Thanks for showing how the column wheel mechanism actually works when the pushers are pressed! Very very very very cool. Mine should be arriving today and I am so excited!!!
FYI, Mike, I have a 40mm Seagull, I got it a year ago. Although I don't wear it daily, I have kept it constantly running since I got it. It was running at +3 sec./day when I first got it, and it still is running at that rate. I have to say, I have been very impressed, and I think that it is one of the very best values for the money out there.
I have one of these which I bought 4 yrs ago, and although I don’t wear it every day it is still perfect. Mine came with a nice black leather strap when I bought it from Germany. I just love looking at the movement with the column wheel. I love this watch.
One thing no one mentions is that is the only chronograph that is actually easy to read regardless of the position of all the hands. Nothing is ever obscured to the extent that it’s makes it hard to read. It’s a genius combo of layout and hands, and I’m astonished no one mentions this.
I believe it is a watch all enthusiasts should own. It's worth the money just for the movement. I wear mine on a Perlon strap, and it suits the watch perfectly
I bought a Cadisen for €140 with this movement about six weeks ago. It is ridiculously accurate at +1s/d. I've watched through it's rear window so often now I might be able to draw it from memory. It is truly a beautiful piece of engineering. I do fear the day it needs maintenance though, I expect it to be considerably more costly than the watch itself.
I have this exact 38mm version and it is the most charming watch I own. It looks and wears great on the supplied leather strap. Where else can you get a new watch that appears to be 60 years old with a new, but really a vintage Swiss column wheel chronograph movement that is an 80 years old design? I paid $138 US - a true bargain. They are a bit delicate, but what do you expect? I love mine.
Chinese make solid movements IMHO the biggest faults i find are in the cases, "water/vapor resistance" specifically. Nice review, Keep em coming Boss 🫡🤝
I've been looking at getting one of these for a while and your video just tipped me over the edge! Just ordered using your link and discount code. It's a whole lot of watch for the £111 I just paid. Thanks Mike!
Thank you Chris for buying from the link, I really appreciate that. You will not be disappointed other than the strap (which I’ve still not upgraded!) Glad you liked the video.
If you want one mechanical chronograph, this is the one to go for. The Chinese characters are way cooler than any branding other manufacturers have come up with:) I own the Acrylic version. I do have some reservations on the long-term reliability. These cheap movements haven't been around long enough to definitively tell, but I wouldn't count on wearing this for a daily for five years. But we'll see...
Great review. I have the 42mm panda version and I thought it might be too large but with 48mm lug to lug it actually turned out perfect and the movement display back is definitely a great way to show people how it operates.
do they still produce the 42 I wonder? good to know lug tip to tip is still a manageable size so it does not overwhelm the wrist. Thank you for watching this video.
Thanks for showing the column wheel in action! There can be some quality control issues but one is buying, essentially, a vintage column wheel calibre, so it needs care and consideration and probably more frequent maintenance.
Literately the only watch I get complements for, even from people that know nothing about watches. Don't know what it is about this watch that is so compelling
I had one of these (acrylic crystal 38 mm) that was bang on the most accurate watch I owned - 300+ amplitude, 0-2 sec/day across 6 positions, and no beat error. The watch spontaneously self-destructed sitting in my watchbox - the acrylic crystal cracked all the way around and popped off the watch with an audible "pop" but I saved the movement, will likely recase it.
Jason Rasgon there's a reviewer on RUclips Jenni Ehle she had the same issue as you with this watch. The crystal just popped off. I think you can be lucky but ultimately we get what we pay for.
Thanks dude. I have twenty or so watches and all quartz - well with two exceptions: A Seiko SARX 055 and a Seagull 1963! Such good stuff and a lovely review with gorgeous photography!
The Venus 175 of course is the upgraded Venus 150 as found in Strela pieces which the Soviets used in Poljot'ry and Soviet Sekonda, Poljot themselves had bought the tooling for the Valjoux 7177 which became the Soviet 3133, a Strela Sekonda in reasonable condition will set you back a grand easily and I have wondered if I bought a Venus 175 from Alibongo and see if it fitted my Strela dial and case as last time I looked the Venus is like £60ish on Ali.
Mine arrived yesterday and has gained 1 second in its first 24 hours. I'm no watchmaker but that suggests to me that it's been carefully set up at the factory. Hugely impressive classic looking watch.
I have the classic 38mm, acrylic crystal version, and I really enjoy it. I'd also suggest the Hadley-Roma MS866 strap for it, in olive green with the brown leather trim.
I’m so glad you got one to show us. I have always wondered if I could service a chronograph watch , but definitely wouldn’t try it on my speedmaster. This is perfect as I can wear it and learn something from it and just give it a go. Will be very helpful if you take it apart as I can just follow you as I have in the past. Good shout thanks.
Great to see you having a good look at the movement and what an impressive result on the timegrapher. I bet your new 4r35 Seiko doesn't behave that well. Thanks for a superb video Mike.
I have the same one from Sugess. It runs okay but mine only manages 24 hours to a full wind of 30 turns, officially it's supposed to be 42 hours. UK seller sent a replacement and that appears to be the same.🤷♂️
This watch on release was like a seizmic shift to announce Seagull. Even Rolex snobs liked it. I have mine on a light brown Rios strap. Mine has a 48 hour power reserve when I tested it.
I saw many videos about this watch and like yours very much because it focusses more on the movement than on the rest which is well known anyway. Thumbs up!
Good one. I've got a cobstantin wiesz chrono with this movement but the second chrono second hand has a stumbling action. Watching yours and comparing to mine the wheel and arm that engages the second hand is very wobbly. There obviously varying degrees of quality with these movements. But yeh it keeps excellent time and was only £130 off ideal world and looks good and has an original kind of 70s design. Thanks for the close up. Gonna see if I can get rid of the play in mine. Or buy another movement. Could return it but it was Ltd to 300 and they've all gone. I believe the case is made from bits from the lamborghini countach.
