Where Can You Get Vintage Vostok Watches?

Vostok watches are popular, and there is a healthy demand for vintage pieces, but where exactly can you get them from?

I have already written about where you can buy new Vostoks, so here I will go through the best places to look for vintage ones.

As with any vintage watch, you have to be careful with what you buy. The watches will be old and may not run as well, along with the fact that there can be a lot misinformation and fakery out there as well.

Most of the watches are going to be online, which comes with an extra risk, so always do as much research as you can before buying anything.

What Condition To Do Want Your Vintage Vostok To Be?

When it comes to finding a vintage Vostok, you have to consider what condition you want it to be in as this can really affect your chances of finding what you want and the price you pay

If you are looking for a watch that is in mint condition, this is going to be a lot rarer. These watches may be 30 years old or more, so the chances of them getting some scuffs and scratches over the years in much higher. However, it is not impossible, it will just be rarer and you will also probably pay more for the privilege.

If you are okay with a Vostok that has a bit of wear and tear, you should be able to find a lot more options to choose from. The prices should also be more reasonable too.

Although, the level of damage can make their functionality come into question and you may end up buying something that needs a lot of repair work, but for some of you, this may be exactly what you want.   

(You can read more about – Why Do Beat Up Vostoks Look Better Than Brand New Ones?)

Look Out For Fakes

It doesn’t matter where you are looking for a vintage Vostok, you need to tread carefully as there can be a lot of fakes on the market.

Well maybe “fakes” is a little strong, maybe it’s more that they are not exactly as vintage as they may appear.

A lot of the watches you will find for sale, especially online, in Western market places (that I will cover below) are full of watches that are described in a way that is maybe not so truthful.

You may read descriptions like “vintage” and “rare” and well, it’s just not always true. The watch may not actually be that old or rare.

Sometimes they are just a couple of years old marketed as vintage. A brand new Vostok bought today looks pretty much the same as one made in the 1960s, so it can be easy to fool some people.

However, there are also quite a lot of frankenwatches, where it isn’t quite an original vintage watch. Some old parts (usually the dial) are mixed with some newer parts and you get this sort of old, but new watch. This isn’t the same as a watch that has been serviced and had a part of two replaced. This is more of a conscious effort to make a new watch appear like it is actually a lot older, and therefore more valuable that it actually is.

I have seen videos where the dial and movement are just kind of glued on in an attempt to make the watch look slightly older than it is. Which is pretty bad and shows it’s just an attempt to grab some money, rather than actual caring about the watch.

Basically trying to find a watch that is in a good condition with all its original parts, as well as being as old as the seller claims is actually quite rare. You might see a lot of listing claiming to have this, but a lot of them exaggerate the legitimacy of their originality and they often claim to be “rare” when it just isn’t true.

You really have to be careful as you can easily get burnt by buying something that isn’t what it says it actually is.

(You can read more about – Are Vintage Vostok Watches Worth It?)

Buying Vostok On Ebay

Ebay is always a great place to start when you are looking for vintage Vostoks.

You will notice a lot of the sellers are in Eastern Europe, especially Ukraine, which of course would have been part of the USSR back when these watches were available. This means that they are likely to be legit, but as I’ve already talked about, they can be easily faked. 

I generally find that there are newer models on here, but of course the listings are constantly changing so you need to check and see what is available and hopefully there are some genuine vintage watches.

Buying Vostok On Etsy

Etsy is a pretty cool market place, and you can find a lot of vintage watches there, including Vostoks.

The selection is maybe a little smaller, but it is usually pretty decent.

I have also found that you can buy a lot of individual movements on here, so if you are looking for a donor movement, this can be a good spot to check as the prices can be very reasonable.

The last time I looked on here I felt there were more genuine vintage watches, but of course this can easily change and you can easily end up with a seller exaggerating about what they are actually selling. 

As I write this, I think this is the best place to look for genuine vintage Vostoks. In general I see more unique pieces here and a lot more Vostok dress watches, which I am a big fan of.

Chrono24

Chrono24 is a really good place to go watch shopping in general. The range of watches is incredible and if you are after a second hand watch, this is a good place to start.

However, when it comes to Vostoks, it’s maybe not the best.

The selection is usually pretty small and they are usually newer models that for some reason are extremely overpriced. They may be in excellent condition, but I’m not sure why you would pay double the retail price for something that you could buy elsewhere …at the actual retail price.   

Find A Vintage Vostok In Person

Buying a Vostok in person is going to be much easier to do in Eastern Europe and Russia …which isn’t exactly an option for everyone.

I am sure there will be a few floating around your local area, in second hand shops or wherever you can pick up old watches, but let’s be real, it will be very rare to find one of these outside of Eastern Europe.

If for some reason you do find yourself in Eastern Europe you are more likely to find them, but where exactly, and how many you will find isn’t something I can say for sure. I just know your chances will be much higher.

If you look at the majority of the online listing, they all come this area of the world, which makes sense as this is where the watches would have mostly been sold 30 or 40 years ago and I would imagine that some of these online sellers are sourcing their supplies from their local second hand shops and other such places where you would expect to find old watches.

Although I do think if you actually went there, you would really need a local guide to help you find some. I think going on your own would almost be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

I’m not saying it’s impossible, it would just be difficult and you chances would still be higher than trying to find one in your own local area.

Conclusion

As you can see the best place to look for a vintage Vostok is going to be online. Just make sure you do as much research as you can on the seller and the watch itself before committing to buy it.

If the claims seem too good to be true, or the price doesn’t seem quite right, then there could well be something not quite right. 

However, there are plenty of genuine vintage Vostoks out there, so you should be able to find one that you like that is at the right price.

(If you would prefer to buy a new model you can read – Where Is The Best Place To Buy Vostok Watches?)