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Vostok Europe

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Vostok Europe
Company typeprivate company
Industrywatchmaking
Founded2003; 22 years ago (2003) in Vilnius, Lithuania
FoundersIgor Zubovski
Key people
  • Igor Zubovskij (CEO)[1]
  • Valentina Rinkevičienė (CFO)[2]
  • Ivan Krauchenia (designer)[3]
Productswatches
Production output
15 to 20 thousand units
ParentKoliz Vostok UAB

Vostok Europe is a Lithuanian watch brand owned by Koliz Vostok and manufactured in Vilnius since 2003.

History

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The company Koliz Vostok was founded in 2003 by physicist Igor Zubovski and his Vilnius Research Institute of Radio Measuring Instruments co-workers. In the early 1990s, they developed radio-electronic equipment for the Vostok watch factory based in Chistopol, Tatarstan. Later, they started a watch distribution company named Koliz and got interested in designing and manufacturing new watches with custom designs and movements from a reliable manufacturer.[1][2][4]

In 2003, Koliz established a new company, Koliz Vostok, to produce watches under the new Vostok Europe brand, utilizing Vostok movements. Two movements, 2426 and 2432, were developed and exclusively produced for Vostok Europe.[5] The first collection of Vostok Europe watches was presented at the 2004 Baselworld.[4] Later, Vostok Europe switched to Japanese and Swiss suppliers as it wasn't satisfied with the development of Vostok movements and had no ties to Vostok since the late 2000s (when the factory in Chistopol nearly went bankrupt).[1][6][7][8]

To emphasize its independence, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vostok Europe issued a limited-edition Slava Ukraini model and raised EUR 60,000 in aid for the defending country.[9][10]

Production

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Vostok Europe watches are manufactured in Vilnius. Each timepiece is assembled by the same person by hand and passes a 29-point quality inspection. The company uses the watch winder machine, rescued from the decommissioned Poljot watch factory.[6][2] The company produces about 15 to 20 thousand watches per year, with about 5% sold in Lithuania and the rest distributed to Europe, Asia, and the USA.[4][7][1]

Vostok Europe uses Japanese movements produced by companies of the Seiko Group (TMI, Seiko Instruments, Seiko Epson), Miyota. Previously, it also installed some Swiss movements from Ronda, and Soprod (part of Festina) into its timepieces.[1][8] In 2014, Vostok Europe was the first company to use the new Seiko SII NE88 self-winding movement in the watches dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the brand.[8][11]

Design

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Vostok Europe targets a young audience of adventurers, outdoor ehtusiasts, and extreme sports enthusiasts. The large size and shape of the cases, bold color combinations, above-average durability, and hard-shell packaging all contribute to the expressive character of timepieces.[4][12] The cases are mostly made of stainless steel (sometimes with PVD coating), titanium,[13] or bronze and come with steel bracelets, leather or silicone straps.[7][14]

Since 2009, Vostok Europe has installed mb-microtec [pl] self-luminous tritium tubes in some of its models in addition to Super-LumiNova incies.[8][15] Vostok Europe relies exclusively on K1 mineral glass (aka Hardlex) for its fracture resistance compared to sapphire glass.[7][16]

Naming

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Many Vostok Europe models have been themed around technological advancements of the 20th century:[17] Lunokhod was inspired by the unmanned lunar rovers, parts of the Lunokhod programme, Energia-3 by the heavy launch vehicle Energia,[7][18] Ekranoplan by the Caspian Sea Monster, an experimental ground-effect vehicle,[13] N1 Rocket by the homonymous super heavy-lift launch vehicle,[19] Anchar by the K-222 submarine,[20] Mriya by the Antonov An-225 Mriya,[21] Limousine Gaz-14 by Chaika,[8] and the North Pole 1 is a reference to the North Pole-1 arctic research station.[22]

Other models include SSN-571 which bears the name of the world's first nuclear submarine USS 571 Nautilus[7] and the Radio Room dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Radio Act of 1912 (which shaped the design of specialized radio room watches),[14] the Space Race with a reference to the competition between the USSR and the USA for the dominance in space,[23] and the Batiscafos diving wristwatch inspired by the deep-sea submarines.[24]

Ambassadors

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Vostok Europe advertises itself as watches for going to extremes and most of its brand ambassadors are international level athletes or people working in extreme conditions: Lithuanian rally driver Benediktas Vanagas, Polish mixed martial artist Marcin Tybura, Lithuanian aerobatic pilot Jurgis Kairys, Lithuanian professional strongman Žydrūnas Savickas, Portuguese saturation diver João Rainho, Greek health scientist and professor at the Plymouth Marjon University Giorgos Sakkas, and Bulgarian bodybuilder and trainer Lazar Angelov [fr]. Some of the ambassadors collaborated with Vostok Europe on the watches dedicated to them.[25][26][7][27][28]