I got one of these but rarely wear it. This video makes the dial and the induces look like there is good contrast but in real life they all sort of blend together so it's hard to tell the time at a glance. The needle thin hands don't help matters. Despite my complaint I still like the fact I have one with such a rich history. And the price is a real bargain. The straps it comes with are garbage but you can swap them out easily.
Thanks for that. I don't have a problem reading it but then in reality its only been on the arm 3 days as I have so many watches its what takes my mood in the morning.
You should check out the Arcus Mono-pusher Chrono Mechanical that's in production...Canadian micro. I think you'll find the mods they made to the movement very interesting.
Hi Michael, thanks a lot for the review. I appreciated it a lot. Just to want to let you know that this is an unofficial version of Sea-Gull 1963. The official one has 1 line of text more on the dial and the back of the case is not transparent. Is there a chance that you could also review it in the future? All the best and thanks for your work here on RUclips.
Yesterday I put my Seagull 1963 (same make as yours) on the timegrapher. (17/11/21) and Beat error was zero, Amplitude 302, Lift angel set to 52. Seconds per day on display read, +1, 0, -1, 0 , 0, 0, +1. Tested on a Weishi 1900. Best performance of any of the watches I placed on my Timegrapher.
Excellent well detailed review, best I've seen for a longtime thank you. I missed out on this offer but bought a few pt5000 movements and other things to take apart and get an idea if quality.
HELLO MIKE .That is a very sweet looking movement with a wonderfully displayed case back. That was a great review, honest and fair in my opinion Mike. It's nice that you don't have to return the watch. That was nice of them. See you on the next one. Cheers
I've had serious issues with the winding stem of this watch. The winding was somehow extremely hard with bare finger on 2 of this watch. The second one I have had for a longer period of time, had a broken stem too. It was due to the corroded winding stem because the lack of sealing. Can You give us some insights regarding these points?
I can’t comment. I have had the watch for only 2 weeks. I don’t take any watch I own near water at all. If I had a pressure tester I would have used it in the video.
Great review Mike, beautiful watch, fabulous movement. One thing.... I don't like the hands!, were they original I wonder?.. Great value though. Thanks. Adrian
I dont know why I seem to not be able to pull the trigger on anymore watches from aliexpress. I bought the SD Willard homage. It's fantastic. Am I crazy?
I understand your reservation, I bought the Willard which if I was to review another aliexpress watch (I dont want to overdo it as I think many of you will not appreciate it) then the WIllard would be a contender as for £80 its just incredible. Actually wearing it today!
They weren't made under licence. An employee in the Hong Kong Sea-Gull factory originally designed and sold these in batches through various watch forums online. The Hong Kong Factory catered to OEM manufacturers, and Sea-Gull headquarters in Tianjing never approved the model as "official" Sea-Gull watches. After a few years, he left the company but continued to offer these "1963" watches as an OEM manufacturer, a lot of other microbrands/sellers jumped on the bandwagon and you see a flood of these watches from 2010 onwards, none of which are "official". Sea-Gull was supplying the parts, but they were not Sea-Gull watches. In 2021, Tianjin Sea-Gull (the Official brand) decided to join in as that's how popular the watch had gotten. They made a limited edition 38mm with acrylic crystal in 2021 and this year (2023) they released an unlimited 40mm edition with sapphire crystal.
Whilst serving on British registered ships sailing out of Hong Kong in my early career at sea, these watches where purchased the"Commie Chinese Store" and the first thing when joining a vessel at anchor in the roads was to look in the bottom draw of your desk to see what and indeed if there was a watch had been dropped in there. If there was, great, give it a wind, see if it would keep time, if it did, great, your personal watch invariably a Rolex or I.W.C. was put in the safe for the period you spent on station until repatriated, normally one and a half years later. If it didn't work or there was not one in the draw a trip was made to the "C.C.S." and a new one purchased (about 25 > 35 pounds). This would serve at all times whilst under articles and when leaving the vessel it ,normally be left in the draw for the next person (although, being a Scottish company and manned by Glaswegians the watch might leave with whoever might have relieved you). The interesting fact was that, like today, it cost a lot more to have it serviced than to buy a new watch, which I think is still the case today. The watches did their job and are a tribute to mid century watch manufacture and the economics of scale of high production. Q. Can you do a watch revival of an early 60's Ingersoll as I had one of the Welsh made automatic ones (with wow... 6 jewels) when I went to Grammar School and learned it was still in use forty years later till it was stolen in a break in to my parents house in the late nineties
I have an Alpha 'speedmaster' homage with this movement. After about 10 months part of the winding mechanism seems to have broken. When I wind the watch it winds for about 18 turns then suddenly I feel a 'click' and the winding crown spins freely. I'm not technical but I've read that these movements have issues with the 'clickspring'. Perhaps someone might be able to guess what's wrong with it from my description. The watch still works it's just that I can't wind it fully. When it was running it gained about 14 seconds a day. I think it's important for readers to understand that there can be QC issues with these movements.
@@MyRetroWatches I think vintage Seiko movements still show their quality though. I’d rather have something that you can tell is robust and well made, than something that looks fancy from afar until you inspect it up close. I read that these aren’t really serviceable for example. Cheap parts can break simply by disassembling/reassembling.
The part number is 310T40ANS0 I am doubting you finding one though. It is a 31.0mm diameter so if it’s acrylic then you can buy generic ones really cheap
A beautiful watch Mike, when you consider just what you get for your money it's unbelievable value for money. You'll have to use a good strong jiffy bag to send that one to my home address!
