You wouldn’t think that gold, red, blue, and brown colors would look good next to each other, but somehow, the Seagull 1963 makes it work.

I’ll admit it. Seagull manufactures some uninspiring fashion watches. But as I’ve demonstrated, they also design and make some excellent models. I’m especially taken with the two military remakes and the Ocean Star. In my opinion, these reissue watches are all “copies” of the original, so I wouldn’t worry about this. Just enjoy this bit of Chinese watchmaking history on your wrist. Initial Thoughts

A Short History of Seagull Watches

I got the 38mm model and, after receiving it in the mail, I asked a few of my friends to try it on. Believe me, it looks great on any wrist size from 15 cm to 19 cm (5.9 to 7.5 inches). (For reference, my wrist measures 17.5cm, or 6.9 inches, around).

By volume, Seagull’s Tianjin factory is the largest watch manufacturer in China. That makes it one of the biggest in the world. 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. The secret code for this official aviation watch was ‘Project 304,’ although it was sometimes also called ‘ the 1963.’ 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.As the Chinese watch factory grew, they began making watches and movements under the English name, ‘Seagull.’

I don’t judge American cuisine based on the cheapest item on McDonald’s menu. And I don’t judge Chinese watches based on the bottom rung of the ladder. The Tianjin Sea-Gull Watch Group, commonly referred to as simply “Seagull,” is one of the biggest watch manufacturers in China by volume.As well as the reliable automatic movement, there is a sapphire crystal and a substantial stainless steel bracelet. All of our Seagull 1963 watches are subject to strict quality control, which is why we offer a 1-year warranty and 14 day no-questions-asked return policy.

The Dual Time is a reasonably chunky watch with a 42mm case. This has the trademark double crowns of a Super Compressor style watch. In this model, the second crown rotates an inner bezel that records a second time-zone - making this is a GMT watch. The case is made of polished 316L stainless steel. On mine, the crystal is acrylic. This is more authentic and easier to polish. Faithful to the original, both versions of crystals are domed, lending a vintage feeling. I don’t have any problem with the power reserve. About the movement, sometimes I used the timer, and it worked fine. The Seagull ST19 movement is a beautiful column wheel chronograph which is a must-have for collectors. The movement is a hand winding Seagull ST1908 mechanical chronograph with a frequency of 21,600 bph and a power reserve of approximately 42 hours on a full wind without the ST19 chronograph running.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. Although the USSR was not interested, China was. After purchasing the caliber 175, the Chinese government assigned the Tianjin Watch Factory to develop a reliable watch for airforce pilots.