The Seiko SKX007 vs. The Vostok Amphibia!! 

*Inb4:* ThE CrOwn Is SupPoSed To dO ThAt!!

That "wobbly" crown is is a unique and Brilliant piece of engineering and design. I'm stoned that as an expert reviewer you would have failed to research the details on this...

I can hand wind my Amphibia. The crown is designed this way to not transfer its impact directly to the stem which may possibly damage the movement.

Always amazed that so many watch reviewers don't know that the "wobbly crown" is actually designed to wobble that way.

The Vostok just has so much more character. It’s like wearing a piece of history. No one buys a Vostok, because they want the most accurate, well built watch available. People buy them because they are interesting and have character.

Also, for anyone that’s not familiar, the caseback and acrylic crystal are engineered to compress under pressure and increase water tightness as you dive to lower depths. The shape of the crystal was calculated and designed to maximize water tightness while providing clearance for the hands at depth once it begins to compress and flatten closer to the watch face. It of course moves back into its original position under normal atmospheric pressure. The two part case back is designed to prevent damaging and shearing the large sintered rubber gasket, unlike most other dive watches with one piece gaskets. The Vostok gasket also compresses and flattens under pressure. As it flattens it increases surface area which increases water tightness. Pretty ingenious fellows, using water pressure as a source of water proofing

Female viewer here. I do have the Vostok Amphibia for ladies ,I liked because it’s hand winding,small and affordable price for me.

I was recently made aware of the design history of the Vostok. The crown was discussed at length, and it turns out to be a design choice. The case turns out to be a spartan implementation of a compressor case, the stem is two part to protect the movement from impact, you pull the crown slightly when setting the time, because there is an actual clutch built into the Vostok's crown. So this is a conscious engineering effort with a decided purpose. It's a shame that your review completely misses out on the technology. For years I have not bought a Vostok Amphibia, and I do own a Seiko Mini Turtle, an Uemura, and I had two SKXes and a Stargate. So yes, I am a Seiko fanboi. But the first thing I did when I watched a proper review of an Amphibia that goes into the history and engineering choices, is go and buy a Vostok. Shame that you diss a design that in my view is something the industry can learn from.

If you want to experience a 90s diver as it was in the 90s, Skx. If you want to experience a 70s diver as it was in the 70s, vostok.

A quick google search could have eluded the mistery of the wobbly crown on the Vostok. It would have been an interesting fact to provide your audience with.

But that Vostok Crown is far less "wobbly" than most heads of The SKX fanboys 👍🐸

I never thought I could love a watch more than my SKXs... Until I got a Vostok Amphibia. 80% Russian Tank 20% Swatch. Love the Vostok.

Do your homework, the Vostok DOES hand wind … shame on you.

You erroneously said that the Vostok doesn't feature manual wind. As for setting the time, you need to keep a small amount of outward pressure on the crown so the crown and stem lock into place. There is a clutch system that prevents shocks against the crown from transferring to the movement.

I have watches worth a few thousand yet one of my favourites is still my vostok amphibia - great watch and bulletproof!

The Russo-Japanese War Colorized 1905

The Bi-Directional bezel was also designed without ratcheting since once you go below 10 feet underwater the pressures push it down and keeps it from accidentally rotating. A dive watch with a faulty ratchet could still be bumped into and knocked out of place.

Regardless of how wanky the crown feels, it is quite functional once you get used to it. I believe in a torture test, the Vostok will easily out last the Seiko. There are videos on RU-vid where people have thrown Amphibians off bridges, froze them in ice blocks, and run over them with a car and they still keep running! They’ve been the official watch of the Russian army & navy since the 1960’s. They’re not refined but they are extremely rugged.

That Vostok Amphibia is ab absolute beast for real I have had mine for over two years now and it just keeps going no matter how much you beat it. Also, a little bit of white toothpaste and a cotton cloth and you can keep that acrylic crystal looking like new.

I’m in my 60’s. I’ve owned a Seiko monster for ever. Went diving with it many times, took it with me as I crisscrossed the country as the driver of a eighteen wheeler. It’s visited a jeweler once. Still great. I’ve owned a Vostok, not as long and it hasn’t been around like the Seiko, however it also, like the Seiko, feels like a tank. The crown is what it’s meant to be. For diving, the bezel should be unidirectional. For everything else it does what it’s supposed to. If you don’t like us older things and want to know what time it is, buy a digital thing, or take a peek at your phone. Both these watches are old but great. And inexpensive.

