Seagull 1963 40MM Sapphire Crystal ST1901 Movement Men's Chronograph Watch 1963 SU1963S40

Product Information

The information on the dial is variable, like the number of jewels is written in Chinese ’19 ZUAN;’ but there is a sign中国制造which means ‘Made in China.’ Movement The crown and pushers are well proportioned with the rest of the case. The crown has an engraved star on it — a nice touch on Seagull’s part.

Since 1997, Seagull has become a major player in the global watch industry. Incredibly, today, Seagull manufactures a quarter of the world’s mechanical watch movements. Project 304 Yes, it’s updated. The case is bigger and it has a sapphire crystal. But aesthetically, it’s true to the spirit of the original. It looks like a military watch from communist China.

The accuracy is 10 s/day, while the power reserve is 42 hours. That said, there have been some reports of a 51-hour wind. Beginning in the mid-1950s, China began to build watches based on Swiss designs. Out of this, emerged the ‘ big three’ factories - Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin .

How many companies can claim to produce their own in-house movements? At the affordable end of the market, there is only a handful. Vostok, Seiko, Orient and a couple of others. After several prototypes, the final version was unveiled in 1963, becoming the official watch of the Chinese Air Force. Despite the monumental effort it took to develop ‘the 1964,’ only 1400 watches were manufactured. Seagull 1963The secret code for this official aviation watch was ‘Project 304,’ although it was sometimes also called ‘ the 1963.’ The cream dial is authentically vintage and cleverly uses colour to separate the different functions. The numbers and indices are gold, the hour hands blue and the chronograph hand is red. The effect is impressive. Warranty: Our professional and experienced watchmakers use their expertise to assemble, adjust and test every watch. Please enjoy 12 months of warranty. This makes it possible to admire and study a mechanical chronograph movement without opening the watch. Dial and Hands It’s well-made but still feels like an old piece. If you like vintage but don’t want to buy a used watch with unknown origins, you can’t go wrong with the Seagull 1963. It’s also a watch for history lovers and watch collectors alike. All things considered, I was satisfied with this watch.

It’s a modern automatic watch, again powered by an in-house Seagull movement. Although it isn’t a legitimate diver - the water resistance is only 50M - it does have decent specs. I want to show you something much better. Still affordable and still Chinese. Watches that represent great value for money but also have excellent workmanship and an interesting heritage. It’s a bit of a tank itself. The case is 44mm and has prominent angular crown guards that really do their job. And that’s what I get from this watch. It looks like it was designed with a purpose in mind. The Tank Commander is up there among my top Chinese watches. It’s unashamedly Chinese and references their military history. It’s a great alternative to the 1963 chronograph if you want something more rugged.The stainless steel Seagull 1963 is available in different sizes: 38mm, 40mm and 42mm. Its length is 14mm. The top finish is polished and gives the watch a classic finish. Despite its vintage appearance it’ll therefore retain the looks/quality for longer. The bezel is well designed with a small rounding, thus providing the best viewing possibly from different angles. The colour palette, the bold numerals and the 24mm canvas strap. They all look practical for a military or field watch. Like the 1963 chronograph, this piece feels authentic. As I mentioned, the original project 304 featured the Seagull ST3 in it. However it has since been updated to the ST19. As the name and text “19 ZUAN” on the dial indicates, it has 19 jewels.

I’m a big fan of watches influenced by Bauhaus design. Obviously, most of these tend to be German. So it’s interesting to find this design aesthetic used by a Chinese brand. I do not have experience with other straps from Seagull, but the watch is an ultimate strap monster. You can change the straps if you want to find the best. Spoiler alert, it will work on most. Pros and Cons In the 1960’s Venus needed more space for the caliber 188 chronograph movement. They put the rights, plans, and machinery necessary to manufacturer their older model, the caliber 175, up for sale.It takes its design cues from similar dive watches from the 1950s and 60s. It’s less obviously Chinese than the 1963 Chronograph but it still represents tremendous value for money. If you thought that all Chinese watches were cheap pieces or fakes, stop. Look at those five Seagull watches again. These are undoubtedly quality watches. Like the last model, this doesn’t scream Chinese design. What it does well though, is give you an attractive dive watch at half the price of a Swiss model. The design is distinctive and clearly Chinese. The straightforward round case and simple pushers are typical of the period and reminiscent of other chronographs of the time. As well as the reliable automatic movement, there is a sapphire crystal and a substantial stainless steel bracelet.