If I had the money, I'd buy it :) Great little watch, no nonsense, nice band too, can't even buy the NATO strap now, to go with my 6 € Quatch, or was that quartz, watch I just bought, which naturally has a 21 cm long strap, my wrist isn't like a 6 year old's, I need 30 cm, or at least 29 Why do these supermarket watches always go with straps that are way too short???...Update, got my NATO straps now :) 29 cm, for both my 6 € watches :)
Who cares if it's a copy. It still uses the original seagull movement and for the price it's just insane value. Mine arrived this week and cost me £80 used. It's the 42mm white dial with black subdials "panda" version but essentially the same watch. Don't hesitate. Just buy one. Sub £150 for a mechanical chronograph is a no brainer although I'm prepared to bet this one was carefully regulated by Ali for the review 😂
Nice I have seen the Panda ones and they look nice. This one is £111 in the sale which is insane for what you get. Yes the video was timed for this but as it was AliExpress who asked me if I would like to make the review their terms were that I could only make the video live on the 11/11. I did mention this at the start so I can be as transparent as possible. I get a free watch which is x10 the revenue the video will make. That said I do like making reviews between restoration videos.
@@MyRetroWatches I've no problem with you guys promoting watches when they're as good as this. It's funny yours came on a Nato because so did mine along with a surprisingly good quality metal bracelet. If ever there was a watch totally unsuited to a Nato it's this one. I know it's a commemorating a pilot watch but for me it has to be a classy brown leather with white stitching. 😎
Well thats what will put some people off but I like that its not trying to be anything else. As a Chinese watch manufacturer this is rare so I can only admire this one. For the money its superb.
There are plenty of brands that use this same movement. Lorier, Baltic, Hemel, Underdog, among others. Do you think that they do some sort of enhanced quality control or regulation (over what this Chinese brand may be doing)? Thanks for the review!
Great point and I do suspect long term quality issues but I just cant argue for the price, a service cost for a chrono would be way more than the watch anyway.
There's a problem. I just tried to buy one using the link, selected my preferred option and clicked buy. A banner came up saying select product option, (which I already had) but it wouldn't let me go any further. I gave up in the end.
Yo mikey, great review, it’s great value for money, but I guess depends what you want? It’s a great cover of a historic movement, but not the real thing? I think its a lemania movement? I suppose omega did the same thing? Who can argue with the cost?
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. When I last looked 5 of you guys had bought so that in my view is not many for a promo code that they have dated too. I will contact AliExpress now.
@@danielwilliams1670 is it working again? They did email me through the night to say 100 tickets would be added to my code but said they’d let me know then that was done.
very true but there would not have been on the original Venus one so I guess they never thought it was a worthy upgrade. At the end of the day it was the chrono function they must have needed and that obviously starts and stops so was fit for their purpose.
Blueing is a heat treatment process and a bit of an art form to get the blueing consistent. Also has to be the right sort of carbon steel. These do not look blued from hardness and more like anodised to give that effect. To blue properly would require a whole process which would cost and at this price point for the watch is not cost effective at all. I will have a video on bluing hands and screws coming in the next month or so. Stay tuned for that one if you are interested to see the process.
@@MyRetroWatches I didn't know there is that. I'm so used to flame bluing or oven bluing s steel and titanium myself. does hardness matter in watch screws?
@@humorss personally I don’t know too much about it yet but I have a kit coming which is still flame bluing using copper filings and a butane torch to get the steel up to temp. Then water quenching. Hardness would not matter on a screw. Hardening would be welcome in my opinion as it would mean less damage to a screw by using the wrong size driver .
What was price of this watch a year ago original sea-gull 1963. Price now is £653.00 for ORIGINAL version. I think has doubled in price in a year is that correct? That Sponsered link is for the sugess imitation version not the original. Anybody have the original version what price did they pay for it?
Is there such a thing as the original version? Sea-Gull sell the movements to everyone. Certainly not worth £600 in my view it’s a sub £200 all day long. It’s still mass produced machine made. Surgess I thought was owned by Sea-Gull but I might be wrong
Surgess purchase the internal components from sea-gull is what I could find out but have different ownership. I was just amazed how price could almost double for this watch from 399usd to 700usd for what is really probably a 200usd watch even if the original piece or not. The surgess company want to sell watches so prices have not doubled unlike the sea-gull version
Great video, as usual! I have a problem with my ST19 and I hope you can help: when resetting the chronograph, the seconds go past the 12 mark at least once or twice, then it stops at 12 with repeated attempts; the next day, the same story - the first few resets are over-resetting, then it is fine; I really like this watch and I am wearing it and actually using the chronograph regularly, and I would like to try to fix this issue. DO you have any suggestions? Thank you. I checked the forums but I did not find a good suggestion, other than a full service of the watch.
Of your looking for something that you personally can do, no not at all. Unless you are a watchmaker/ technician. It even guys like Mike and me are a bit cautious with chronographs because of the added complications of mechanics involved. In short, there's no positive way to get your watch working properly with out getting 'under the hood.' And depending on your cost and budget, buying a new movement and replacing your original might be more cost effective. I in efect did this with a knock off Rolex Daytona that the pushers were not working on. The movement only cost me $40.
@@brianwohlleben3182 Brian, no offense but I asked Mike, not you. I had no idea I need to "look under the hood" to repair a watch, I was hoping for a magic potion or a spell or something! You bought a Daytona original movement, in working order, for $40???? You cannot even buy a Valjoux 7750 for 5 times as much....Maybe you bought an ST19....I hope I will be as far away as possible from your $40 Daytona. Mike, my question was addressed to you, because you said you read ALL the comments. I am not a watchmaker as Brian here is, which means I did not graduate a two years long watchmaking school and I did not work for a watch company a few years after, but I am a watch hobbyist. I know my way "under the hood", well enough to not buy a $40 Daytona :), but I am mostly working on mechanical, vintage watches without a chronograph; this is why I watch and appreciate your channel, and I asked your opinion with my chronograph. It is fine if you do not know the answer, I thought it is worth a try and I wish you all the best.