The Vostok's crown is connect to the stem by a clutch to prevent it from getting damaged it struck. To set the time you have to pull on the crown to put tension to engage the clutch while turning. It does feel super weird the first time your set one.

I bought a Vostok based just on the price i wanted a auto watch that i could beat on and not worry about and here in australia a seiko skx is almost $300 where as a vostok in $80 so it wasn't a hard choice

The crown is supposed to wobble like that. I've heard it's because the crown is separated from the movement in a sense to help prevent being damaged from shocks

Can I just say the Vostok also comes on a 38-39mm it’s great I’m 14 and for me it’s perfect I’ve been scuba diving with it and it’s amazing

Hi there, I have a SKX009 and Amphibian scuba dude. I love both but I want to stand up for the VA. Yes, Vostok crown freaks you out but you get use to it. I think it was designed like that to protect the movement in case of bumping. The watch is Russian it's made to do the job without smiling, not fancy, just a watch you can bit and not be worried about. The vintage look is great. Seiko...come on is Seiko

I wear my Amphibia’s everyday. They absolutely ooze character. I love the style, simplicity, Heritage, ingenious Case-back design and all its little quirks. Including the wobbly crown, Poor mans hack and ‘semi quick date set’ they are a joy to own and modify 🤟

I have a Vostok because it is all I could afford. I take it surfing using it as a timer and the bezel doesn’t move. You can increase the tension as well if you want. Also use around garden digging mowing wipper snipping etc never had any problem. However do want a Seiko diver. Saving hard for a turtle. Good video thanks

The crown is designed to move (wobble). Its a shock resistant feature in the Vostok. Actually a really good engineering feature.

The Vostok Amphibia is an automatic movement with hand winding. Wind it in the first position by winding it upwards. The crown is purposely wobbly to prevent the pin from getting bent if you bang it against something. The crown also has a clutch. It’s not going to move the hands unless you pull it out all the way and hold it out while turning.

I'm a Seiko guy for sure, but I do also own a 24hr movement Vostok Komandirskie that I got to test the waters before getting a Glycine Airman Purist. The sliding bezel was actually beneficial at first as I would use the marker to highlight the 12hr time until I got used to reading 24 hour time. Some of their dials are pretty unique looking, so I've pondered adding some more just for kicks, though, I guess modding a Seiko is also an option.

The wobbly crown feels naff but serves to stop shocks from a hit on the crown being transferred through the stem to the movement. The bezel was designed to function as it should in water, not out of it. Thus the Vostok is a triumph of function over tactile aesthetics. It is truly a tool, not a toy created to amuse us watch guys. Thus it's the polar opposite of another recent release that you've looked at. For me, the Vostok remains the sort of watch you own because you are an avid watch collector who wants to own pieces with provenance and interesting design facets. My guess is that watch guys will buy both but it's the SKX that will get worn most often as it's an excellent and credible EDC while the Vostok is an esoteric oddity that is likely to spend most of its long life being an unworn curiosity.

The Vostok crown was designed to minimise the risk of damage from bending forces. It is not physically connected and engages via a clutch. I tend to think it is answering a question virtually nobody would ever ask and unnecessary but it was a clever idea. The pressure resistance concept of the Vostok is genuinely brilliant and I really wonder why Western companies have never really adopted it as it allows for quite a lightweight, simple case which can resist very high pressure and the push in rather than screw in back is much better for sealing gaskets.

There is actually a quick set for the day function. Turn it to 8 o'clock then over to 12 o'clock and the next day is set. Repeat till you have it set to your needs. Cheers from Germany. Johnny

Vostok may not be beautiful as Seiko but it is a loot tougher and stronger,seen people freeze it throw it in wall ground mud... And it works man

The bezel is supposed to do that. When reaching the right depth, there is enough pressure for it to work with retention; and upon reaching the desired depth is when divers would set their timing bezels.

Ironically, my Vostok winding action is smoother than any watch that I have ever wound! Easier if you tilt crown slightly downward so that gravity keeps crown from screwing back in..

The more videos I watch from this guy, the more I realise he's more troll than watch guru, still it gets click on his site so must work for him

This is one of the worse reviews of the Vostok I have seen, there is an excellent video on RU-vid that explains how and why the watch has this sort of design, I have one of these Vostok’s for years and am very happy with it.

honestly people dont realize it but the amphibia is a VERY important milestone in diver design. they made a diver using completely different and rather ingenious tech. If the amphibia was made in Switzerland it would have looked a bit nicer, and cost thousands more. its a long long list of feature that make the damn think an absolute beast, just not to the naked unsuspecting eye. for example did you know that the acrylic glass bows and compresses the deeper it gets and seals tighter with rising pressure? Or the case back that is designed to compress on a HUGE gasket the deeper it gets, or that the crown is designed that way to prevent transfer of shock and pressure to the stem? or that the bezel underwater is damn near impossible to rotate due to pressure?? unlike any other diver out there, the amphibia gets MORE waterproof the deeper it gets. If amphibia was executed by the swiss, it would have spanked the venerable rolex sub.

