Vostoks are popular watches, but being Russian, It’s kind of hard to find them in your local watch shops, so the main way to get hold of one is online.
Buying a watch online is never ideal as how a watch looks and feels in person will almost always be slightly different than how it looks in pictures online. However, most of us are happy to take the risk and are happy to trust the many reviews that are out there.
The bigger problem comes from trying to work out where exactly online you should be buying from. There are a lot of websites selling watches that we know and trust, but they usually don’t sell Vostok.
(You can read more about – Do People Collect Vostok Watches?)
What Sites Are Legit For Buying Vostok Watches?
There are a number of sites that are legit and safe to order from, but I will go through some of the most popular ones in the watch community.
Meranom
This is an official Vostok store and probably one of the most used in the community.
It has a massive range of watches and also offers spare parts so you can repair or mod your watches.
It’s a good site, it’s nicely set up and it’s easy to navigate and see what’s going on and there is plenty of information and reviews about the watches. The prices are in dollars (I assume US) or Russian Ruples, so you might need currency converter open to check things.
The search function also works really well and you can easily input the first or last three digits of a watch to find either similar cases or dials. This can be very helpful when you are trying to make sure you get the exact watch you want.
My only gripe is that they often keep watches on there that are out of stock. I am guessing because they will come back in stock soon? Either way, it’s kind of heart breaking when you see a watch and then realise you can’t have it!
Soviet Market
This is another official store and is pretty similar to Meranom.
It has pretty much the same set up, but it actually goes one step further and has a section that allows you to build your own watch. You pick all the option – the case, the dial, the bezel etc and they will build it for you and send it to you. So that is pretty cool!
It also only shows the price in dollars (again I am assuming US).
Why I Haven’t Used These To Buy A Vostok Watch
Both these sites are official stores and you will find endless forum posts of people saying they have used them and had a great service. I have no doubts that they are safe and legit and I would be happy for you go to these sites and look around and purchase from.
But there is only one reason I have not used them …the prices.
The prices are not bad, they are roughly what you expect, but I have found them to be significantly higher compared to where I actually buy my Vostoks, which is direct from the factory.
Vostokinc
This is the website that is ran by the factory itself. I believe that Meranom and Soviet Market are like official third party sellers very closely linked to Vostok, where as Vostokinc is actually Vostok themselves.
I will be honest the website is not as good, it is also a bit more Russian language heavy. Every time you load a page it shows it in Russian and then computer takes a second to translate it all to English.
I assume this site is more for the Russian domestic market where as the other two are more aimed at the international market.
However this site is very legit and totally safe and I have bought all my Vostok watches from here.
I do tend to go looking for watches on Meranom, where I check the specs and reviews, then come to Vostokinc to see the lower price.
Buying A Watch From Vostokinc
It can seem a little sketchy, but really it’s no different than using any other online store.
You do the usual thing of putting things you want in the “garbage” …for some reason the word Basket gets a little lost in translation and become garbage.
Although, I have just been on the site now to get a screenshot for us all to enjoy, and they seem to have changed it. It now says “cart”. So I guess the comical translations are no more. I am kind of sad about that, but at the same time it makes the site seem less sketchy for new comers.
Anyway, once it’s in the basket you do the usually process of checking out and adding details and delivery address.
When you put in your address it will know you are not in Russia and change the delivery options to something like “worldwide delivery” or some sort of wording like that.
My last delivery cost was 850p (£7.86/$10.69) …Which is not too bad when you look on the map and see just how far away Chistopol is.
You will then be taken to a screen for payment, which seems to be through some sort of Russian bank. You might need to copy and paste some things as there is going to be Russian text all over the place and it’s slightly terrifying. It’s all cool, it’s just a different language and it’s nothing to be scared of.
When you enter your bank details on the screen it will link to your own bank and do the little checks, you will probably be asked to log in to your banking app to just confirm the payment (If you have your online banking set up this way. I’m not sure if you experience will be the same).