@@ioan4120 I did not mean to insult you. It seams you miss read my meaning. And the Daytona I spoke of was a knock off no name brand movement on aliexpress. The kind of movement we hobbiest watch guys practice on with out fear of messing up. You posed a question on a public site. I'm sorry my comment hurt you. It was not my intention but to share what I have learned and a possible solution to your issues with the watch you have. I hope Mike can help you better than I could. Best wishes on getting a good answer.
Nice close-ups . I sniped the same one new last month on eBay for $ 48 😁👀 Really nice 👍. Unrelated question : The eta 2824-2 clone , the pt-5000 I have intermittently clicks while winding . Winding is stiff and you can feel the clicks thru the Crown . Sometimes 10 revolutions without , sometimes every other turn . Did my best to describe . Any thoughts Mate ? 🥂
It's possibly the main spring slipping internally on the barrel wall. It does this to prevent over winding and breaking the main spring. Some barrels have notches to hold the spring tight enough to get a solid wind then when it's tight enough it slips/clicks past that notch. Anyway that's a thought as to what your experiencing
That could be so many things and without opening it up it’s hard to diagnose. Could be that the winding pinion is not engaging with either the crown wheel or the clutch . Any form of binding is a worry as parts will wear. I’ve not had experience with either movement but I hopefully have a PT-5000 coming to the channel in the future to have a look at how good a clone it is / or not.
Well yes it’s to make it decorative. However proper blued screws are hardened and tempered to give it that blue hue for aesthetics but also screws mark easily and a professional watchmaker job is to leave no trace they were ever inside the watch. A hardened screw will not mark or deform the slot like a soft screw can.
@@MyRetroWatches - For a while, I was watching those videos where watchmakers take apart and clean and lubricate and put back together watches. Never did I see them deform the slot. Maybe it was edited out but I doubt it.
@@TimBee100 because most of the time if you are using the right size screwdriver that has been dressed sharp you won’t damage. I have 100 videos on taking watches apart and you won’t see me damage screws but you may see some screws that have already got damage.
I love the look and accuracy of mine but the circlip on the reset pusher keeps coming off and the pusher falls out. Just had it fixed for the third time so it will be a non-functioning chrono from now on. Don’t buy the version with the red Chinese characters on the back because they obscure the movement. Good review and macro shots.
![the ST19 is going away, get it while you can! [Red Star Seagull Sea-Gull 1963 review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hyRHa_mCtk0/mqdefault.jpg)
![the ST19 is going away, get it while you can! [Red Star Seagull Sea-Gull 1963 review]](/img/tr.png)
Thanks for showing how the column wheel mechanism actually works when the pushers are pressed! Very very very very cool. Mine should be arriving today and I am so excited!!!
FYI, Mike, I have a 40mm Seagull, I got it a year ago. Although I don't wear it daily, I have kept it constantly running since I got it. It was running at +3 sec./day when I first got it, and it still is running at that rate. I have to say, I have been very impressed, and I think that it is one of the very best values for the money out there.
This is an epic watch. Plain and simple, without being plain and simple.
In the mid ,60,s I took apart a Breitling Navitimer Cosmanaute
It cost 150.00 at the time!
I have one of these which I bought 4 yrs ago, and although I don’t wear it every day it is still perfect. Mine came with a nice black leather strap when I bought it from Germany.
I just love looking at the movement with the column wheel. I love this watch.
One thing no one mentions is that is the only chronograph that is actually easy to read regardless of the position of all the hands. Nothing is ever obscured to the extent that it’s makes it hard to read. It’s a genius combo of layout and hands, and I’m astonished no one mentions this.
I believe it is a watch all enthusiasts should own. It's worth the money just for the movement. I wear mine on a Perlon strap, and it suits the watch perfectly
My enjoyment of my Sea-Gull 1963 has been greatly enhanced by this wonderful review. Thank you.
I'm pleased with mine! Astonishing value for money.
I bought a Cadisen for €140 with this movement about six weeks ago. It is ridiculously accurate at +1s/d. I've watched through it's rear window so often now I might be able to draw it from memory. It is truly a beautiful piece of engineering.
I do fear the day it needs maintenance though, I expect it to be considerably more costly than the watch itself.
♻ maintenance : sell it for parts ( to me 😅)♻
I picked this up from the recent June Sale for $80 CAD. It’s a great deal for a manual wind chronograph
I have this exact 38mm version and it is the most charming watch I own. It looks and wears great on the supplied leather strap. Where else can you get a new watch that appears to be 60 years old with a new, but really a vintage Swiss column wheel chronograph movement that is an 80 years old design? I paid $138 US - a true bargain. They are a bit delicate, but what do you expect? I love mine.
Chinese make solid movements IMHO the biggest faults i find are in the cases, "water/vapor resistance" specifically. Nice review, Keep em coming Boss 🫡🤝
I've been looking at getting one of these for a while and your video just tipped me over the edge! Just ordered using your link and discount code. It's a whole lot of watch for the £111 I just paid. Thanks Mike!
Thank you Chris for buying from the link, I really appreciate that. You will not be disappointed other than the strap (which I’ve still not upgraded!)
Glad you liked the video.
If you want one mechanical chronograph, this is the one to go for. The Chinese characters are way cooler than any branding other manufacturers have come up with:) I own the Acrylic version. I do have some reservations on the long-term reliability. These cheap movements haven't been around long enough to definitively tell, but I wouldn't count on wearing this for a daily for five years. But we'll see...
Haven't they technically been around since the 1960s? 1963 to be precise
Great review. I have the 42mm panda version and I thought it might be too large but with 48mm lug to lug it actually turned out perfect and the movement display back is definitely a great way to show people how it operates.
do they still produce the 42 I wonder? good to know lug tip to tip is still a manageable size so it does not overwhelm the wrist. Thank you for watching this video.
I ordered one . I'm looking forward to adding it to my collection.
