Juri LevenbergRussian Wristwatches: Pocket Watches, Stop Watches, Onboard Clock & Chronometers (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

This is an excellent volume. As with any work of this sort, it should be recognized for what it is, and what it is not. It is a photographic and descriptive summary of Levenberg's collection. Its scope is wide-ranging, encompassing chronometers, deck clocks, wrist- and pocket-watches. The photographs are excellent. I would prefer they all be in color, but we can't always get what we want, as The Rolling Stones reminded us ;). The descriptions are quite adequate, though some could use a little more information. I refer to this work almost daily (no kidding). Even so, I am still not at full ease with its layout. If I had my way, it would be sectioned off according to make: all Vostoks together, all Slavas together, etc. Trying to find a Komandirskie amid Slavas and Amphibias is a bit time consuming, but I was not contacted about the format when it was written. This author obviously had a plan and executed it. It is my place to adapt. And I have. Now, on to what this volume is not. It is not all-inclusive. It is not a catalog of every watch ever made by the Soviets/Russians. I have many watches which are not in this book just as he has many which I have never seen. Nor is this a buyer's or seller's guide. Although the book has a price guide, it is 17 years out of date. That being said, it is interesting to see what the prices were then compared to today's economy. It would be nice to have an expanded, updated version but I am sure production costs are a consideration weighed against the market demand of such an undertaking. The translation page at the back is a nice addition. The exploded diagrams/drawings are a wonderful bonus, as are the short descriptions of each manufacturer.I highly recommend this book to everyone with an interest in Soviet/Russian watches. It makes a great addition to the library, but even more, it imparts a lot of information in a small area. Well worth its price, and worthy of an update. Juri, if you are reading this, consider a Kindle-type of update.

Fantastic book on russian watches, a bit dated by still great if your a collector especially of vostok watches.

There is lots of good stuff here.There is generally a one page outline of each of the main watch factories, their history and the main types of watch they produce.There is a photo identity and brief description of each of the main watch calibres, both dial and movement.There is a list of auction results for famous watches (space exploration, etc) and a valuation of all the other types.There is a description of other interesting stop watches (olympics, etc), ships' chronographs and military aircraft cockpit clocks.Levenberg often notes which watches are similar to other earlier models, which are often swiss.He also mentions the American Hampden and Ansonia factories which were bought and moved to Russia in the 1930s.I found the book most interesting and a very good reference for the casual collector, and am pleased to have bought it.

Very informative information if you collect or are just interested in purchasing a russian watch you need to consider buying this book it is full of information to help making your purchase .

I originally bought the book to learn more about russian watches. However, as clearly stated in the introduction, they don't waste space with pretty stories. Basically, this is an image archive of different types of watches.In itself, such a reference guide could be quite handy. However, only a small subset of watches are covered - this is understandable, but classics like the original Shturmanskie isn't there at all - and I had to look hard to find the Okean. Another drawback is that most of the pictures are black and white. This was probably done to save money, but it greatly lessens the book's usability as a reference guide. The lack of descriptions also makes it not much more than a last resort when trying to check if a watch you're considering to buy is original or not.The book does have some more detailed imagery of certain movements, but in total I find it incomplete and disappointing. If you're looking for a reference guide, get another (and bigger) book.

The only Definite must have reference.

A must for soviet watch collectors. Written by a renowned collector and soviet watch expert. Lot of pictures but scarce technical information.

Nice compact size. Information about pictured/featured watches doesn't include the diameter of the watches, which I would have considered vital for a book of this type.A second disappointment is that every second page is in black and white.The only other point of contention has been voiced by a prior reviewer, is that the pricing is outdated.