cover Story
Seven full-time watchmakers hand assemble every unit in the
Vostok-Europe facility in Vilnius, Lithuania.
components better suited to the West. A deal was struck and the
significant departure from what they conducted with Poljot. This
young company, made up of the same four partners from the insti-
time, not only would they create watches specifically suited for
tute became not just watch distributors but watch manufacturers.
the western market – they would create an entirely new brand.
“The watches Pojlot built worked perfectly okay in Russia,”
Zubovskij’s vision was to harness the massive movement making
Zubovskij said. “But for our western customers they needed
operation of Vostok and surround those movements with carefully
different styles and features than we could get from the Russian
designed, affordable watches that would set this new brand apart.
domestic pieces. We decided it was better to design and build
And Vostok-Europe was born.
them ourselves.”
Sadly, not long after, the Poljot company folded due to the
In the early days, Zubovskij knew he needed someone with
real word experience in the watch business to ensure proper
economic pressures in Russia. Zubovskij and his partners then
business direction. He brought in Valentina Rinkevichene, who
approaced the Vostok company with a similar plan, but with one
had worked in the watch world since her university days, and she
30 FUNCTION | AboutTime Magazine