Thanks for showing the column wheel in action!
There can be some quality control issues but one is buying, essentially, a vintage column wheel calibre, so it needs care and consideration and probably more frequent maintenance.
Literately the only watch I get complements for, even from people that know nothing about watches.
Don't know what it is about this watch that is so compelling
You are doing a great job reviewing this watch, not only by the aesthetics, but also, and as important, by its mechanics.
Thank you sir. Nice feedback.
Ive got 38mm acrylic, nice chronograph and affordable
Love this watch, with the Heineken star on it ( in the Netherlands Heineken uses a red star on its bottles :) )
I had one of these (acrylic crystal 38 mm) that was bang on the most accurate watch I owned - 300+ amplitude, 0-2 sec/day across 6 positions, and no beat error. The watch spontaneously self-destructed sitting in my watchbox - the acrylic crystal cracked all the way around and popped off the watch with an audible "pop" but I saved the movement, will likely recase it.
wow, wonder what caused that, almost sounds like it was under pressure. At least this one has sapphire.. thanks for watching.
Jason Rasgon there's a reviewer on RUclips Jenni Ehle she had the same issue as you with this watch. The crystal just popped off. I think you can be lucky but ultimately we get what we pay for.
I am sold. Ordering one now.
Thanks dude. I have twenty or so watches and all quartz - well with two exceptions: A Seiko SARX 055 and a Seagull 1963! Such good stuff and a lovely review with gorgeous photography!
There is two ways to use the NATO strap, with the extra bit underneath the watch, making it high, like you do, or the other way around.
The Venus 175 of course is the upgraded Venus 150 as found in Strela pieces which the Soviets used in Poljot'ry and Soviet Sekonda, Poljot themselves had bought the tooling for the Valjoux 7177 which became the Soviet 3133, a Strela Sekonda in reasonable condition will set you back a grand easily and I have wondered if I bought a Venus 175 from Alibongo and see if it fitted my Strela dial and case as last time I looked the Venus is like £60ish on Ali.
Mine arrived yesterday and has gained 1 second in its first 24 hours. I'm no watchmaker but that suggests to me that it's been carefully set up at the factory. Hugely impressive classic looking watch.
That’s fantastic. Enjoy it it’s a lovely looking watch at a great price .
You can get these in big date version (below the 12). Mine is a Merkur Pierre Paulin reverse panda.
Got one never worn it love it
I have the classic 38mm, acrylic crystal version, and I really enjoy it. I'd also suggest the Hadley-Roma MS866 strap for it, in olive green with the brown leather trim.
Thanks for your recommendation. It is screaming at me for a better strap. Its a nice looking watch.
I’m so glad you got one to show us. I have always wondered if I could service a chronograph watch , but definitely wouldn’t try it on my speedmaster. This is perfect as I can wear it and learn something from it and just give it a go. Will be very helpful if you take it apart as I can just follow you as I have in the past. Good shout thanks.
Thanks Martin.
Eventually it will re taken apart but possibly not for a year or so as I want to enjoy it first .
@@MyRetroWatches that’s perfect, I will do the same.
I was literaly looking at this model yesterday, the chronograph in the other models are very nice also. Good show.
Thank you Michael .
I own one of these watches and I'm smitten with it.
Awesome review - thanks for that. Mine is arriving tomorrow - very excited! First mechanical watch. Just hoping it doesn't dwarf my slim wrists.
Great to see you having a good look at the movement and what an impressive result on the timegrapher. I bet your new 4r35 Seiko doesn't behave that well. Thanks for a superb video Mike.
Thanks. I’ve not go my Seiko yet, possibly next week when I meet up with my contact.
@@MyRetroWatches ah. You'll love it. Impulsively, I've just bought the Ginza Alpinist. Amazing dial.
Agree on value for money. Agree for first chrono project too. Personally, i dont fancy the dial. But hey, perfect mod project too!
I can see how the dial would be off putting for some but like you say I be there are plenty of options out there, probably all on AliExpress though!
I have the same one from Sugess. It runs okay but mine only manages 24 hours to a full wind of 30 turns, officially it's supposed to be 42 hours. UK seller sent a replacement and that appears to be the same.🤷♂️
Ordered today the 40mm on AliExpress 11/11 sale. Went for the metallic strap with leather backup strap
is it a mesh strap?
Excellent review. Much enjoyed. I have one on order. Would love to have seen you chose another strap for it. Thanks, Mate.
It’s a strap monster.
This watch on release was like a seizmic shift to announce Seagull.
Even Rolex snobs liked it.
I have mine on a light brown Rios strap. Mine has a 48 hour power reserve when I tested it.
Lots of people like these watches on the forums. This one looks like a real nice one.
Nice review 👍🏼
I bought a sugess chronograph in the 11,11 sale with this exact movement in it and I'm super impressed.
I saw many videos about this watch and like yours very much because it focusses more on the movement than on the rest which is well known anyway. Thumbs up!
Thanks appreciate that feedback
Good one. I've got a cobstantin wiesz chrono with this movement but the second chrono second hand has a stumbling action. Watching yours and comparing to mine the wheel and arm that engages the second hand is very wobbly. There obviously varying degrees of quality with these movements. But yeh it keeps excellent time and was only £130 off ideal world and looks good and has an original kind of 70s design. Thanks for the close up. Gonna see if I can get rid of the play in mine. Or buy another movement. Could return it but it was Ltd to 300 and they've all gone. I believe the case is made from bits from the lamborghini countach.
I got one of these but rarely wear it. This video makes the dial and the induces look like there is good contrast but in real life they all sort of blend together so it's hard to tell the time at a glance. The needle thin hands don't help matters. Despite my complaint I still like the fact I have one with such a rich history. And the price is a real bargain. The straps it comes with are garbage but you can swap them out easily.