Vostok Europe provided wristwatches to the Lithuanian-Ukrainian speleologists' team that descended into Krubera Cave in 2013, and later issued a limited-edition Expedition Everest Underground model to commemorate their success.[29]. The members of Benediktas Vanagas's team use the brand's watches during the Dakar Rally.[30][31][32] To advertise the Lunokhod 2 model, the company launched it into the stratosphere on a hot air balloon to test it against acceleration, vacuum, and low temperature.[7][33]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Vilius Petkauskas (August 15, 2013). "„Vostok–Europe": pelną kuria unikalumas". TV3.lt. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Vostok-Europe watches: story of how the company was founded". Craig Hester. April 5, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  3. ^ "Vostok Europe: Senior Product Designer Ivan Krauchenia im Interview". Chrononautix. February 29, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Andrius Sytas (August 7, 2012). "Garsiais laikrodžiais „Vostok" pasaulį aprūpina Vilniaus meistrai". Lrytas.lt.
  5. ^ "Vostok Europe". Cinci Watches Watch Collection. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Władysław Meller (October 21, 2015). "Z wizytą w Vostok Europe". Zegarki i Pasja. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Vostok Europe Uhren: Lunokhod 2, Energia und SSN-571 im Triple-Test". Chrononautix. October 13, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Recenzja: Vostok Europe Limousine GAZ-14 Automatic Power Reserve". Zegarki i Pasja. October 31, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  9. ^ Justin Nguyen (January 27, 2023). "Benediktas Vanagas auctions off Dakar Hilux's fender and Al-Attiyah's cap, donates vehicles for Ukraine". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  10. ^ "Vostok Europe ‚Slava Ukraine' Special Edition-Uhr (Spendenprojekt)". Chrononautix. March 15, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  11. ^ "The Seiko SII NE88 Automatic Chronograph Movement: A Change In The Wind?". Quill & Pad. 2014-06-29. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  12. ^ Nana Caragay (February 15, 2019). "The Non-Swiss Watch Brands that Deserve Your Attention". Esquire. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Recenzja: Vostok Europe Ekranoplan „Caspian Sea Monster" Diver Automatic". Zegarki i Pasja. March 3, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Joshua Munchow (February 17, 2014). "The Radio Room: Russian Watches In Action (And How The Titanic Changed Everything)". Quill & Pad. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  15. ^ "Tritium H3-Uhren (trigalight): Hersteller, Funktionsprinzip, Sicherheit". Chrononautix. June 2, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  16. ^ "Experiment: Saphirglas vs. K1 Mineralglas/Hardlex vs. Hesalitglas im Bruch- und Kratz-Test". Chrononautix. May 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  17. ^ Rob Corder (April 9, 2014). "Vostok-Europe brings extreme watches to the UK". Watchpro. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  18. ^ "Vostok Europe – kolekcja Energia 3 Automatic". Zegarki i Pasja. May 24, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  19. ^ "Prezentujemy: Vostok Europe N1 Rocket Power Reserve (zdjęcia live)". Zegarki i Pasja. December 30, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  20. ^ Ariel Adams (September 24, 2012). "Vostok Europe Anchar Diver Watch Review". A blog to watch. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  21. ^ "Vostok-Europe introduces its largest watch yet". Jeweller. June 25, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  22. ^ "Prezentujemy: Vostok Europe Expedition North Pole – nowości 2019 (zdjęcia live)". Zegarki i Pasja. June 19, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2025.
  23. ^ "Wyścig o dominację w kosmosie. Vostok Europe Space Race Limited Edition". Zegarki i Pasja. June 2, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  24. ^ "Inhorgenta 2025: Spannende Uhren-Neuheiten und Highlights". Chrononautix. February 24, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  25. ^ "Veikliai moteriai – pirmasis Benedikto Vanago vardo laikrodis". Žmonės.lt. May 10, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  26. ^ "Lazar Angelov - nowy ambasador marki Vostok Europe". Zegarki i Pasja. August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  27. ^ "Ambasadorzy marki Vostok Europe w Polsce i na świecie". Zegarki i Pasja. July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  28. ^ "Lenktyninkas B. Vanagas pristatė prabangų savo vardo laikrodį". Delfi. July 9, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  29. ^ "Video recenzja: Vostok Europe Expedition Everest Underground Power Reserve". Zegarki i Pasja. December 28, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  30. ^ "Zegarki na Dakarze 2016 – testy czasomierzy Vostok Europe". Zegarki i Pasja. March 17, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  31. ^ "Zegarki na nadgarstkach, rajdówka na rynku w Wilnie. Vostok Europe rozpoczyna Rajd Dakar 2017". Zegarki i Pasja. November 11, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  32. ^ "Dakar 2018. Zegarki Vostok Europe i litewsko – polski zespół wojowników bezdroży". Zegarki i Pasja. January 16, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  33. ^ "„Vostok Europe" pristatė dešimtajam Benedikto Vanago Dakaro startui dedikuotą laikrodį". TV3.lt. December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
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