The Tianjin Sea-Gull Watch Group, commonly referred to as simply “Seagull,” is one of the biggest watch manufacturers in China by volume. The Chinese watch industry is unique - or at least matched only by Soviet Russia’s entry into the trade. It was a large, state-run enterprise. I really mean large. 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. 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. 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.

It was in Seagull’s factory that the first complete Chinese watch was designed and built. They’ve since stopped producing quartz models and have built mechanical watches exclusively since the late 90s’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. 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.

I don’t have any problem with the power reserve. About the movement, sometimes I used the timer, and it worked fine.

In the golden age of Swiss watchmaking, there were three major movement manufacturers in Switzerland– Venus, Valjoux, and Lemania. I’d definitely take this German-inspired minimalism over the multitude of mediocre Scandinavian influenced designs. 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

The box that it arrived in looks like a military ammo box. It’s made of wood and painted olive green with a red star on the top of it, reminiscent of the watch’s military origins. 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.

Conclusion

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. 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 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.