spanish) on the dial!
This project is dedicated to hardcore Russian modern watches. Let's start at the end. What is a watch?
Watch = mechanical wristwatch. Not quartz and not a "smart watch".
Quartz "watch" is a motor with a battery and hands. This is not a watch. There is no human genius and manual labor invested in it. It is unlikely that you will pass on a quartz watch to your children, and even more so to your grandchildren. Most likely, such batteries will simply cease to be produced!
"Smart watch" is not a watch either. This is a gadget. Consumer electronics like a smartphone, but small and without a SIM card. They are also not for passing on to future generations — it's good if they last 2-4 years. But with real — that is, mechanical — watches, this is what often happens — they are literally passed down from generation to generation!
One of the popular genres of fiction is alternate/alternative history (or simply althist). Works in this genre answer the question "What if?" — they show the reality as it could have been if history at one of its crucial points — bifurcation points — had gone the other way.
And what would have been the alternative history of watchmaking in Russia if at the most important Russian point of bifurcation — in 1917 — the Bolsheviks had not won, but the monarchy had remained, or the Russian Republic had continued to exist? Pre-revolutionary watch brands would have survived and successfully developed — Paul Buhre, Henry Moser, William Gabus, Heinrich Kann, August Ericcson, Friedrich Winter, Tschetounoff Frères... Over time, new brands would have appeared — maybe even known to us in "our" reality, such as Kirovskie, ZiM, Salut, Svet... But their history would have been completely different. What could it have been?
The emblem of our project is a stylized and simplified image of a dial. But which one? There are no hands, instead of numbers there are combinations of Cyrillic letters, and as for hour markers — there are not 12 or 24, but 17 of them! This is the first clock of the Spasskaya (then still Frolovskaya) tower of the Moscow Kremlin, installed in the 16th century.
This is exactly what the old Russian clocks were like until the beginning of the 17th century. Instead of the hand, the dial moves (counterclockwise), the hand is replaced by the ray of the Sun, and it is stationary, there are 17 hour markers, instead of (or in addition to) Arabic numerals there are Cyrillic numerals derived from the Cyrillic letters. How did they work, and how did you tell the time on them?
The goals of the project are to popularize hardcore modern Russian watches, create demand for them and develop their production. We are collectors who also develop watchmaking in Russia. We know everything about modern Russian watches. We offer the best of real Russian watches — both new and from our collection.