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From looks alone, this watch should easily cost a few grand, right? Well, what if I told you this fancy piece isn't 5 grand, 2 grand, or even 500 quid, for that matter? No, this watch can be yours for closer to 150. Want to find out how? Keep reading.

Brand History

So, straight out of the gate, this watch is made by a huge company you've probably never heard of. The Tianjin Seagull Watch Group, or Seagull as they're known colloquially, was founded in China in the 1950s, making them older than some industry giants like Swatch, Richard Mille, and Nomos and similar in age to fan-favorites Casio.

Despite the unusual brand name, Seagull has achieved massive success, particularly when it comes to mechanical movements. According to their general manager, Seagull is the largest mechanical movement manufacturer, accounting for around 25% of global production by volume.

Despite this, you may not be familiar with Sea-Gull because they don't sell many watches in the Western market. For example, 99% of their tourbillons were purchased by Chinese customers at the time of an interview in 2007. Given the gigantic Chinese population, such a percentage leads to tremendous sales figures. Many watches containing Sea-Gull movements don't reference them on the dial, as 'Made in China' isn't as marketable as 'Made in Japan' (or Switzerland). So, unlike many other unfamiliar brands you come into contact with, Sea-Gull actually has a great deal of watchmaking experience, so they are capable of making great watches.

Seagull 1963 Review

Arguably their most popular watch is the '1963'. The one I have here is a modern version; effectively a reissue of a Chinese airforce watch called the 'Project 304', whose final prototype was conceived by the original Tianjin factory in (surprise, surprise) 1963. Now, there is a caveat to that, which I will discuss later. For now, though, let's see what you get for your money.

Dimensions

So, the watch arrived in rather generic, clamshell-like packaging. This box is solid enough, though it may vary depending on the seller. Inside is the star of the show, the Seagull 1963. Specifically, this is the more faithful, smaller version, which comes in at 37.3mm in diameter, despite being listed as 38mm on most websites. It sounds tiny, but when you consider the 47.3mm lug to lug and the bulbous 13.2mm thickness, the watch wears a bit larger than anticipated. Luckily for small-wristed folk, the lugs do curve down quite steeply, meaning you should be able to squeeze into it.

For those after a bigger watch, there are other options available, including larger 40mm and 42mm options, though I prefer the proportions of this one which is more faithful to the original. All of them use the same movement and have comparable performance.

Dial Design

As you might expect, the 1963 looks straight out of its namesake era, with a creamy dial, blue and gold accents, and a dial sloped at the circumference. It's about as close to a reincarnation of a vintage watch as you can get hold of in this day and age. In some regards, I don't think it's perhaps aged as well as other semi-accurate reissues that have received minor updates and tweaks. The Hamilton Khaki, for instance, still looks killer today, despite the obvious 50s design cues.

The aesthetic here is less familiar, though it is wholly original, to my understanding, unlike most modern Chinese brands, which pump out lazy copies of the big brands. Personally, I like this classic look, which nicely matches leather belts and chukka boots, two things I often find myself wearing, especially for events.

Nevertheless, I appreciate that the gold markers and the red star at the top center could be seen as obnoxious. I think the blue hands complement the yellowy tone pretty well, and legibility is a non-issue given the high contrast. The champagne dial glistens slightly, though I wouldn't call it a traditional sunburst as there is no directionality to the reflected light. I'd say it looks more premium than a standard flat dial, but there are certainly more accomplished options out there.

One upside of this watch versus other Seagull models is that it doesn't have any 'Sea-Gull' text printed on the dial, which could otherwise look peculiar to English-speaking non-watch folk. The 1963 sidesteps this through small Chinese characters at the bottom center.

Case Construction

The Sea-Gull is constructed of the industry standard 316L stainless steel, and in the hands, it feels awesome. While it lacks faceted surfaces or a variety of finishes, the glossy look is done to a top-notch standard, and the whole thing is very neatly cut with precise edges. It leaves you with a comforting, weighty feel that makes you feel like you're handling a quality product. I've worn this watch a lot over the last year, yet there are surprisingly few scratches, so the quality of the metal is undoubtedly more than serviceable.

Unlike most watches at this price, which ship with generic or simplistic signed crowns, this one features a distinctive star-shaped cutout with a blasted surround, a small factor that again suggests you're getting a quality product. I've heard the crown can vary depending on the watch's origin, so don't be surprised if yours is different.

The pushers here, especially the upper one, have fantastic responsiveness that you just don't get with quartz chronographs. This feeling is primarily because of the movement choice, which I'll cover in due course, and boy, oh boy, is that mechanical clunk satisfying.

Watch Bands

If there were any criticisms of the case, it would be that the lugs are a touch long, akin to those on the Hamilton Khaki Mechanical. Like the Hamilton, this watch ships with a pass-through NATO-style strap by default, so I suppose the lug design caters to that application. Nevertheless, this watch is far thicker than the Hamilton, becoming even more so with the addition of the double-layered strap.

I'd steer down the route of a more standard two-piece band, to prevent it from feeling clunky. Most of the stock bands are pretty rubbish anyhow, so I'd just opt for the cheapest configuration you can find, and put the saved funds towards a third-party option, such as this Barton Band two-piece I have here.

