Join the extended discussion: www.watchcrunch.com/Max/posts/the-new-40mm-seagull-1963-is-magic-28063

My wife loves her Seagull 1963. Just excellent! It gives you the feeling of a beautifully designed movement and a gorgeous dial and case.

I've had my old 38mm for several years, love it. Still keeps good time. My wrist is 7.5 in, but I like anything between 36 and 40mm. I like the movement fine, reading a watchmaker's teardown report years ago the only negative was debris and other quality control issues on some examples. I seem to have gotten a "good" one, no apparent issues after years of use. It's a good solid movement design. Don't think I'd go for a moon phase myself, I like the pretty simplicity on a simple leather stitched strap. It always reminds me of my time touring various Chinese factories back in the 90s. Great watch

I have two watches with Sea-Gull movements in them. An Alpha Chronograph (Big red Daytona 6265 homage, I have the one with the discontinued "chronometer" dial), with the ST1903 movement. The other a Sugess Moonphase Master (the Breguet'ish one) with the ST2108. Both perform quite well considering their price, the Alpha runs about -10 s/d, and the Sugess about 7 or 8 s/d. I put the Sugess on a deep blue sailcloth strap, which also fitted the original butterfly clasp, and it looks very nice in sunny weather. I bought it primarily for using when flyfishing, as I like to dress up a bit and also like to keep track of the moon. The Alpha was more a speculation as I bought it used just as they had to change the dial, amd therefore remove the red letters above the 6 o'clock sub dial, and I had a hunch it would be the most desirable four-digit ref.no. Daytona homage from China, as it was the only one with a mechanical movement, domed acrylic crystal, and the correct layout of the bezel tachymeter. I have a buddy who is a high-end watch collector, and even he likes that one. Of course, one has to take it for what it essentially is; a sub £200 Chinese homage watch. But I think it might be the closest I'll come to own my "Big Red" grail. And even if I did chip out the £90k for a real McCoy, I wouldn't dare wearing it much outside anyway... Lasty, very nice video. I don't think I have come across your channel before. But I really like your content, very straightforward, informative, entertaining, and pleasing. No 30-second intro, nor 6 minute B-roll, or add for mail-order cereal freemium mobile games. Keep up the good work, and consider yourself a subscriber richer. Cheers, mate!

Thanks Max once again for a great history lesson. After watching this review made me appreciate the Seagull just a bit more. I never got a Moonswatch, it boiled down value although it still sits in the back of my mind. I personally feel I would pick this Seagull up first. Thank again Max.

I totally agree. I own the same Seagull from the Belgian shop, and I am extremely happy with it so far!

The 38 Seagul 1963 with acrylic crystal really shines on a Forstner Komfit

I've had the 1963 for years love it & No problems ⌚

Great watch, and definitely a great chronograph for that price. I like that moon phase also. Great video 👍🏽

I have a 38mm acrylic 1963 from Ali, and it’s been fantastic. I’m actually really surprised at the reliability so far (1.5yrs). My main concern when buying was that the movement would fail, but so far so good! I also have an ST19 in my Lorier Gemini, me that has been performing great too. Fantastic value for the price.

I love my Seagull 1963! Love it love it love it!!! I am really in love! I am considering the moon phase but want to get a Baltic first.

The 1963 offers a lot for the money, but I would recommend to buy it already used, to be able to know if it's working well and precisely. It's a manual winding chronograph used by army pilots, there's lot to love in it...

For the price and what you get, I can agree with you here! Cool video, Max🤙

I love the 1963 watch and own the 38mm version. I love the moon phase complication but not on my 6.25 wrist sadly so I guess I have to stick to the original. Great video!

I own a "seagull 1963", the regular version with the 38mm case, acrylic crystal and gooseneck movement. Bought it for 170 brand new on the usual Chinese websites. Works flawlessly. It's crazy that we can get a mechanical chronograph for this cheap, especially a column-wheel and especially at this size (I mean look at the size of the most famous chronographs out there, they are all bigger). The next column-wheel chrono I can think of costs over 3k. Even non-column-wheels, they cost well over 1k. Some models from the likes of Tissot can be found for 300-500 on the grey market dealers, but well..they are just ugly and 45mm+. I don't care if this one is chinese, if they are all copies or not, the manufacturer, whatever. The movement alone makes it a worth addition to my collection. EDIT: Oh and I also own a MoonSwatch. Was one of the "lucky" and crazy ones to get it on release day. I live in a small country and was the 7th in line. Got there at 4am and I was able to get a Mission to the Moon. Let me tell you I have NEVER wore it lol. It's a piece of crap, really. It's sitting in a box, maybe waiting to make a profit in a few years. The truth is that it was a big marketing play, but the watches are absolute crap. Mine is pretty misaligned on the bezel, on the chrongraph hand, the case scratches by simply removing the straps, the straps are the worst, etc. Forget about them. So many great waches that we can get at the same price.

