Vostok Classica 690B21 Review – A Clean Design

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Vostok Classica 690B21 Pricing & Availability

This watch retails for around 11,900Р or $160 USD / $194 CAD. The case back of my watch shows it as being number 163 of 550, so this reference appears to be a limited run.

Interested in getting this watch? Be prepared to put in a bit of effort first. I was made aware of this watch when another fellow poster shared a photo of their watch. They mentioned that they bought their watch from meranom.com and that they had to refresh the website multiple times over a couple of months until they saw that the watch was in stock. This was also the way I was able to order this watch. While I signed up for email alerts for the watch, that alert came way too late and after the watch was sold out. So if you plan to buy this watch, be prepared to refresh the page multiple times daily in hopes of getting lucky that it shows being in stock.

Technical Specs

✅ Reference: 690B21
✅ Movement: Vostok 2409.01
✅ Case Diameter: 39 mm
✅ Case Thickness: 11 mm
✅ Lug to Lug Height: 46 mm
✅ Double Domed Mineral Crystal Cover
✅ Matte White Dial
✅ Stainless Steel Body
✅ See Through Case Back
✅ Pull Out Crown
✅ Power Reserve: 38 Hours
✅ Jewels: 17
✅ Manual Winding
✅ 50 Meters of Water Resistance
✅ Genuine Leather Black Strap – 20 mm Wide & 20 cm Long

Accuracy

The watch is rated for accuracy of -20 seconds to +60 seconds a day based on the Vostok 2409.01 movement. Knowing this, I still decided to get this watch because the watch’s visual appeal mattered more to me than it being a precision timepiece. However, if you are in search of a precision timepiece for a reasonable amount, Bulova’s Accutron & Precisionist watches may be a good option. Check out my review of the Bulova Precisionist Chronograph 98B316.

Package Contents

The watch comes in a flat rectangular box with minimal padding or protection. It wasn’t even worth taking a photo of the package.

Exterior Elements

The body is made of stainless steel, which is polished on the top of the watch that secures the double-domed mineral crystal. It has a brushed metal finish on the sides of the watch extending up to the lugs, and on the case back.

There is a pull-out crown on the right side of the watch that has a textured finish for easier gripping. The crown is adorned with the Vostok logo against a polished finish.

The watch has a genuine leather strap in black that has a crocodile pattern. It is a basic strap that will take time to break in until it softens enough to become more comfortable. The underside of the watch strap has the Vostok logo stamped into the leather as well. The stitching is black on the outside of the strap, and white on the underside of the strap. The stainless steel brushed metal buckle of the watch is sizeable, and has the Vostok logo imprinted into one side of the buckle.

Case Back Details

The case back is a screw-down type that is see-through, which gives a nice glimpse into the movement. The 2409.01 movement is printed on the plate. There is also text that is stamped on the metal that I believe reads “Stainless Steel. Water Resistance. 5 ATM / Atmospheres. Shock Proof Escapement.” Please comment below to correct me if I am wrong. You can also see that this reference appears to be a limited run of 550 pieces.

Watch Case & Interior

The front of the watch has a double domed mineral crystal, which distorts the numerals, indices and hands slightly when viewed at an extreme angle. It may not suit everyone’s style, but it hasn’t bothered me so far.

The watch face has a matte white dial that features some unique-looking Arabic numerals printed on the dial. There are also polished number indices in between the printed numerals. The watch has gorgeous blue hands that contrast nicely against the white dial. The hands have a curved surface that reflects light too, which is a nice detail. The second’s hand sweeps in a few increments when moving between seconds instead of a single tick. The opposite end of the second hand is finished with a pointed tip. You can easily hear the ticking of the second’s hand in a quiet room, which is relaxing to hear.

The Vostok logo is printed under hour 12, and the Russian words for 17 Jewels are printed above hour 6. There is also some text printed under hour 6, which reads “Made in Russia” (thank you to commenter Max for helping with the translation). The watch does not feature a date window, but I prefer it because it doesn’t break the design.

There is no lume on this watch, so nighttime readings are out unless you have a light source.

Build Quality

The build quality of this watch is good. It feels robust, and there is no flex anywhere on the body when any pressure is applied. The machining is well done and without any imperfections when viewed with the naked eye.

Wearability

I think this watch will wear nice for most wrist sizes. The weight seems like a good balance, not heavy and not too light. After wearing the watch for an hour or so, I forget that I have it on because it’s easy to get used to the weight. Since it isn’t a very thick case, it doesn’t protrude much or hampers day-to-day activities.

Summing Up

This watch has been on my wrist quite a lot since I bought it. I love the ticking sound of the second’s hand, and the dial is really pleasing with its simple design but nicely contrasting blue hands. The price is super reasonable for the watch and the build quality. I highly recommend it if you want something a little less mainstream.

If there is anything that I missed in the review, or if you have any questions that I did not cover, please leave a comment below.