I have been looking at buying one of these for a long time but for a number of reasons never taken the plunge.
So I thought it would be worth asking the knowledgeable members here, should I buy or are there other Chronos around this price that I should be looking at.
Any suggestions/thoughts are most welcome.
I’ve flirted with the idea of buying one of these myself too but fundamentally, I think I’m more drawn in by the cost of the watch, than the watch itself. The stories of poor reliability put me off too.
I don’t think you’ll find another mechanical Chronograph for £150-200 new. If you’re willing to look at quartz / meca quartz, your choices are much broader.
You haven't said what price?
Your options are either Chinese Seagull ST1901 or Russian 3133 or 31681 movements. I wouldn't advise any for a daily used watch. You really would be better off with with meca quartz.
"The whole purpose of mechanical watches is to be impertinent." ~ Lionel a Marca, CEO of Breguet
The Russian movements are more than double the price of Seagull these days so much so that Seagull movements are now being used in Poljot watches. I am curious though why would you not advise any of them for daily use?Originally Posted by abraxas
Hamilton has offered [may still] a 7750-based chrono in the Khaki collection that runs around 38-39mm and works very well on a G-10 NATO strap. Robust, easily serviced, and quite affordable.
I'm quite a fan of the Seagull 1963, it's a bonny wee thing that does exactly what it says on the tin,
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Thanks for the comments and suggestions.
The Seagulls I have seen seem to be anywhere between £160 and £220 depending on the crystal. I assume these have the Chinese movement but I didn’t realise some had a Russian movement, I clearly need to do more research. I was looking to buy something under £500 really.
I like the quartz Hamilton’s - thanks for that suggestion.
I have also spotted the Newmark HS and the Farer Elvington. I will keep looking.
I am not aware of any Seagull watch having a Russian movement I think what someone was referring to was an alternative watch.
The Newmark quartz chronograph is a fantastic option, personally I would buy that one.
I went for this myself I think it looks a bit sportier at 40mm
A question that I've been asking too. There's space for a chronograph in my watch box, and I've been quite tempted by the 1963.
I heard someone say to be sure to "buy from the official Sea-Gull store on AliExpress". This is all a mystery to me, but the watch was listed there for a little over £400. Not sure why the price difference or if it's worth it, but they were out of stock last time I looked anyway.
I'm keeping an eye on Eddie's monopusher that is due out later this year, but I'm pretty sure it will cost a fair bit more than a cheap Sea-Gull!
There are dealers on ebay for £160 some are even in the UK. Watch Unique are an official dealer in the EU and the watch comes in at just over £200 so why pay £400?
Why indeed? That's just what I'd been wondering...
Thank you for the info re. Watch Unique. Can't go wrong for that money.
Bought mine from Watchunique and really happy with it. I assumed you'd have to ask them to take VAT out before making the purchase now tho
This video will explain if you're interested
Bloody hell fake Chinese watches. It's a minefield out there
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Merkur are pushing out some nice chronos with, as they say, Seagull movements. But I couldn’t say how seagully they really are. I bought and sold the non-chrono version, which cost me the princely sum of £33, delivery included (using an offer and a discount code).
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There are quite a few microbrand chronos for under £500 but as above many are mecha-quartz based.
A few brands putting out chronos I like the look of are:
- Geckota
- Vapaus
- Brew
- Baltic (Seagul movement)
Looks like more established brands like Christopher Ward & Junghans have one at just under £500 as well.
Build quality will vary but suggest you just buy what you like the look of and not worry too much about the movement.
Good call and personally I would rather get a CW quartz watch especially if one is in the sale.
5 year warranty, UK based, build quality far better than Seagull....
The CW is a decent looker as well to be fair, and it doesn't even have the logo that everyone hates because it's a Morgan tie up!
Edit: Actually you can still get it with the CW logo if you prefer. Applied numerals on all of them as well, and £395 for the green version. Tempting.
Last edited by Kamakazie!; 23rd February 2021 at 14:02.
I've had a few of them over the years and currently have the HKED version with solid back. This is the closest to the original and was the result of a WUS project a few years ago and very well detailed. I would certainly have no issue wearing it on a daily basis.
If a Seiko Meca quartz movement does it then a Dan Henry 1963 is not expensive.
https://danhenrywatches.com/collecti...ng-chronograph
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Thanks again everyone, some food for thought.
I have looked at Vapaus before but forgot about the chrono - thanks.
I would have to read the reviews on Geckota but not seen the Baltic’s or even heard of Brew !
The CW Chrono is a real possibility too, I have had several.
The Farer Elvington is interesting too.
The age old problem here though, you start looking at one price and before you now it the price you are looking at has doubled !
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