The secret code for this official aviation watch was ‘Project 304,’ although it was sometimes also called ‘ the 1963.’ 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 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’m a big fan of watches influenced by Bauhaus design. Obviously, most of these tend to be German. So it’s interesting to find this design aesthetic used by a Chinese brand. This isn’t as obvious a choice as the 1963 chronograph. But it is another brilliant vintage-inspired piece from Seagull.

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. I’d definitely take this German-inspired minimalism over the multitude of mediocre Scandinavian influenced designs. Everything is straightforward. As it should be. A clean dial, with slim and legible numbers. A touch of colour - the blue hands - and a plain round case. All finished off with an unpretentious leather strap.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. 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’

In the 1960’s Venus needed more space for the caliber 188 chronograph movement. They put the rights, plans, and machinery necessary to manufacturer their older model, the caliber 175, up for sale. To sum up my experience and thoughts on the watch: the case looks and feels perfect on my 17.5 cm (6.9 inches) wrist after I swapped the strap. I enjoy wearing it, and I’ve also received a few compliments. This is the most widely available Seagull watch. It’s been a real success in the West and I love mine. It wasn’t my first Seagull watch, but it is my favourite. 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.The Tianjin Sea-Gull Watch Group, commonly referred to as simply “Seagull,” is one of the biggest watch manufacturers in China by volume. It’s a bit of a tank itself. The case is 44mm and has prominent angular crown guards that really do their job. And that’s what I get from this watch. It looks like it was designed with a purpose in mind.

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. 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. The colour palette, the bold numerals and the 24mm canvas strap. They all look practical for a military or field watch. Like the 1963 chronograph, this piece feels authentic.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. 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.