Seagull 1963 chronograph7/9/2023 ![]() Initially, I purchased one of the Watchunique pieces, 38mm cream with acrylic, with the red star. I fell in love with its looks, which led me to overlook any concerns over the ST19 hand wind. In the CMW, in particular, the 1963 is a favorite due to its great looks, its affordability, and its historic interest. HWA: When I first began collecting watches in a somewhat serious manner, I was drawn to both the Affordables and Chinese watch forums at WUS. The fact that it was based on an original mid-century military design did not hurt either. The SeaGull had just the look I wanted: small case, high dome, and a nicely detailed dial. TB: I wanted a vintage mechanical chronograph but did not want to pay more than a couple hundred bucks. Hked Cream and Black dial versions – Photo by hwa IT: I have a 38mm case with the acrylic crystal, silver dial, red star, 21 zuan (jewel) text, and unsigned crown. I’ll restrict my answers to the 42mm Panda version. ITA: I actually own two, a WUS Chinese Mechanical Forum 38mm Cream Dial project watch and a Sea Gull (Thomas/hked re-issue) 42mm Reverse Panda. HWA: I have the new hked/Thomas version, 38mm acrylic crystal, one each cream dial and black dial.īH: Mine is the latest reissue with black dial, 38mm case and display back. TB: I have a 38mm case with the acrylic crystal, silver dial, and red star. Watchuseek forum denizens Bradjholmes and hwa weighed in on the cream and black dialed hked versions, and Ita of Melbourne, Australia covered the “Big Panda.”Ĥ2mm “Big Panda” on pilot strap – Photo by Ita. I acted as interviewer, editor, and representative of the older “Red Star” PLA Air Force version, along with sometime Guest Bum, Ian Tewksbury. Because each of the variations has their own distinct character, I thought it might be interesting to ask some fellow enthusiasts to discuss their own watches and explain the attraction in their own words. ![]() I purchased an original design reissue from a private seller a couple of years ago and it quickly became one of the core watches in my collection. The cream and black dial versions are the newest and are offered by watchmaker and Watchuseek regular Thomas/”hked” through the Watchuseek Chinese Mechanical Watch forum. They are generally priced between $170-350 USD depending on model and seller. They may be purchased from, Island Watch ( ),, and other sellers. Since then, other variants have appeared, including sapphire crystals, black and cream dials, and even a 42mm with a white and black, or black and silver “panda” dials. The initial reissue was 38mm across with an acrylic crystal, silver dial, blue hands, and a red second hand. The modern incarnations retain the aesthetics of the original: domed crystal, polished case, baton hands, 30-minute accumulator at 3 o’clock, small seconds at 9 o’clock, and a combination of applied gold numerals and dart-shaped markers. ![]() I have heard rumors that the problems stemmed from poor assembly of ébauches, but I could not confirm. The ST19 has a bit of a checkered reputation as certain batches supplied to third party micro brands had an abnormally high number of defective units. In the 1963, the movement has either 19 or 21 jewels (depending on production) and a power reserve of about 40 hours. The movement was purchased from Venus for use in this watch and eventually became the SeaGull ST19 used today. Project 304, as it was called, used Venus Watches caliber 175, a Swiss column-wheel design found in many 1940s and 50s chronographs, including Breitling. The Tianjin Watch Factory made the first Chinese watch in 1961 and were soon assigned to make an official timepiece for the Air Force of the Peoples Liberation Army. Our impressions are below, but first, some background information is in order. Its authentic mid-century design, military provenance, and very reasonable price account for part of its popularity, but to really explain its charm, I invited some fellow enthusiasts and 1963 owners to tell me why they love it. The SeaGull 1963 has become a bit of a cult classic in the affordable watch world.
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