Luch 1801 One Hander on Amazon

Couldn't help noticing Luch (read: Looch) 1801 One Hander on Amazon... per $70.


What you see is what you get

Except it's NOT water resistant.

BBC News - Sony makes experimental e-paper watch

BBC News - Sony makes experimental e-paper watch

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Monument to Alexander I in Moscow

New series of posts -- Monuments of Moscow (MoM).

Today's monument is the Monument to Alexander I of Russia, Godfather of Britain's Queen Victoria (after whom she was named Alexandrina Victoria), King of Poland, Grand Duke of Finland, Liberator and Peacemaker of Europe, etc., and intermittently an enemy, a friend, an ally and once again an enemy of Napoleon.

The monument itself was unveiled by Putin only last week (a week ago from date of this post).

We visited it last Sunday and I took some pictures.

A part of the monument.

The creators' names on the foundation of the monument.

As seen from behind.

There is also a three-part wall in front of Alexander I depicting some scenes and protagonists from the 1812 Napoleonic war.

Military commanders of the 1812 war.

Orange Juice from a Vending Machine

Yesterday had some orange juice from a Zummo vending machine.

Natural orange juice freshly squeezed from three oranges and served and dispensed by a Zummo Orange Juice Vending Machine.

You can watch the process -- three oranges are halved and pressed before your very eyes. You get a little plastic glass of juice... for RUB 100 (about US$ 2.5).

Nice juice... occasionally it overflows the plastic glass even.

Orange juice: 9/10

A promo vid of another type (or the same?) Zummo Orange Vending Machine I found on Youtube. 

Detroit Iron in Moscow - Lincoln Town Car 1st Generation

Continuing with my DIM -- Detroit Iron in Moscow series which is a series of posts where I do a bit of car spotting and photograph "Detroit iron" in Moscow -- i.e. full-size American automobiles that I see on Moscow streets, lanes and especially in back yards whilst not specifically looking for them.

Spotted today is this Lincoln Town Car.

This one is first generation and towards the end of it. Not the first Lincoln Town Car on this series but the first one first gen. 

 

To be fair, I spotted this one not on a street per se, not in traffic, not in a Moscow high-rise back yard (where most of them seem to have congregated so far) but on some kind of historic movie shoot, not far from the Kremlin actually.

Though the Lincoln appears to be out of keeping with the other cars on the shoot which are 1960-70s Volgas, Pobedas etc. Maybe the movie guys are trying to pass it for a much earlier car but it is clearly from the late 1980s. 

Shot through the passenger front window.

What's the movie going to be about? We see the Lincoln cornered aggressively into a tight spot by a 1950s M-20 Pobeda and a 1970s GAZ 21 Volga. No escape.

Wristwatch: Komandirskie 2414A

Komandirskie 2414A manual wind watch.

Here it is -- on my wrist. Komandirskie actually means an Army commander's (watch). It is splash- and some shock resistant.

Note the quirky and unusual case shape... something like an eight-point star... and the crown... which is at about 1:30 o'clock. I have to say that there is not much convenience of use gained by placing it there instead of its usual place at 3 o'clock.

However I do like the way the case looks... almost like some on-wrist device from a sci-fi movie.

The movement also looks nice. 

How to Determine Direction with Your Watch

How To Determine Direction With Your Watch pic.twitter.com/YhChm4ngWB
— Hidden Hacks (@HiddenTips) November 2, 2014

One important correction -- you should find out at what time the astronomical noon actually is (yes, it's not necessarily at 12 o'clock) and point the minute hand at it. 

Watches on Amazon.com

Some good watches can found on Amazon.

VOSTOK EUROPE

As a collector, the bulk of whose collection is Russian / Soviet watches (although not exclusively, and I am looking to expand), I thought I'd mention Vostok Europe offerings on Amazon.

But with reservations.

I think their current models are not as good as as their previous ones. In the recent past they made some truly stunning watches.

But the current lineup is at best mediocre, I think. Also, they are very expensive, and there aren't that many positive reviews.  So bear it in mind.

Caspian Sea Monster, Vostok cal. 2432, highly overpriced but with Tritium (triga-lite or something).

Vostok Europe GAZ 14 Limousine



Vostok Europe North Pole Expedition, cal. 2432



Vostok Europe Arktika, with a display caseback, Vostok movement. This is the one I would buy if I had that kind of money. 

There are also these models in different variants and other models. As I said these are not particularly "good deals" (but the next one (below) is).

SEIKO

From Seiko's lineup on Amazon the following deserve a mention.

The best offer on Amazon from Seiko (and amongst any watches really) is this Seiko Black Monster -- a classic diver's (type) watch with a huge following, and it IS a good deal price-wise. 

Russ/Russian Watches: A MIXED BUNCH OF RUSSIAN "DIVERS"

Russ/Russian Watches: A MIXED BUNCH OF RUSSIAN "DIVERS"

Nightcrawler Official Trailer #1 (2014) - Jake Gyllenhaal Movie HD

BBC News - India's iconic HMT watches run out of time

Even the BBC now reports on the demise of India's HMT watches

BBC News - India's iconic HMT watches run out of time

Furious 7 - Official Trailer (HD)

Historical Document - An American's Account of the First Moscow Watch Factory

Historical Document - An American's Account of the First Moscow Watch Factory



A WUS thread: Interesting document shared:  An American Worker in a Moscow Factory, a book by Siegfried Weinberg (1880-?), published by the Co-Operative Publishing Society of Foreign Workers in the U.S.S.R. in 1934.