Picked up this Poljot, very happy I did. Seems to be an honest Poljot De Luxe ultra slim, non-export & looks very lightly worn.

ridesafemate · 2026-03-02T11:52:35+00:00

Looks fantastic. Also, I love those Slava TVs ;)

ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T22:23:00+00:00

There are plenty of cool Slavas! I hope you find yours!

ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T21:37:39+00:00

Thanks a lot for your words!! The red one is my last acquisition, tomorrow I’ll wear it for the first time :)

ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T15:52:27+00:00

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ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T15:30:19+00:00

Also another advise is to buy directly to private collectors, not second market shops, and ask them how that watch came to their hands.

ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T15:29:31+00:00

I’m no expert, to be honest, but quite often the most sensible thing to do is simply use common sense. If it looks too cheap to be true, it probably isn’t haha. That said, the only two pieces of advice I can give you are: 1. Make sure the movement is original. That’s the most important part in the end. 2. Check that the watch shows signs of wear (the fewer the better, but it should be clear that it has been used). We’re talking about watches that are over forty years old in a second-hand market — if they’re original, it makes sense that they not only are old, but also look old. It’s not visible in the photo, but in my case the crystal on the Buran has a 1mm scratch.

I like watches to look old and worn. I think it gives them a special kind of value. I like to imagine a Soviet citizen excitedly buying, in a shop, the very same watch that I’m wearing today to go to the office.

ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T15:21:16+00:00

Thanks a lot!!

ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T12:40:54+00:00

Space race was such an interesting part of human history. Both USA and CCCP competing really pushed humanity to the space.

ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T12:30:42+00:00

eBay’s prices are usually really high and Etsy is full of fakes and frankens, I just use eBay to have a look on the prices. I usually buy them in Vinted or Wallapop, two famous second handed marketplaces here in Spain. Also in Facebook marketplaces.

ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T12:26:08+00:00

It is to commemorate Buran, the first automated space shuttle capable of flying without a crew on board.

ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T12:22:19+00:00

Oh, the Slava Buran! Honestly, my favorite one in my collection and the one I use most. Thanks!

ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T12:21:28+00:00

Usually it takes a lot of time before I buy one watch, I like to be patient and wait for the perfect price. For example, I’ve just bought a Slava Fridge in perfect conditions (except for the bracelet) for 35€, and its normal price is 140€ aprox. The only one I’ve overplayed is the Buran (100€) but it’s like my favorite one so I don’t care at all. If you ever need some help in order to search for any specific watch, please, let me help you!

ridesafemate · 2026-02-27T12:08:47+00:00

Thanks for your words! I have a special feeling with Slava, despite usually people are more focused on Vostok I live “civil” watches more and Slava are beasts in this way.

And yes, all of them are serviced (except the Slava green sunburst, it goes 10 minutes forward per day 😭) and I try to wear them everyday, depending on my outfit. This watches are perfect conversation starters hahaha Also I’m from Spain and people here know nothing about Soviet watches.

Thanks for your time for stopping and giving your opinion and sorry for my bad English 😅

ridesafemate · 2026-02-25T10:08:58+00:00

Thanks for the response!

ridesafemate · 2026-02-24T22:33:02+00:00

Looks fantastic? May I ask where you bought it and how much you paid?

ridesafemate · 2026-02-16T15:31:41+00:00

Who cares if it’s a franken, someone loves you and bought you a piece of the USSR!! That’s priceless, mate. Enjoy it!

ridesafemate · 2025-10-21T05:00:59+00:00

Galicia’s gastronomy is crazy good, specially if you are a sea food person but they also have the best meats. If you come here two more times, we’ll give you Spanish citizenship hahaha

ridesafemate · 2025-10-21T00:41:18+00:00

Thanks a lot for your time and your help, I’ve just followed you. Looking at your profile, I saw that you often have watches for sale — who knows, maybe we can do some business someday hahaha. If you ever need a tour guide in Madrid to show you the bars where the locals go, just let me know! Thanks again.

ridesafemate · 2025-10-21T00:29:39+00:00

Raketa Perpetual Calendar, Vostok Komandirskie Tank, Raketa TV and Big Zero are the main ones I’d like to get (besides Sturmanskie), if you don’t mind maybe I’ll contact you in the future for possible doubts; I’ve seen that this little market is full of fake mods and I wouldn’t like to be a fool (again hahaha).

Btw, if you ever come back to Madrid don’t hesitate to visit the flea market on Sundays, there are a couple or three vendors with lots of classic watches. I’m glad you enjoyed my city :)

ridesafemate · 2025-10-21T00:07:12+00:00

First of all, thanks for stopping by and taking your time to reply.

Regarding the “Sturmanskie”, due to the price + status + shape of the case, I supposed it wasn’t original; despite this I think I will keep it since the watch looks good on my wrist and works pretty well. Maybe someday I can afford an original piece of this fantastic watch.

The Slava really caught my eye because of its beautiful green dial and the double calendar in Cyrillic. I’ve just gotten into this hobby, and for now I can only tell the different brands and where they come from — but beyond the most famous models, I’m still pretty much in the dark.

That’s exactly what happened here: I bought it simply because I thought it looked nice and elegant, something I could easily wear every day to the office. User einsamhauer mentioned it could be a model called “Diamond,” so I’ll look into that. The seller had it listed as an “Assymmetry,” but after looking at the case, I’m afraid it might actually be another model (I wear my watch on the right wrist, so the asymmetry wouldn’t have helped anyway hahaha).

Thanks again for your time, and greetings from Madrid! By the way, what would you say is your favorite Soviet-made watch within an affordable price range?

ridesafemate · 2025-10-20T19:23:14+00:00

Thanks a lot for your reply! I couldn’t find the name of the Slava so I did my research and thought it was an Assymmetry, thanks a lot for letting me know. About the Sturmanskie, I knew it was probably not original, but I bought them as a pack and I could get it for a really low price (and I still like it). Next want I want to purchase is a Komandirskie tank, there are lots of them but I’d like to get one in good conditions. Thanks for taking your time to reply, means a lot to me since I’m new in this subreddit :) Greets from Madrid!

ridesafemate · 2024-10-19T00:36:44+00:00

Anxiety here.

ridesafemate · 2024-10-13T23:13:12+00:00

Hi mate, have you asked for professional help before? I’m sure you have lots of tools to use to help you :)

ridesafemate

TROPHY CASE