That actually looks very attractive. I don't have a chronograph or a moon phase watch in my collection and with this one I will have both. Great video

Great video Max! I really enjoyed it. This would be a good upgrade to the original 1963.

I bought a 38mm Seagull 1963 from Poljot 24 in 2019. I got the Sapphire chrystal on a Rios light brown strap. I have had no problems with it.

Glad to have stumbled on to your channel. Loving your content 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

This looks vaguely Breitling-dresswatch-esque. I'm tempted and intrigued.

Just bought the 60 anniversary model in bronze and 38 mm. Love it

Extra points for weather balloon operators:)

Agree Max, great video....

Good comparison. I have two variants of the Seagull 1963. I honestly forgot the MoonSwatch existed. But money for value, the MoonSwatch is just not worth it and getting a regular Swatch would be better and cost saving.

I got one, nervously from Ali... But it arrived ok. I have the 40, and gotta say, I was impressed. I agree about the hands, but at that price point, hey, still cool.

I got one from HKED with the original logo. Excellent watch for the money.

NICE❤Thank you Max

My 38mm 1963 has a 1901 movement (one more jewel?). It's still running fine. I'de be tempted by a 38mm moon phase.

I've recently picked up a Moonphase Master from Sugess which uses Seagull movements. The strap was a bit cheap feeling but I picked up a decent leather one. But the watch and movement seem great so far. I normally buy diver watches but I wanted something a little more classical and this fits the bill. The display back with the gold swan neck mod is pretty and I can't fault its timekeeping. However, some have said after a month or so they had issues so here's hoping I don't, but I think they're worth a punt.

My first chrono i purchased was the Sugess Chrono Heritage ST1901 with the swan neck. I threw it on a brown Barton rally strap and frankly love the watch. It looks smaller than its 39mm would indicate but I appreciate the vintage size of the 1960's. Originally my Sugess was meant to serve as a place holder until the Seiko Panda Chrono came out but I loved my Sugess so much that it resides in the spot next to my Seiko in my watch garage. You brought up the fact that you didn't particuarly like the hands on the the Seagull 1963 watches and I would have to agree you. That's what kept me away from the the Seagull brand of watches and to Sugess. I always recommend Sugess to someone just getting into the automatic watch hobby.

I've got the 38mm Seagull with Swan neck regulator adjustment. It's one of my best time keepers. It gains two seconds over the course of the day and then loses them at night at rest, meaning I have a net discrepancy of virtually zero. This watch belongs in every collection

I absolutely love my Seagull 1963 38mm and I have a 6.75 inch wrist. I want this 40mm moon phase now

I have been sitting on the fence about getting a seagull mechanical Chrono, but never liked the small case and the dial was always missing something on the 1963. As soon as saw this version I ordered it immediately.

"If you own a MoonSwatch, I still love you ..." I sense a "but" in there somewhere 😄👍🏼 I may end up visiting that Seagull 1963 website out of Belgium. Thanks for sharing.

1:15 Ha ha funny you should mention that as I was a field artillery meteorological crewman in the army. We used watches for timing our "flights" but it was generally our own Timex's or whatever to do that lol...p.s. I have an example of the Seagull 1963 and it is a most beloved watch in my collection. Thanks for sharing.

Awesome video. I personally prefer the styling of the Sugess .

I have a 1963. Love it!

I have the 40mm/SS/Swan Neck/Sapphire and it’s *awesome*. The thin stick hands are awesome too: my first chronograph that I can actually read at all times. Those hands never obscure any of the dials, at any position. I have watches that cost thousands, and I also have several MoonSwatches - but since I bought this 1963 I haven’t taken it off!

There are so many versions of this watch, I've been looking for over a month and I still haven't decided!

