Seagull 1963 chronograph how to#

Seagull 1963 chronograph how to#

Zhang, Wang, Sun, and Jiang were skillful craftsmen, but they have never made a wristwatch on their own.īut when your comrades come knocking on your door and tell you that it is your responsibility to figure out how to manufacture wristwatches, you don’t say no. At that time, there weren’t any watchmaking shops in Tianjin City, just one four-person watch-repair crew. In January 1955, the communists were victorious in their clash with KMT and came to power in China. Today, he is a trader that brought the original Seagull 1963 Pilot’s Chronograph to our shop’s line-up. Zhang Yue, a previous watchmaker with Seagull. Therefore, we decided to reach out to Mr. The type of communism back then and what we see today can hardly be fitted in the same sentence, let alone in the same conversation. But then again, we are talking about communist China almost 60 years ago. However, even with all that coverage, much of its history can still be expanded on. The iconic Seagull 1963 Pilot’s Chronograph has been discussed at length in several articles and media. In 1963, this watch manufacturer was already producing and delivering 1,400 pilot's watches to the Chinese Air Force.From its inception, the Seagull 1963 Pilot’s Chronograph was a sophisticated design that predated the modern watch designs of today. After that, the Tianjin Watch Factory was officially commissioned to produce the watch.

By October 1962, the factory had produced three batches of this pilot's watch.Īt the end of 1962, 38 experts from various fields (Chinese industry minister, flight commanders, military personnel. This watch manufacturer was then commissioned to produce the first Chinese aviator chronograph for the Air Force of the People's Liberation Army.

In 1961, the Tianjin Watch Factory was already known and famous in China for producing the first Chinese wristwatch. 7001) - since I was immediately impressed by this watch, I have it now imported directly from China, which is not easy due to the formalities and above all the rarity (not mass-produced) of this model. The 'red star' at position '12' rounds off the classic design.Ībout ten years ago, a customer traveling from China visited me in my shop in Munich and I happened to see this watch on his wrist (at that time the 38mm version No. The golden metal dial with Chinese characters has gold-colored numerals and indexes - with blue hands. Seagull in Tianjin bought the Venus production facilities from Switzerland in the 1960s and this special caliber is therefore identical or the successor to the legendary Venus 150 column-wheel caliber! (comparable to the Poljot 3017 column wheel caliber) 45 hours of power reserve, 21,600 vibrations per hour, shock protection and 21 jewels. This watch has a mechanical column-wheel chronograph caliber Seagull No. Here is our video with the size comparision of the 38mm, 40mm and 42mm Seagull 1963´s: We now have this 1963 model in 38, 40 and 42mm diameters so you can find your perfect size! This watch is a detailed reissue of the famous Chinese Air Force watch '1963' - in a polished stainless steel case with 40 mm diameter, 13 mm height and 20 mm lug width - the original from 1963 had a smaller diameter of 38 mm. My 2 personal favorite straps with this model: the RIOS1931 INZELL and Louisiana Crocodile Calf straps in brightbrown - cognac. New: Seagull 1963 Chronograph 40mm Sapphire with crystal back and Swan Neck fine adjustment!ĭelivery with original, green textile nato band and additional textile nato band in black.Īs an accessory (selection above - see picture gallery for pictures) I recommend a high-quality leather strap from RIOS1931 - handmade in Augsburg, Bavaria.Įither the Louisiana Crocodile Calf, the St.Petersburg made of Juchten leather, the Copenhagen pull-through strap or the new INZELL BIO leather strap. Special Deal on the most popular straps for this watch: special prices for the RIOS1931 Louisiana Crocodile Calf, INZELL BIO leather and Milanaise straps (see selection above)