     |
 |
Aviator 45mm Watch Review
By Editor, RussianWatchGuide.com Updated 30 May 2009 
I think the Aviator 45 mm could be the ultimate no-nonsense men's watch. It's a big, manual-wind watch with no needless features or gimmicks (with the possible exception of the day/nite indicator on this particular model). The Poljot mechanical movement is solid and reliable. The watch has a basic two-position pull-crown. The simple green super-luminova indicators serve the purpose of displaying the time in the dark. There's no see-through exhibition caseback to view the gears and inner workings, just a functional metal back.
I had been thinking about getting one of these watches for a while. Then when I spotted a clearance price at JTV watches, I snapped it up. Aviator 45mm watches typically sell for about $389. I paid $169. By the way, when I see great prices like this I post them on the deals/offers page of this site. JTV used to sell quite a few Russian watches including Aviator, Moscow Classic and Vostok-Europe. At present they aren't promoting the Russian brands and are clearing out any Russian models they still have in stock. I hope JTV decides to carry Russian watches again in future. Back to the watch. Although 45mm is a large case diameter, and this is a big watch, it's not extremely heavy nor does it look ridiculously oversized. Perhaps this is because the watch is only 12mm thick. The Poljot 3105 movement, currently manufactured by Maktime, is essentially a simplified version of the 3133 chronograph, which is used in many Russian chronographs. It's not automatic. The power reserve of the watch is 42 hours when fully wound. This particular movement includes a quick-set date. To advance the date, you advance the hour hand past 12 o'clock until the date switches. Then reverse to 11 o'clock, then back again to 12. Each time this is done the date calendar moves ahead one day. The watch is shock-resistant, like all Aviator watches, and is water-resistant to 5 ATM. 
When I received the watch I was pleasantly surprised to see that the box was signed by Valentin Volodko, the president of Volmax. Volmax is the company that makes the Aviator brand. Some watch enthusiasts might say that the signature adds to the watch's collectability. Whether that is true or not, it's certainly a nice touch.
The only real complaint I have with this watch is that I don't really like the leather faux-crocodile Sturmanskie strap. In my opinion this strap is a design error. It's too fussy and elegant for such a simple, practical watch. I'll probably replace it with a plain, smooth leather strap. I think the watch would look fantastic with a black pvd-coated stainless steel bracelet matched to the case. Specifications Model 3105.03/6974584 Poljot movement 3105.03 Manual wind 19 jewels Frequency 21600 vph Power reserve 42 hours Side second hand Day/night-indicator Date calendar display at 3 o'clock position Mineral glass 5 ATM water resistant Stainless steel case, black PVD coating Diameter 45 mm Thickness 12 mm Stainless steel back, black PVD coating Leather 22mm strap Cost: About $389 More Information The Watch Komrade Craig Hester has prepared a 6 minute video about the Aviator 45 mm watch. This isn't one of Craig's most exciting videos but, like all his videos, it is informative. You can view it below. |
|
About this site | Privacy policy and Disclaimer - [email protected]
Copyright © 2007-2015 RussianWatchGuide.com. All rights reserved.