OK, here comes some actual talk about this watch. Fasten you seat belts and listen to an expert. (35 years as a watchmaker) I have bought a 38mm 1963 and absolutely love it. I bought it second had and it still looks great. A lot of people gripe about the supplied strap. I believe it adds character of the watch. Dial and hands are absolutely lovely for this price range. The case seems to be well made and is holding out very well to scratching. Case back has an anti-reflective coating!!! Movement is well finished as long as you don't look with an eye loupe. Column wheel chronograph is peculiar because the column wheel does not turn for reset. That said. A lot of people opt to upgrade to the "Goose neck" version. In reality it's almost a useless upgrade. However there's another reason why not to upgrade. I regulated my watch ( it's keeping 1 second a day now) using the screw used with the goose neck regulator. As I continued to try to speed up the timing nothing was happening. The spring was not pushing the regulator to the fast side, because it was purely ornamental. It served absolutely no purpose. There was no tension exerted by this spring. It's just there to give an illusion of a useful upgrade. Buy the watch and love it for what it is. Wear is and be happy.

I got a 38mm for myself and think the size fits the style.

Still enjoy my 38 from time to time but it is indeed a little bubble on the wrist. Part of its charm IMO.

If Seagull read this, there are lots of 40mm watch case with less than 48mm lug to lug, please make it happen Seagull :)

Bought my 40mm 1963 from Amazon, love its looks but don't dig it out to wear as much as i should. I would really like a non- chronograph version of this with that moon phase complication.

Great review Max! Your channel content is fantastic and you should be a 1 million subscriber channel!

I got a Sugess Moonphase that uses the same movement and it is gorgeous and amazing value. When I wear it, I likento pretend it's some $50,000 piece of haute horology

Nice video!

I want this. Will be checking the website

I have a seagull 1963 from aliexpress, lol watch hand fell off after a month but was able to get a local watch maker to fix it for 40. the swan neck regulator is more for show than actually functional as the adjustment screw is too short and screwed all the way down leaving no room for fine adjustment to slow down the watch (perhaps there is another way to regulate it before using the fine tuning screw? please let me know if anyone knows). there is some alignment issue when resetting the chronograph (it went to either 1 or 59 and the small subdial to 1 or 29), usually just run it one more time and reset it it'll align right. Overall the movement winding feel smooth, run consistently around +6s/day during normal daily wear; when dial down it is closer to +0 to +2 (may be that's how it was regulated in the factory) Overall fun watch to have, I personally like the 38mm as it is almost exactly like the vintage chronograph watch from the 50's

I've has a 1963 for over a year and it's proven to be more accurate the my Seiko divers. The straps supplied are crap but once you get a decent 18mm strap it looks way more expensive than it is.

Whilst it is a very intriguing offering to have a mechanical chrono moonphase at this price point there is definitely a big lack in finish for me which keeps me from falling in love with it. Otherwise it ticks many boxes. Nice video!

Finally somebody said it! I have a decent watch collection but dollar for dollar this is the best value watch I have. Chronometer, calendar and moon phase all for that price? Come on! I agree that the caliber is very nice to look at too and the finishing is amazing for the price. Precision-wise I am very happy with it too. No wonder it gets a ton of time on my wrist! I also got the Mars moonswatch (and my wife got the Venus). What a piece of trash...

I ordered one and it's on the way I ha the basic one 38mm because it's the closest to the Oreginal.

Btw the red Chinese texts read: "To serve the people (citizens)"

Any thoughts on the sugess moon phase?

I would be interested to know more about the moonphase complication. Is it the real deal 28 days etc. Anyone know?

Sorry Mr. WatchCrunch guy, I have always thought of you as "watch snob reviewer expensive only" kind of guy. My perception shattered when you talk about Seagull, a mechanical chrono that peasants can actually afford.

Really nice editing on this video.

You're aware that the Seagull 1963 is available in all possible case sizes, dials etc.?? Not to mention so many different brands using the same ST1901 movement offering endless options, for all tastes...

max, great vid again! i have two nieces graduating from college this summer, and i'd like to ignite their love and appreciation for mechanical watches. truth is, i've already began - we each have our own matching casio databanks, and one of them is in love with my tank. i'm wondering if you have any recommendations for a 36mm (or smaller) mechanical watch? also, i do have an st19 by way of the series II lorier gemini. it's basically my daily now. no problems. i love it. wish i had a spare for the day this one expires haha

Can you post the link for the watch

Seagulls are always cool

The swan neck was always there - but it used to be a bit of a pot luck whether you ended up with one or not.