Crystals

Something else to consider is that these Sea-Gulls not only ship in different sizes, but with different crystals too. The most affordable options are typically acrylic, which is less scratch resistant but can be buffed with Polywatch to remove light scratches. These versions typically have a smaller bezel, along with a more pronounced bubble effect, where the crystal protrudes significantly, resulting in a more retro look.

The model I purchased is the sapphire one, which offers significantly more scratch resistance for a slight price bump. This option features a more restrained dome and an unexpectedly competent anti-reflective coating that ensures legibility isn't compromised. Honestly, I'd recommend either, depending on your personal preferences. The acrylic model likely weighs slightly less, though I always find myself choosing sapphire when it's available for a non-exorbitant price.

Watch Movement

Oddly, AliExpress listings often have the acrylic and sapphire models listed under different 'Zuan' numbers. They even have different Zuan numbers printed on the dial. 'Zuan' means 'jewels', so this information would have you believe that the acrylic model features a movement with two fewer jewels than the sapphire version, which may impact performance.

Counter-intuitively, both current versions contain identical ST1901 movements, with 21 jewels in each. The reference to 19 jewels is simply a homage to the original line of watches produced in the 1960s, which featured acrylic crystals and an older 19-jewel movement.

The original movement was the 'ST3', a clone of the Swiss Venus 175. The Venus Watch Company was selling its design and manufacturing equipment to raise funds for other projects. Tianjin Watch Factory purchased the rights and began producing modified versions of the 175 with that same machinery.

The ST3s descendent, the Sea-Gull ST1901, is an upgraded version of the same movement, whose beauty is easily visible through the exhibition rear present on this model. This is probably the lowest-cost, decent mechanical chronograph movement you can get your hands on. Of course, you can get super-cheap, generic Tongji mechanicals, though those often come with major downsides such as accuracy and noise.

Unfortunately, this ST19 is somewhat symptomatic of the latter issue. Now, it's not nearly as loud as the ridiculous Tongji featured in the Stuhrling skeleton watch I reviewed, but in really quiet environments, you will notice it. I certainly wouldn't recommend going to bed with this on your side table unless you find the ticking therapeutic!

I appreciate the use of the movement nonetheless, as it's a treat to behold, with no automatic rotor to block the view of the arrangement beneath. The bright screws, gears, and jewels, along with the relatively well-done etching on the bridges, help this to look far better than the crude garbage featured in most low-end mechanical movements. If you're new to watches, the visuals are bound to draw you in; just be aware that this movement type will need hand-winding regularly to continue functioning, as there's no battery or automatic rotor.

Power Reserve & Accuracy

In terms of performance, the power reserve (or maximum time between winding) is somewhere between 42 and 51 hours, and the accuracy of my unit is a reasonable -7 and -9 seconds per day on average. Still, this isn't as accurate as a quartz, or mecha-quartz, chronograph movement, so it shouldn't be trusted for super-precise timekeeping. Instead, this movement is here to look elegant at a glance, to feel satisfying to use, and to provide the chronograph hand with a smoother sweep when activated, all of which the Sea-Gull achieves at a crazy low price. For context, a Swiss chronograph with a similar column-wheel movement will set you back thousands of dollars, minimum.

You can get these with a gooseneck (aka swan neck) regulator for a small additional fee, which allows a watchmaker to finely tune the watch to improve its accuracy, though I wouldn't say these are a necessity for most buyers.

Price Variances

While we're on the subject of price, you may have noticed something about the cost of these Sea-Gull units. Most of them hover around the $150 to $200 mark, but a few outliers cost upwards of $500. What's the catch with this? Are the cheaper ones fake? Well, yes…and no.

The expensive listings you see on the Sea-Gull Official Store or other specialist retailers are those produced by the original Tianjin factory. Some years ago, it appears they licensed out a version of the 1963 design to other Chinese manufacturers and began supplying them with proper Sea-Gull movements to use inside.

Now, there are minor cosmetic differences between the 'official' 1963 and the 'unofficial' one I have here. The official version has a marginally lighter dial, two lines of text, a sealed case rear, and an unsigned crown. It's also only sold with acrylic crystal and in the smallest (37mm) size, faithful to the original. Other than that, the two versions are identical in terms of fit, finish, and performance. The unofficial versions are seemingly made with Sea-Gulls approval, too, given that they are the movement supplier. So they're like an endorsed homage. Weird, right?

Variants

One advantage of this unique arrangement is that the sub-manufacturers are now producing all sorts of variants of this watch, including the size, crystals, and colors mentioned earlier. While not the most attractive movement on the planet, for the price, I really think it's nice to see the mechanism working away; it's far prettier than most commonly encountered budget movements without looking garish.

*Photo Credit:* *Seagull 1963 Official Store*

Personally, I'd stick to the cheaper models. The more expensive model doesn't improve on the basic 3bar water resistance offered by the unofficial ones, so you won't see a meaningful increase in performance despite shelling out over triple the cost.

Final Thoughts

Whichever you buy, you'll be getting one of the best value watches on the planet that punches well above its weight. For more great chronographs, check out this article next, where I discuss other similarly small options.

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