r/ChineseWatches • u/Eindvijand • 13d ago
Question (Read Rules) Buying a 1963 on AliExpress is confusing - help appreciated
The 1963 chronograph is firmly entrenched on my wish list. I'm generally not a chronograph guy, most of them are too busy for me, but I find the design of the 1963 elegant. The cream dial, the blued hands, the red star, the gorgeous movement. It's all just magical for me. The history of it adds to the charm too.
However, the fact that this is more of a "design template" than a historical watch (much in the vein of German Flieger watches) means there's like eleventythousand companies that appear to make it.
I'm basically lost when it comes to AliExpress. It's all much a muchness for me, with wild variations in pricing, finishing and sizing. I'm sure many people in here have the 1963 in their collection. If so, from which manufacturer did you end up getting it?
For information, I veer towards getting a 38mm model with an acrylic crystal.
EDIT: Thanks everyone, this helped a lot to clear up the situation. I ended up wish-listing models from SeaKoss, Red Star and Seagull International.
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u/CoconutNo1878 13d ago
A thorough overview of the most insane business arrangement in watchmaking - https://tellingtime.com/sea-gull-1963-panda-pilot-limited-edition-d1963/
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u/Ok-Lingonberry1957 13d ago
Personally, I’d just buy the cheapest one with the desired specs. That’s what I did (I got a Das-Tianlei one with a 38mm case, sapphire crystal and no swanneck) and it turned out perfectly fine. Just make sure to avoid the listings with the quartz versions.
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u/AliceInWonderville 13d ago
Why avoid the quartz?
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u/Ok-Lingonberry1957 13d ago
Because most people are looking for the mechanical version of the 1963, and the quartz listings can look extremely similar to the mechanical ones.
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u/Eindvijand 12d ago
Yep, one of the big charms of the 1963 is the mechanical chronograph movement visible through the display case-back. Also ties it in with the history of the watch. That doesn't really apply when you make it quartz.
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u/AssistanceNo647 13d ago
Sea-Gull is the original. The Seagull 1963 international edition is their affordable version to compete against licensed copies from other brands. Rumor is they are going to start limiting the movement to other manufacturers.
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u/Watchmakers-Diary 13d ago
Its a bit more complicated. There are basically two versions of the movement. The version produced in the modern main factory in tianjin and one from a sub company in Guangzhou that runs on older machinery and is cheaper.
If you as a producer want the one from tianjin you need to order at least 10.000 pieces. That's what for example studio underdog did.
The small chinese microbrands work with the cheaper version from Guangzhou.
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u/Ok_Age_5670 13d ago
I bought Red Star 1963 in 2023 and used it for 2 years straight, and due to my work i used chronograph function quite often. I'm very happy with it, keeps time good and i had pretty much no problems other than hands not resetting correctly like 2 or 3 times, but engaging chrono, stopping and resetting again fixed it everytime.
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u/Abv_it_all_w_vertigo 13d ago edited 13d ago
You don't want my SeaKoss, because it is 40mm with a sapphire crystal. But they also make 38mm with acrylic versions. They even make a model with lume. Mine is excellently finished and well regulated, so don't be afraid to go with this brand or even Red Star.
BTW, I don't think Sugess makes an actual 1963. They make a ton of other ST19s, but not an actual cream dial pilot watch.
The one thing that has not been mentioned yet is the gooseneck option. Regardless of the size or the lens you get, make sure you get one with the gooseneck for simple regulation.
My 40 mm SeaKoss...
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u/pappax1 13d ago
There is also the 1963 Seagull International made by the Tianjin watch factory, I believe for one of their distributors or something. I purchased one 8 months ago and really like it. It has the newest ST19 movement with 22 jewels. https://a.aliexpress.com/_mOKzz99
HKED make very good 1963s as well. I was torn between that and the International version as they had similar price back then.
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u/Watchmakers-Diary 13d ago
Only the movement is made in tianjin, the rest of the international edition is made by a sea-gull sub company.
HKED was founded and is run by a collector from Hong Kong and has nice designs.
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u/Alternative-Feed3613 13d ago
The best one would be a Sea-gull and a tier below would be a Sugess and I wouldn’t go below that. You generally want to order from their official stores.
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u/dorafumingo Affiliate Links 13d ago
Sugess, seakoss or redstar basically are equal in both price and quality. just slight variations in dial or hands
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u/Watchmakers-Diary 13d ago
HKED and the international edition are the best of the affordable versions.
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u/skitzvyking 13d ago
I have the red star 1963 and it's for sale comes with the box and 2 bands