Why put a leather band on a dive watch? Unless you are just posing.

Glad you showed the vostok. I juat learned about them and considering getting one just because it would be cool to have a rissian watch.

You can remove the bezel and alter the spring so to is stiffer. Conversely you can spray WD40 to allow it to slide gently.

Vostok fixed some issues. My new Scuba dude has far more resistance in the bezel, the date window is now beautifully framed and hand winding is a pleasure. Great vintage dive watch. ☺️

The Vostok is FUN! It’s exciting, it has history. It has literally been in space! It his probably the cheapest mechanical watch you can buy that actually have character and an interesting history. The Seiko is also great. They are great in completely different ways and are in no way competing.

Thanks Jory enjoyed the vid. This one reminded me how much I still love my Vostok!

The hardlex on my SKX is scratched to the shithouse and back

So many of the issues decadent westerners have with the Amphibia are actually part of the waterproofing design and to avoid patent licenses. Go back to the mid 20th C and the Swiss and Japanese are developing the dive watch. Patents include the gasket designs, the screw down back, the ratcheting unidirectional bezel. The USSR had very little foreign currency to spend so patent licenses were avoided, the brief was for the designers to come up with a diver from scratch, with proprietary water resisting and without triggering any existing patents. They did an excellent job, creating an affordable, idiot proof, easy to assemble design with arguably a more elegant caseback waterproofing system than that developed in Switzerland, as anyone who has had the nerve wracking experience of depth testing a diver, worrying that the gasket might have been pinched or damaged in reassembly and you cannot see if it has been. - crown wobblyness and clutch system.is already discussed below - bezel, the unidirectional clicking bezel was a patent held by Rolex, the designers of the Vostok d designed the bezel to hold its position using waterpressure. On the surface it feels loose and is easy to knock. Go down 5m and it works really really well. - jumping second hand, this is deliberate and is a shock absorbing feature that allows the second hand to take a shock, declutch and lose a second rather than stop or damage the watch - case back gasket. The two piece is ingenious. The gasket itself is large and on top of it sits the case back which is held in place by a ring tha screws into the case, this means that the back is pushed into place with the ring and there is no rotational torque on the gasket which can cause the pinch mentioned above. This and the idiot proof crown.mean that non specialist watchmakers who had never seen a dive watch before, which was just about everyone in the USSR, could service the watch. This was an important consideration in a country as vast. So a batch of Amphibias could be selt to the far east and could be repaired over there. The main problem with Vostoks is the problems that plagued the USSR and then Russia..the design itself is innovative and excellent, however the execution around materials and build quality is the issue..during Soviet times, in the problems any command economy has in workforce motivation and in Russian times, corruption. Add to this steel shortages resulting in brass and chrome cases still being produced on some lines 80 years after the rest of the world ditched it as case options and you have at heart the issues. None of these negate the design though or the historical importance of the watches. Also, dealing with Vostok Accumulation Disorder is a LOT cheaper than dealing with Seiko Accumulation Disorder!!!!

SKX all day long... Better in hand and on wrist than in pictures and videos. A must have IMO.

So when there's no quickset, does that mean you have to cycle through 24 hours to advance the date several times until you reach the desired date? Isn't that way cumbersome? What's your solution guys? Watch winders? Appreciate some guidance. Thanks!

the crown has a clutch also helps in absorbing some shock , its been designed to wobble

My amfibia can hand wind...? And you have to pull out slightly as you turn the crown counterclockwise in the first position. And the quick date set is done by going back and forth between 1 and 8.

Vostok =Steve Zissou....both awesome!

Loved the idea of you bringing in this possibly being a watch to give to your kid. My son is 3 1/2 and I’m already plotting what I am going to give him! Thanks Jory

You can hand wind an Amphibia, actually, it's more effective than the auto-wind

I have both and love both. The Vostok can handwind, and actually you can fast set the day complication (not as fast as in the Seiko, but you can, moving back and forward the hands). The Seiko has a better design, in my humble opinion. Thanks for your great videos!

Love and have both! But I love the smaller, lighter Vostok on my wrist (I have the simple, round case).

