Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Vostok: Affordable Mechanical Watches
By James Grahame
The Vostok factory started making timepieces for the Red Army in the early 1940s. The factory got its start when one of Moscow’s watch-making plants was evacuated to Chistopol in central Russia, following the German invasion in WWII. By the mid-1960s, the factory became the official supplier of timepieces to the Soviet Department of Defense and began manufacturing their famed Komandirskie (Commander’s) series.
Vostoks tend to be simple and affordable, starting at under $50. For that price you get a serviceable 31-jewel wind-up mechanism that runs about 31 hours between winds. My favorite Vostoks are the replica Kirovskie models, based on their first model. They cost about $70 and have a stark elegance that should serve you well for everyday use.