Thanks for that. I don't have a problem reading it but then in reality its only been on the arm 3 days as I have so many watches its what takes my mood in the morning.
now that you know how to blue screws maybe you can take these out and blue them?
You should check out the Arcus Mono-pusher Chrono Mechanical that's in production...Canadian micro. I think you'll find the mods they made to the movement very interesting.
For the same sort of money as a MoonSwatch (how I detest those), this is a work of art by comparison. Zero brand, maximum watch.
Completely agree with you. The moons watch is just a cash cow and mainly plastic….
Hi Michael, thanks a lot for the review. I appreciated it a lot. Just to want to let you know that this is an unofficial version of Sea-Gull 1963. The official one has 1 line of text more on the dial and the back of the case is not transparent. Is there a chance that you could also review it in the future? All the best and thanks for your work here on RUclips.
Yesterday I put my Seagull 1963 (same make as yours) on the timegrapher. (17/11/21) and Beat error was zero, Amplitude 302, Lift angel set to 52.
Seconds per day on display read, +1, 0, -1, 0 , 0, 0, +1. Tested on a Weishi 1900. Best performance of any of the watches I placed on my Timegrapher.
Great video with fantastic close ups! Thanks for sharing this movement with us, Mike!
Thanks for tuning in Dennis.
Awesome! Still on my wish list!
Would you be interested in a 50+ year old Seiko?
It belonged to my father, and I believe he got it while stationed in Japan in the 1950's
Excellent well detailed review, best I've seen for a longtime thank you. I missed out on this offer but bought a few pt5000 movements and other things to take apart and get an idea if quality.
HELLO MIKE .That is a very sweet looking movement with a wonderfully displayed case back. That was a great review, honest and fair in my opinion Mike. It's nice that you don't have to return the watch. That was nice of them. See you on the next one. Cheers
My 1963 is 19 jewels. Panda face, and has a logo that looks like oh I don’t know, a circle with a Star Trek aurors
I've had serious issues with the winding stem of this watch. The winding was somehow extremely hard with bare finger on 2 of this watch. The second one I have had for a longer period of time, had a broken stem too. It was due to the corroded winding stem because the lack of sealing. Can You give us some insights regarding these points?
I can’t comment. I have had the watch for only 2 weeks. I don’t take any watch I own near water at all. If I had a pressure tester I would have used it in the video.
Hello my friend. I have a question, if the large seconds hand of the chronograph is not on zero position, how do I adjust it to its position again?
It requires a watch maker to fit the hand . There is no adjustment you can make using the pushers.
That only happens on quartz chronographs
Do you test Sea Gull model D819.626 ? Thank you
Great review Mike, beautiful watch, fabulous movement. One thing.... I don't like the hands!, were they original I wonder?.. Great value though. Thanks. Adrian
The only few photos of originals the handset was different.
Didn’t finish my post. Is this the same movement as the 21, and 17 jewel movements?
I dont know why I seem to not be able to pull the trigger on anymore watches from aliexpress. I bought the SD Willard homage. It's fantastic. Am I crazy?
I understand your reservation, I bought the Willard which if I was to review another aliexpress watch (I dont want to overdo it as I think many of you will not appreciate it) then the WIllard would be a contender as for £80 its just incredible. Actually wearing it today!
This is a beautiful watch.
I've always liked those watches Mike, would love to get inside it, think I'll have to get one. Perhaps a 1908.
Get in it Mike. 😁👍
They weren't made under licence. An employee in the Hong Kong Sea-Gull factory originally designed and sold these in batches through various watch forums online.
The Hong Kong Factory catered to OEM manufacturers, and Sea-Gull headquarters in Tianjing never approved the model as "official" Sea-Gull watches. After a few years, he left the company but continued to offer these "1963" watches as an OEM manufacturer, a lot of other microbrands/sellers jumped on the bandwagon and you see a flood of these watches from 2010 onwards, none of which are "official". Sea-Gull was supplying the parts, but they were not Sea-Gull watches.
In 2021, Tianjin Sea-Gull (the Official brand) decided to join in as that's how popular the watch had gotten. They made a limited edition 38mm with acrylic crystal in 2021 and this year (2023) they released an unlimited 40mm edition with sapphire crystal.
Nice one Mike! Always fancied one of these, good size too.
well now's your chance mate!
Whilst serving on British registered ships sailing out of Hong Kong in my early career at sea, these watches where purchased the"Commie Chinese Store" and the first thing when joining a vessel at anchor in the roads was to look in the bottom draw of your desk to see what and indeed if there was a watch had been dropped in there. If there was, great, give it a wind, see if it would keep time, if it did, great, your personal watch invariably a Rolex or I.W.C. was put in the safe for the period you spent on station until repatriated, normally one and a half years later. If it didn't work or there was not one in the draw a trip was made to the "C.C.S." and a new one purchased (about 25 > 35 pounds). This would serve at all times whilst under articles and when leaving the vessel it ,normally be left in the draw for the next person (although, being a Scottish company and manned by Glaswegians the watch might leave with whoever might have relieved you). The interesting fact was that, like today, it cost a lot more to have it serviced than to buy a new watch, which I think is still the case today. The watches did their job and are a tribute to mid century watch manufacture and the economics of scale of high production.
Q. Can you do a watch revival of an early 60's Ingersoll as I had one of the Welsh made automatic ones (with wow... 6 jewels) when I went to Grammar School and learned it was still in use forty years later till it was stolen in a break in to my parents house in the late nineties
wow now thats a comment! really enjoyed your tales from the past.
Nice review.
I have an Alpha 'speedmaster' homage with this movement. After about 10 months part of the winding mechanism seems to have broken. When I wind the watch it winds for about 18 turns then suddenly I feel a 'click' and the winding crown spins freely. I'm not technical but I've read that these movements have issues with the 'clickspring'. Perhaps someone might be able to guess what's wrong with it from my description. The watch still works it's just that I can't wind it fully. When it was running it gained about 14 seconds a day. I think it's important for readers to understand that there can be QC issues with these movements.