This is quite a nice watch. It has been available for quite a while. I bought this same watch, branded Sugess, from Ali about four years ago for $US200. Still working very well. The only differences from the one reviewed here is the absence of the red star and text on the dial.

Got my 1963 from a company called HKED, they do a more "faithful" reissue to the original vintage and is also much better with QC. Their hands are also lightly different, more like sharp needles, rather than stamped out toothpicks haha

Watched this…. Now waiting for mine in the mail to come🤣

Need one....

I love it but I've had 4 or 5 different ST19 movement, from 1963's to Baltic chronos and the top pusher often has a double click "issue" which does not feel great, so I wouldn't buy one personally.

Seagull is underrated. This week I bought a 1963 for $61, an Ocean Star for $200 and a Double Skeleton M182SK for $140. My green Ocean Star blows my green Seiko SRPD63 right out of the water with 300M vs 100M water resistance. I also own two Fabulous Theorema watches powered by the Seagull 3620 mechanical movements. Although all of them are automatic with one or the other dying every other day, these legends are worth their weight in gold. Who in their right mind buys a Swatch??? Lol...

Great review. Any specific seller you'd recommend?

There are many nice inexpensive watches. However if you want to buy a MoonSwatch, you are not looking for another brand, even if the Seagull is nice. So you don't skip the MoonSwatch, you possibly buy a Seagull or another brand if you like it, but when you want a watch such as the MoonSwatch, you don't skip it for something else.

Can it be serviced?

Watch snobs can say what they want, the Swiss Venus 175 movement (now the modified and improved Chinese Tianjin (Seagull) ST19) is pretty similar to other iconic mechanical chronograph movements : Rolex 72B, Valjoux 727, Omega 321 or Patek Philippe CH 27. The fact that you can get watches with this movement under $200 is insane! Remember, the Paul Newman Daytona (6239) has a Rolex 72A / Valjoux 722 (17 jewels - 5 Hz / 18,000 bph - 40 hours power reserve) compared to the ST19 (21 jewels - 6 Hz / 21,600 bph - 42 hours power reserve ). Also you can't compare 2023 China to 1963 China. Chinese manufacturing quality is now excellent.

How much import duty to pay if you want to get delivered in uk

Hi, where did you get that leather strap?

Why you have no link to buy???? Where did you find??

Can't see why a 38mm would feel too small on a 6.5 inch wrist. My wrist is 7.25 inch and it's looks great on a cheapo thick nubuck Bison strap from Amazon. I have a swan neck version made by Sugess and it's indistinguishable from the "official" version. I love the watch but one thing I do have an issue with is that I'm only getting about 25 hours out of a full wind. I bought it from a UK seller and had a replacement sent out but it wasn't much better. A bit of digging around suggests I'm not the only one with this anomaly.

Can you link a couple sellers in the comments, please?

Where to get the 40mm Seagul 1963 (I am in Canada)?

What does one think of the seiko presage sarx 097?

I was laughing at all those Moonwatch people who bought a plastic watch. :)

That's a high score! And a (relatively) high price for a Chinese brand ... =)

Prefer the older one.

where to buy this online?

What's the model number for this?

I’ve heard horror stories of terrible timekeeping from the regular 1963. What’s your experience in +\- per day for the 40mm and the regular 38?

My experience was terrible - stopped running after 2 months and no watch smiths in my area would wana service it. So seagull is a no no for me

I personally think you get more for your buck with microbrands and I've picked up many for under£200 all solid builds with great water resistance and quality you hasn't beat them for the money

I had the 38mm 1963 with the sapphire crystal…and I pretty much moved it on because I found it to be too thick for the size and the 18mm lug to lug….

That “dainty” watch was proportional for your small wrists

I had one and the movement looks great at a glance, but cheap when up close, like a toy. Imo

When the seagull would look like the moon swatch i would totally agree.

Where to buy??

Oh, the controversy *munches on old Lunar New Year cookies*

Audio is a bit ouf of sync in the first few shots in the cafe. Were you afraid to clap? :D

Nice watch but still can’t get my head around buying another watch with a Chinese movement, once bitten twice shy

moon phase is 28 days or is the 31 days calendar gear?

38 acrylic dude

They are shipped in a balloon

I keep I’m thinking of buying the moo swatch knowing it’s probably crap that I’ll have to baby care for if it’s to be any good 20 years from now idk if it’s a good choice but everyone says seagull is the way to go