This is just your bank making sure this payment is legit, as you probably don’t send a lot of money to Russia, so it they just want to check. It’s totally cool, just say yes and allow the payment.
After that it’s all done. You will get a number of emails, but again, it’s no different to buying anything else online. It’s just all in Russian. It’s basically just the confirmation of order and payments and then dispatch etc.
You will get an email with a tracking number once it has been posted and then you just have to wait.
(Also remember that your bank will charge you for buying something in a difference currency, basically you are paying to convert the money, like you would at a bureau du change. it’s not much, but you still need to be aware than this will happen.)
Delivery Times
This is the part that hurts! We are so used to next day delivery that we forgot what it’s like to wait.
All 3 of the sites I’ve talked about will send the watches from Russia and we need to realise just how far away the factory is, go and look on the map where Chistopol is.
The wait time will depend where you live, but it will be a few weeks. I think I waited around 6 weeks and I know people have got their watch in just under a month and I know some who have waited even longer, maybe even a few months.
It’s slow. Just be ready to wait!
Getting A Vostok Watch Though Customs
As Russia is a pretty stand alone country when it comes to world trade, it means you may have your watch inspected by your countries customs
It also means you may potential have to pay and import fee.
You need to check your own countries rules when it comes to importing from Russian. In the UK there is a certain threshold where items will need to pay fees, based on the items value.
Most watches from Vostok will fall under this value, but you can go check the government’s website. I’m not putting any info here as it can always change.
However, if you are importing a watch from anywhere in the world, a lot of sellers might just happen to fill in the form saying the watch is less expensive than it actually is, or mark it down as a gift they are kindly sending you. They really shouldn’t do this, but they know it will help bypass a lot of custom checks and import fees. Do Vostok do this? I can’t remember. I guess you will see when order from them 😉
(You can read more about – Are Vostok Watches Worth The Money?)
Buying A Vostok Watch on Amazon and Ebay
We are now pretty much programmed to always check these two sites whenever we want to buy something.
You will certainly find Vostoks on both these sites and you will get the benefit of having a massively quicker delivery time and it will also be easier to return the item if you have any problems.
I would double check where the seller is located though, as often they can be in Eastern Europe and it might just be as slow as if the watch was being sent from Russia.
Pricing
My main issue with either of these sites is the price.
If I quickly look on Amazon, I can see a Vostok for £124.96… The same watch (exact same model number) is £35.08 on Vostokinc. To add further insult, the watch on Amazon would be shipping from the USA so it still going to take a while to deliver!
Why would I pay 3.5 times more for something I can just order directly from Russia myself?
Are you really that worried about some Russian shop having your address, to the point that you are willing to pay over 3 times the price, just to have a middle man deal with the Russians?
Its madness to me, but the option is there is you want it.
(You can read more about – Are Vostok Watches Worth The Money?)
Second Hand and Parts
Ebay can be a good place to buy second hand and vintage Vostoks. However, unless you know what you are doing when it comes to vintage watches, I would recommend just buying new watches.
Ebay can also be a good place to pick up spare parts for repairs and mods. There are often aftermarket parts available too that can be awesome for modding and making your watch even more unique.
(You can read more about – Where Can You Get Vintage Vostok Watches?)
Conclusion
Buy your watches online from Russia. For me, it’s all part of the experience of owning a Vostok and it’s perfectly safe.
There is something exciting about trying to work out the currency exchange rates then having to fill everything in on a Russian site and feel like you are dealing with a Russian factory (because you are) and then waiting for it to arrive.
The wait is annoying, but it’s worth it. It’s fun to follow your watch with the tracking number and see where it’s been. It’s also very cool to tell people how your watch is made in Russian and you ordered it directly from there yourself. It’s all part of the fun of loving Vostoks!
(You can read more about – Why Do People Love Vostok Watches?)
Ian is the main writer at Horology Dream and is a lover all things watch related.
He has been a watch collector for over a decade and brings his knowledge and experience to this site to help you on your own watch collecting journey.
You can connect with him on Social media and talk anything watches or read more about him on his Author Page.