Interesting. I find the ST19 a bit lacklustre up close
Well maybe but what can you expect for £120. I love my Seikos but they don’t put much effort into movement finish either on their base models anyway.
@@MyRetroWatches I think vintage Seiko movements still show their quality though. I’d rather have something that you can tell is robust and well made, than something that looks fancy from afar until you inspect it up close.
I read that these aren’t really serviceable for example. Cheap parts can break simply by disassembling/reassembling.
Did you go for Acrylic or Saphire? Judging by the price, would say Acrylic.
Sapphire.
Can you confirm the lift angle is 52 degrees.
Awesome T-shirt
Thanks, they are for sale if you wanted to pick one up.
Excellent technical review. Great info as usual
Much appreciated!
Hola, no solo es lindo y cómodo, tengo uno fabricado por la marca Sugess y camina así de preciso, saludos
Thank you. I have seen the Sugess one. A swan neck regulator arm.
hi im enjoying your videos question for you how do you find new crystal for seiko vintage 6602 8050 any help would be great
The part number is 310T40ANS0 I am doubting you finding one though. It is a 31.0mm diameter so if it’s acrylic then you can buy generic ones really cheap
A beautiful watch Mike, when you consider just what you get for your money it's unbelievable value for money. You'll have to use a good strong jiffy bag to send that one to my home address!
Absolutely
If I had the money, I'd buy it :) Great little watch, no nonsense, nice band too, can't even buy the NATO strap now, to go with my 6 € Quatch, or was that quartz, watch I just bought, which naturally has a 21 cm long strap, my wrist isn't like a 6 year old's, I need 30 cm, or at least 29 Why do these supermarket watches always go with straps that are way too short???...Update, got my NATO straps now :) 29 cm, for both my 6 € watches :)
This is what an actual "review" should look like. I quite like that watch (but I'm not going to get one).
thanks for the feedback. Nice to know I am doing the reviews right.
Let me learn from the master 👍🏼👊🏼
Who cares if it's a copy. It still uses the original seagull movement and for the price it's just insane value. Mine arrived this week and cost me £80 used. It's the 42mm white dial with black subdials "panda" version but essentially the same watch. Don't hesitate. Just buy one. Sub £150 for a mechanical chronograph is a no brainer although I'm prepared to bet this one was carefully regulated by Ali for the review 😂
Nice I have seen the Panda ones and they look nice. This one is £111 in the sale which is insane for what you get. Yes the video was timed for this but as it was AliExpress who asked me if I would like to make the review their terms were that I could only make the video live on the 11/11. I did mention this at the start so I can be as transparent as possible. I get a free watch which is x10 the revenue the video will make.
That said I do like making reviews between restoration videos.
@@MyRetroWatches
I've no problem with you guys promoting watches when they're as good as this. It's funny yours came on a Nato because so did mine along with a surprisingly good quality metal bracelet. If ever there was a watch totally unsuited to a Nato it's this one. I know it's a commemorating a pilot watch but for me it has to be a classy brown leather with white stitching. 😎
All I want to say - it is awesome thing for its money. If you don't shy about Chinese letters on dial, of course 😄
Well thats what will put some people off but I like that its not trying to be anything else. As a Chinese watch manufacturer this is rare so I can only admire this one. For the money its superb.
@@MyRetroWatches anyway, you can buy blank dial, and put your own logo on it.
One in 4 of all people on the planet use those, they look cool.
There are plenty of brands that use this same movement. Lorier, Baltic, Hemel, Underdog, among others. Do you think that they do some sort of enhanced quality control or regulation (over what this Chinese brand may be doing)? Thanks for the review!
Great point and I do suspect long term quality issues but I just cant argue for the price, a service cost for a chrono would be way more than the watch anyway.
There's a problem. I just tried to buy one using the link, selected my preferred option and clicked buy. A banner came up saying select product option, (which I already had) but it wouldn't let me go any further. I gave up in the end.
how odd, I know my code was not working for a time but I had that fixed by AliExpress.
I tried but I forgot my bank's pass word :(
Yo mikey, great review, it’s great value for money, but I guess depends what you want? It’s a great cover of a historic movement, but not the real thing? I think its a lemania movement? I suppose omega did the same thing? Who can argue with the cost?
It’s a Venus 175 movement originally now made by Sea-Gull who sell it to anyone who wants it.
Hope all is well with you
@@MyRetroWatches all ace here dude, I thought based on lamania movement, mikey looks very similar ?
Love it! Was about to check out and the promo code says it is ‘this promo code is used up’. Oh well. Might buy it anyway…
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. When I last looked 5 of you guys had bought so that in my view is not many for a promo code that they have dated too.
I will contact AliExpress now.
@@MyRetroWatches all fixed. Thanks for the discount. Should be here in time for Christmas 🎁
@@danielwilliams1670 is it working again? They did email me through the night to say 100 tickets would be added to my code but said they’d let me know then that was done.
@@MyRetroWatches yes. Thanks. Used it successfully 👍🏼👍🏼
@@danielwilliams1670 thanks for picking one up using the link. I appreciate that pal.
Excellent review! Love your content as always :)
Another good review and I really like that watch 👍
Thanks 👍
Nice t-shirt :-) love the watch, too
Thanks, they are for sale :-)
Surprised theres no hack with it being a watch of military heritage.
very true but there would not have been on the original Venus one so I guess they never thought it was a worthy upgrade. At the end of the day it was the chrono function they must have needed and that obviously starts and stops so was fit for their purpose.
How is the screw bluing faux? Isn't it a very cheap process.
Blueing is a heat treatment process and a bit of an art form to get the blueing consistent. Also has to be the right sort of carbon steel. These do not look blued from hardness and more like anodised to give that effect.
To blue properly would require a whole process which would cost and at this price point for the watch is not cost effective at all.
