The Trans Siberian

We received news of a new brand entering the market place yesterday -
Pramzius.

Courtesy of Pramzius

I  have not yet had the pleasure of seeing one in person, so I am going to leave it the folks at Pramzius to tell the story in their own words -

The Return of the Railroad Pocket Watch – For the Wrist

Pramzius is a new brand launching in 2017 developed by the North American distributors of Vostok-Europe, Sturmanskie and other Eastern European and Russian watch brands. The company is based in Connecticut, USA. Pramzius, which is named for the mythological Baltic Ruler of Time, pulls together the two decades worth of experience the team has in importing and assisting with design of watches from this part of the world. All Pramzius watches will use inspirations from one of the eight countries that border the Baltic Sea.

The first edition is inspired by a Russian railroad pocket watch popular in decades past built by a company that ceased operation in 2007.

The watch is unapologetically big at 48 mm in order to be sized similarly to the inspiration. Instead of a pocket watch movement with a sub dial seconds hand, the watch uses the NH38 open heart movement built by SII, with the open heart displayed where the sub seconds would normally appear. The case back features a large, 3D rendering of the original train that appeared on the inspiration watch.

The watches retail for $459 to $509, however in the launch period there is advance order pricing at www.pramzius.com and there will be a Kickstarter campaign launching in March/April 2017.

Courtesy of Pramzius

Type	Pocket watch for the wrist
Movement	24 Jewel SII NH38 open heart movement. Automatic winding. Can be manually wound.
Tolerance	Main daily rate from -20 to +40 s/day
Power reserve	At least 41 hours
Sub dials	Open heart
Vibrations per Hour	21,600
Crystal	K1 Mineral (optional sapphire model for additional $50)
Luminosity	Super-Luminova
Dial Color	White
Crown	Coin-edge crown inspired by locomotive smoke stack
Bezel	Double layered
Case Material	316L Surgical Grade Stainless Steel
Case Width	48 mm
Strap Material	Bund leather (fully underneath the watch), wide grain screw-on leather and Zulu style nylon strap all included.
Strap Measurement	24 mm
Clasp Type	Buckle
Water Resistance	10 ATM
Other Features	3D rendering of original train from the inspiration pocket watch. Limited edition of no more than 999 pieces per dial. Cherry wood veneer desk stand for watch to allow for alternate use as a clock.

Courtesy of Pramzius

Timing with Vostok - the Brunch Test

As with many of you, I do not race sports cars or pilot a plane.  I do, however, cook and that requires a fair amount of time control.  As many of you out there will know and appreciate, yesterday was the Final Four showdown to determine which two college teams would advance to the finals of the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament - March Madness has nearly run its course.  So last night I did some timing tests, and the Vostok-Europe Gaz-Limo Quartz Chronograph was bang on for every shot clock, 10 second and time out.  I realize that with a quartz watch time keeping is something that we tend to take for granted, but I have experienced some sloppy timing with others out there.  Vostok-Europe opted to utilize a Miyota quartz movement, and it is is a good choice.  


Of course, this morning it was up to me to prepare brunch for the lovely Wendy, and eggs in purgatory is my Sunday "go-to", although I added bacon "seasoned" with coffee beans, as well as a loaf of ciabatta  (with peppers and onion on top), and fired up the coffee maker - French Roast.


3 minutes to soften the onions - which today required an extra 46 seconds, 5 minutes for the tomatoes to "break down" and then 10 minutes for the eggs (requiring 9 minutes 52 seconds this time), with Wendy helping to "compartmentalize" the various eggs into their own "neighborhoods".  

Happy Sunday!

The Vostok-Europe Gaz-Limo Quartz Chronograph - a week in

I've now had a week to spend with the Vostok-Europe Gaz-Limo Quartz Chronograph and it has been a great seven days!


More than anything else this week - the key word has been "wearability"!  This is one of the MOST comfortable watches I've had on in some time.  

It's a 43 mm watch, but it does not "swamp" your wrist with its size.  As you can see - the lug ends neatly stop at the edge of my wrist.  My wrist is about 7.5 inches so you get a general idea of scale here.


The strap is profoundly comfortable.  This is a very nice "surprise" for a watch in this price category.  Usually you are stuck with something scratchy or frail.  Not so here - soft, yet durable leather.  The 22 mm lug width strikes just the right balance. 

And as always, it's the little things.  The finishing work on the clasp is a very nice touch.

All of these element combine for a very comfortable watch that feels "present" but not "oppressive".  Substantial - but not unreasonable.  

The Vostok-Europe Gaz-Limo Quartz Chronograph OS22/5611131 a few days in

Okay, I've had a few days to get acquainted with my new friend, and I must say - Spaceba Vostok-Europe!

More than anything else, I am really struck by the finish of this watch.  Let's be very clear, Vostok-Europe is not in the upper-echelons in terms of price.  But having said that, I must say that the finish and attention to detail on the case is really something quite impressive.

And at: 179,00 €  

it is certainly at a price point that most people could afford.  The fit and feel of the watch so far have
been top-notch.  For a less-expensive, quartz piece you might be expecting something that feels light-weight or unsubstantial.  Not so with the  Gaz-Limo Quartz Chronograph!  It sits very well on the wrist and its presence is truly felt on the wrist.  Not overly heavy, but there.

And before I go any further, a big shout-out to the nice folks at  who sent the watch for review!

Vostok europe

So far, the chronograph functions are working flawlessly.   And the finish on the buttons is as good as the case -

More tomorrow - stay tuned!