The crown I'm sure some have said why but the crown warbles to help with the shock of it getting hit and causing the workings to take shock

I think this a fair comparison as I regularly wear both in my rotation. Thanks Jory.

Concerning the Vostok, it's a heavy duty well made deep diving watch. Review something u know about instead of being unprepared!

The Seiko SKX's are a really attractive choice for a dive watch, but it baffles me why Seiko doesn't bring them up to date a bit, An NH36 movement with winding and hacking can be had on ebay for about 30 bucks, and not much skill is required to swap out the 7S26, so it's a very common mod, but the difference in Seiko's manufacturing cost would be pennies: why not make that small change? I invested about $100 in upgrades to get an SKX007 with an NH36, ceramic bezel, and a domed sapphire crystal, a product Seiko should be offering.

I can’t complain about my Vostok! Gets the job done!

Did you really ignore the SKX ISO Certification?

I just ordered a Vostoc amphibia 640 scuba dude…no scuba diver though…is this a variant of this fine watch?

Where did u buy that ambhibia for 60 bucks?

Nice to know I’m not the only one who wears a dive watch on a leather strap! I have a Citizen Fugo diver on leather.

the vostok looks less well finished because it is an effective watch for pure divers (military "cahier des charges")and it's conception results of that. 1)the back case is like you said because it is made in 2 parts,it makes the gasket more durable,it doesn't have to be changed even after intervention on the watch and it is the secret of the ADAPTIVE pressure,the more there is water pressure,the more it resist. 2)the shape and thickness of the crystal are studied for the same pressure reason. 3)the crown is wobbly because there is a clutch system on it!!!!to make the crown disconnected and avoid transferring shocks to the movement!

1.There is Superluminova if you want to relume your Vostok. 2. The crown wobbiness is to protect the worst from impacts. 3. Friction bezel is bidirectional and tightens with water pressure. 4. Vostok is the official supplier of the Russian military and you can proudly wear it. 5. Vostok parts are cheap and you can fix it yourself.

I'm just in love with the Vostok 😎

I love my skx, Ive also broken several vostoks, but still liked them when I had them. I did get my first SERIOUS scratch on my hardlex this month though. Dinged it against the corner of one of those stick out tooth brush holders made out of tile some people have on their bathroom walls.

Up here in Canada I bought a Vostok Amphibia delivered to my door for 75 USD, an SKX would set me back 250 USD. BTW the crown is supposed to do that for shock resistance and it definitely hand winds. Love love love my Vostok, gets the most wrist time of all my watches.

The wobbly crown is in lieu of protective lugs. You can give the crown a knock and because of the built in wobble the stem won’t break or bend. It’s actually a really clever design feature.

I'm wearing the Vostok Amphibia for like...8 yrs? Best watch ever, especially on low budget. Yeah, crown feels wobbly, but I got used to that :)

The date hack on a vostok amphibia is when you go from 9-12 and back repetitively.

Wait, what, no hand wind on the vostok? Takes a lot of rotations, but it can hand wind. This video is adequate for the average consumer, who's concerned about the overall aesthetics and basic functionality of the watch (i agree the bezel and lume on the Seiko are vastly superior... seems like just a shame that even today Vostok hasn't managed to figure out a unidirectional bezel). However, you fail to mention why the vostok is so loved and has such a cult following. It's design is unique; it's method of water resistance is completely different to that of other watchmakers, and if it had been developed in Switzerland (or even Japan for that matter) it would be hailed as a groundbreaking design. Furthermore, this unique design makes servicing the watch much easier and cheaper than servicing other dive watches (no need to replace the O-ring each time the watch is opened, for example). This video in fact displayed your ignorance of the key design features of a watch that you claim to have owned for many years. As a watch reviewer, you should know not only the superficial functions and aesthetics of your watch, but understand the design of it as well; this is especially true if it is a watch that you own and are familiar with. The disparaging comment about the wobbly crown, which yes is a bit concerning for first time users who don't expect it, should have been qualified with a statement about the crown's functionality and HOPEFULLY even include a brief history of the watch's design. I hope the next time you review such a historic watch you will do your due diligence.

The crown has a clutch so it’s not going to adjust the time unless you pull it out all the way and keep pulling on it as you’re turning it. It’s wobbly because they don’t want it to damage the stem if you bang it against something. You have to admit the engineering behind the Vostok is much more interesting. It gets more water resistant the deeper you go.