I will have a video on bluing hands and screws coming in the next month or so. Stay tuned for that one if you are interested to see the process.
@@MyRetroWatches I didn't know there is that. I'm so used to flame bluing or oven bluing s steel and titanium myself. does hardness matter in watch screws?
@@humorss personally I don’t know too much about it yet but I have a kit coming which is still flame bluing using copper filings and a butane torch to get the steel up to temp. Then water quenching. Hardness would not matter on a screw. Hardening would be welcome in my opinion as it would mean less damage to a screw by using the wrong size driver .
What was price of this watch a year ago original sea-gull 1963. Price now is £653.00 for ORIGINAL version. I think has doubled in price in a year is that correct? That Sponsered link is for the sugess imitation version not the original. Anybody have the original version what price did they pay for it?
Is there such a thing as the original version? Sea-Gull sell the movements to everyone. Certainly not worth £600 in my view it’s a sub £200 all day long.
It’s still mass produced machine made. Surgess I thought was owned by Sea-Gull but I might be wrong
Surgess purchase the internal components from sea-gull is what I could find out but have different ownership. I was just amazed how price could almost double for this watch from 399usd to 700usd for what is really probably a 200usd watch even if the original piece or not. The surgess company want to sell watches so prices have not doubled unlike the sea-gull version
Great video, as usual! I have a problem with my ST19 and I hope you can help: when resetting the chronograph, the seconds go past the 12 mark at least once or twice, then it stops at 12 with repeated attempts; the next day, the same story - the first few resets are over-resetting, then it is fine; I really like this watch and I am wearing it and actually using the chronograph regularly, and I would like to try to fix this issue. DO you have any suggestions? Thank you. I checked the forums but I did not find a good suggestion, other than a full service of the watch.
Of your looking for something that you personally can do, no not at all. Unless you are a watchmaker/ technician. It even guys like Mike and me are a bit cautious with chronographs because of the added complications of mechanics involved. In short, there's no positive way to get your watch working properly with out getting 'under the hood.' And depending on your cost and budget, buying a new movement and replacing your original might be more cost effective. I in efect did this with a knock off Rolex Daytona that the pushers were not working on. The movement only cost me $40.
@@brianwohlleben3182 Brian, no offense but I asked Mike, not you. I had no idea I need to "look under the hood" to repair a watch, I was hoping for a magic potion or a spell or something! You bought a Daytona original movement, in working order, for $40???? You cannot even buy a Valjoux 7750 for 5 times as much....Maybe you bought an ST19....I hope I will be as far away as possible from your $40 Daytona.
Mike, my question was addressed to you, because you said you read ALL the comments. I am not a watchmaker as Brian here is, which means I did not graduate a two years long watchmaking school and I did not work for a watch company a few years after, but I am a watch hobbyist. I know my way "under the hood", well enough to not buy a $40 Daytona :), but I am mostly working on mechanical, vintage watches without a chronograph; this is why I watch and appreciate your channel, and I asked your opinion with my chronograph. It is fine if you do not know the answer, I thought it is worth a try and I wish you all the best.
@@ioan4120 I did not mean to insult you. It seams you miss read my meaning. And the Daytona I spoke of was a knock off no name brand movement on aliexpress. The kind of movement we hobbiest watch guys practice on with out fear of messing up. You posed a question on a public site. I'm sorry my comment hurt you. It was not my intention but to share what I have learned and a possible solution to your issues with the watch you have. I hope Mike can help you better than I could. Best wishes on getting a good answer.
@@brianwohlleben3182 Hello Brian, now it's my turn to apologize, I overreacted. Best wishes to you.
@@ioan4120 All good man. We all have those moments. Have fun!
Nice close-ups . I sniped the same one new last month on eBay for $ 48 😁👀 Really nice 👍. Unrelated question : The eta 2824-2 clone , the pt-5000 I have intermittently clicks while winding . Winding is stiff and you can feel the clicks thru the Crown . Sometimes 10 revolutions without , sometimes every other turn . Did my best to describe . Any thoughts Mate ? 🥂
It's possibly the main spring slipping internally on the barrel wall. It does this to prevent over winding and breaking the main spring. Some barrels have notches to hold the spring tight enough to get a solid wind then when it's tight enough it slips/clicks past that notch. Anyway that's a thought as to what your experiencing
@@brianwohlleben3182 Thank you for insight and reply . 👍
That could be so many things and without opening it up it’s hard to diagnose. Could be that the winding pinion is not engaging with either the crown wheel or the clutch . Any form of binding is a worry as parts will wear. I’ve not had experience with either movement but I hopefully have a PT-5000 coming to the channel in the future to have a look at how good a clone it is / or not.
Watching the watch a second time :)
Found a viseo: 4 Ways to wear a NATO strap - Tutorial , on "Nordic Watch Channel".
What is the point of blued screws on a watch, anyway? Isn't it just looks?
Well yes it’s to make it decorative. However proper blued screws are hardened and tempered to give it that blue hue for aesthetics but also screws mark easily and a professional watchmaker job is to leave no trace they were ever inside the watch. A hardened screw will not mark or deform the slot like a soft screw can.
@@MyRetroWatches - For a while, I was watching those videos where watchmakers take apart and clean and lubricate and put back together watches. Never did I see them deform the slot. Maybe it was edited out but I doubt it.
@@TimBee100 because most of the time if you are using the right size screwdriver that has been dressed sharp you won’t damage. I have 100 videos on taking watches apart and you won’t see me damage screws but you may see some screws that have already got damage.
Nice shirt!!!
Thank you , they are for sale ;-)
I love the look and accuracy of mine but the circlip on the reset pusher keeps coming off and the pusher falls out. Just had it fixed for the third time so it will be a non-functioning chrono from now on.
Don’t buy the version with the red Chinese characters on the back because they obscure the movement.
Good review and macro shots.