Vostok Europe 20th Anniversary YN84-640E726 Review

Today we have a chance to talk about something big – Vostok Europe 20th Anniversary YN84-640E726. This watch comes as celebration for watchmaker from Lithuania and will be issued in limited number. Moreover, I didn’t have a chance to check any of their timepieces before, so it was interesting to see what the newcomer has to offer. I saw this brand on some watch exhibitions and the main thing that was hard to miss – size of their watches. Well, today’s model is not different and looks hefty even on the pictures. Nevertheless, I recommend to check the video-review below, where you will see this timepiece in action. 🙂
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Dial

As usual, we will start with the dial, which is full of interesting things here. First of all, the dial features meteorite insert, which is accompanied with certificate of authenticity. This material adds uneven texture to the dial and looks unusual in real life. At the same time it doesn’t influence legibility, and doesn’t look cheap.

I have to note that there are not many writings either. Vostok Europe logo is made in form of big chrome applied letter, but all other text is printed in black color. You will find some of the main features mentioned this way, just in case you forget something. “Made in Lithuania” writing can be found in the lower section of the dial.

To continue topic of legibility, it is important to mention big indices. It should be written as BIG actually, because they take considerable amount of space. Nevertheless, this doesn’t look like something out of place, especially if you remember watch size. Quite important thing is that those tubes are not decoration and actually come as tritium tubes. Such option gives a good legibility in dark, and keeps the light charge longer. The same can be said about main hands, what gives you a quite bright composition in the dark.

As for the hands, the whole setup is classic – two very big hours and minutes hands plus thin bright red seconds hand. Altogether they give us a perfect combination which matches watch style. The only thing I am still not sure is the color of the main hands. Silver and dark metal look good, but sometimes take time to find in the dim conditions. Another important thing is that we also get subdials here, at 12″ and 6″ areas. In the top you will find power reserve indicator, and below is the 24 hours dial. Note that both don’t have any luminous layer and won’t be visible in dark.

Another notable feature – special window so that you can see the movement inside. This adds a bit of sophistication to the whole composition, and I think it looks in place here. Parts don’t have any special engraving on them, but maybe it is actually good as we already have rich texture details on the dial plate. It is worth saying that there is no date window. For me it comes as a bit of surprise, because in such a toolwatch date indicator would come in handy. Well, maybe designers were trying to keep amount of open cuts to the possible minimum.

Whole dial is covered with Mineral K1 glass. On some photos here and in the video-review you can see that it has slight bend. This feature helps to reduce the bulkiness of the whole watch. I am not sure about durability of the material, but some discussions on forums show that it is quite good.

Case

Vostok Europe 20th Anniversary comes in big size thanks to case dimensions. Size here equals to impressive 48mm, and I definitely recommend to try it out in person. Nevertheless, in reality it is not that difficult to wear on your wrist thanks to several features. First of all lugs here are slightly angled to the main plate. This makes whole watch a bit more sleek and helps it to sit flush. Second important feature is the two-level design with top bezel made in lighter color and slightly raised over the main part. This adds complexity to the design and makes whole styling a bit less visual-heavy as the main section goes to the background.

There are several finishes combined – brushed surface and smooth polished one. Overall they look fine together and should be durable for various wear problems of everyday use. Case is made out of stainless steel and Vostok Europe also used PVD coating on the parts. Water resistance is measured at 200m, what is enough for such watch in my opinion.

Rear cover is made out of solid metal with anniversary logo engraving. It means that the only way to appreciate the movement inside is through the opening on the dial. 🙂 Separate word should be said about crown. I really like the design of this part, and size looks just right for such massive watch. Vostok Europe also engraved on logo, and we get screwdown part here. Note that it is partially protected from both sides and still should be easy to operate.

Bracelet

In my opinion Vostok Europe 20th Anniversary would not be complete without metal bracelet. This is the “default” version for today’s timepiece, and it makes whole image looks as one finished design. The accessory itself is quite hefty and definitely adds even more weight, so be ready for that. Such thing is definitely not suitable for thin wrists.

As you might have noticed, I wrote about “default” choice, as we also get other options included in the standard package. On the photo below you can see three other straps which come as bonus for today’s timepiece. In my opinion this is really great thing to have and some of the future owners will definitely play with various combinations. Keep in mind that there is no quick release option, but Vostok Europe included the special tool for straps exchange.

Movement

Even though rear cover is solid, we get a quite interesting surprise inside the watch. I was expecting to see one of the mainstream options from ETA or Miyota, but instead there is something different. Lithuanian watchmaker used Epson YN84 automatic movement inside. In my opinion this is not something you see often in other watches, but this is actually good. Power reserve is at 40 hours, what should be enough for everyday use. As you remember, we also get power reserve indicator, but there is no date indicator.

In Use

This section will be dedicated to overall impressions of having the watch on my wrist. Of course, I wasn’t able to test it for several months, but it is still enough to get some idea of what Vostok Europe 20th Anniversary feels like. First of all let me remind you that timepiece is big and heavy, so if you have thin wrist, it might not be easy to wear such thing. On the photos bracelet is not adjusted, but it is possible to see that case is not as huge as numbers suggest. Yes, it is not your average timepiece, but if you are used to such large watches, there won’t be any issues with this.

Overall legibility of the dial is great both in bright sunlight and dark conditions. Large hands and indices make it easy to read the time, and meteorite texture doesn’t hinder it in any way. As I wrote before, date indicator could be handy on such large watch, but we have only the power reserve indicator. It is nice to see the multi-level setup because this composition looks more sophisticated and always fun to check when you can.

I decided not to change the strap, but even this metal bracelet is gorgeous in person. Quality is quite high here, so you don’t get the heavy-looking part which is light in reality. This effect is right in place here, as whole watch gets hefty and this is definitely not something you will be able to hide under the sleeve. Big crown is easy to operate, and somehow designers avoided cheap-looking element. Instead we get gorgeous element with logo on it.

I am not sure if somebody will be using this watch in some extreme conditions, but it should be able to survive some challenges. In my opinion this one is worth trying in person, as real-life experience is completely different from what we see on the photos.

I should also mention the alternative straps – those might come handy for matching the look with your outfit. Moreover, they completely change perception of the watch. You can see photos on the official website if you are interested.

Vostok Europe 20th Anniversary – Price and Availability

It took me some time to get all my thoughts and actually finish this article. Vostok Europe 20th Anniversary is definitely not your average timepiece for celebration of something. Creators avoided stereotypical choices like precious metals in the case and other questionable features. Instead we get even more sophisticated toolwatch which is big both in size and its presence. If you prefer, this is definitely a conversational piece, and you will have plenty to brag about. Note that whole production is limited to 200 pieces only and price is set at 2500EUR.

In my opinion this watch deserves your attention if you are ready to have such big timepiece on your wrist. It doesn’t look too gaudy, and that is the main beauty of the new design. Vostok Europe has managed to combine unusual things into one product, and I definitely recommend to take a look in person.