Have you noticed the date function is not central in the date window? I thought mine was defective, or I had ruined it by the suggested 'quick date' method, but looking at various videos, many of them seem to be like it. The date is central up to the 19th and then sits high for the rest of the month. Another Vostok quirk but no one seems to have noticed it. That's what you get for being OCD 😅

Nice vid . As always ^^ .. but the crown wobbles so the stem is protected so if you bang the watch with open crown, it wouldnt hurt the movement.. and to always get the stem to move the hands, just pull it out just a bit while turning.. :)

Can you do a video with the srp779 and the skx and give us your opinion of which is an overall better watch?

I have both and love both. You should maybe do a comparo with the Citizen pro diver also. Vostok engineering is unique and the result of designing from scratch for function over form. I have a 39mm version with white dial and it both looks and functions very well. Also really love my Citizen with titanium case - indestructible!

"Sometimes...once in a while. Ope!!"-proceeds to set time. Still pretty insane you can get that kind of watch for $60-$80.

I wish I knew what reference/movement my Amphibia was because it has hand winding and a nearly silent automatic balance. And by that I mean it's way quieter than my SNK805, which uses the same 7S26 movement as the SKX007. That being said I love both to death and enjoy watching the lume slowly fade on my nightstand as I go to sleep.

Hey Jory I think you need to put some outward tension as you turn the crown to set the time as it has some sort of clutch mechanism in it. Hope that helps.

Extra protection for the movement of the Amphibia with that kind of crown, every aspect in Vostok Amphibia its awesome, but SKX its an icon.

I have both too and like them for different reasons. Wearing the Vostok makes me feel like a character out of a Bourne movie.

The Vostoks come in many many different case sizes and shape options, as well as dials. Many are 39-40mm. Of course, most ppl replace the bezel with stainless ones and get Seiko inserts or similar. The bezel action can be adjusted by changing the shape of the brass spring wire which fits inside. I replaced it with a stainless spring wire found on ebay, works great. For what it's worth, some of these are coming from the factory with stainless crowns now too, not chromed base metal. Not sure if that is the case for all of them but the one I just bought did.

The wobble crown is a safety feature unique to the Vostok. If you drop the watch while the crown is unscrewed you won't damage the stem or internal parts.

Have both watches and love both but have to agree that the SKX would get the nod over the Vostok. However, the Vostok is a lot of fun and brings a smile to my face. Both are great for mods as well.

There’s a clutch on the Vostok. That’s why it didn’t move the hands for you. You were in the winding mode. You had engaged the clutch.

Great review of two classic watches! The Seiko SKX is a very easy watch to recommend to people not interested in watches who just want a good quality affordable watch. And it is a genuine diver's watch. For not a lot of money you get a mechanical workhouse that will keep going for decades. The Vostok is a more quirky choice but it is also a genuine diver watch and although the mechanism isn't the most accurate it generally isn't too bad and is pretty much bomb proof. What the Vostok does offer is incredible heritage (including being used in space) and some genuinely very clever engineering. Vostok took a very different approach to designing a 20Bar pressure rated watch to Western companies and although the resulting design was born from necessity and limitations of Soviet manufacturing processes it was brilliant. Both watches are worthy of respect and despite being very attainable for people of modest means they offer a great entry into the wonderful world of mechanical watches.

Hello Comrade, Is good watch, no? Got a few Seiko divers and now a few (4) Vostocks! Scuba Dude - Amphibian a very good affordable watch! Thanks for the comparison, all is accurate. A better bezel movement for a few dollars more?

I find it interesting how things made in certain countries give off a certain vibe. Japanese watches seem to have many of the qualities I acossiate with Japanese cars. The same goes for the Russian watch.

Correct. I have both as well. Love them both for different reasons, but if I had to pick one...skx.

The Russian IS a hand wind, and the crown wobbles based on the design saving the stem from getting bent due to being hit or bumped.

Says the man who puts leather straps on a dive watch 😂

They are both old, kind of disposable, and fantastic.

I believe the reason for the floppy crown on the Amphibia is so the crown stem will not break off inside in case it’s bumped or whatever j/s. Also I am a novice collector and am considering adding one. Good idea ???

I've owned the "Scuba Dude" Amphibia before and yeah that crown issue freaked me out making me believe my eBay purchase was a sham. However, the crown's wobbliness from what I've heard/read is to alleviate shock if the crown was ever forcefully struck in order to preserve the movement. However, idk if that's fact. It's also a design that never changed since its introduction.

You can hand wind the vostok but it's a bit tricky.

Just got mine. Love SKX also. Thanks!

People who buy Vostok timepieces don’t buy them for the lume, fit or finish etc. they buy them because you get an in-house movement that are workhorses from a real watch company with history. For as low as $40.00 shipped...it’s hard to beat.