Reply With QuoteNot UK, but I got mine from Long Island Watches
Evening TZ,
I seem to have taken a fancy to the above, (38mm acrylic crystal, display back), but during my internet trawl I have got bogged down with the stories of non genuine items.
Can anyone point me in the direction of a genuine item UK seller, it’s a minefield out there!
Thanks in advance,
Jonathan.
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Not UK, but I got mine from Long Island Watches
Can of worms.
I never got on top of this, but I think that the Sea-Gull Official Store on AliExpress may sell the 'genuine' article. £583.02!?!
I bought mine from Tourbillon Watch 0fficial Store when Just One More Watch had a discount code. Mine is the 38mm with sapphire crystal, but they offer different combinations of size and crystal. Seems to work well enough and is plenty of watch for the money. £135.10 for the one that you're wanting.
I’m by no means an expert but I’m not sure if an official one is even identifiable. You have knockoffs using the same movement, cases and crystals as the proper one. From what I’ve read Seagull seem to supply the parts directly to counterfeiters. Even trying to order one from the seagull website makes me question whether it’s the actual seagull website or a counterfeit one!
I’ve flirted with buying one before but I couldn’t find a satisfactory answer and gave up in the end as I wasn’t prepared to buy a replica, even if that seems to be a natural part of the ownership experience. I wish you more success!
Thanks all for the replies, don’t think I am any nearer to making a purchase yet though!
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Here you go.
https://watchunique.com/
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Thanks Mr Curta.Originally Posted by Mr Curta
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This is an updated site however, I was under the impression that this was the real deal and always has been plus, great choice:
• https://seagull1963.org/watches/
Last edited by stix; 3rd May 2022 at 14:49.
Well I think I have exhausted (or is that I’m exhausted with it) what is on the tinterweb, my brief summary is this and it concurs with the answers I received above.
The most probable/possibly/maybe real reissue of the 1963 prototype is sold by the Sea (hyphen) Gull official store for £485, solid case back and QR code for registration.
The rest that we will see out there use a pukka movement but who knows where the rest of the watch is made, maybe by the same suppliers to Sea (hyphen) Gull, who knows.
Pay £150 for a nice looking watch with dubious origins or £485 for possibly the real thing.
Jeez.
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Seems a no brainer...
Communist systems usually produce standard products in many factories, so it's not like buying a Rolex or an Omega.
If the movement is right and it looks right, that is probably as close as you'll ever be sure of!
M
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Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Yup. And while a manual wind column wheel chronograph is easily worth £485, the (possibly) semi-sanctioned replicas make it seem like a rip off.
Too messy for me!
They're practically disposable so I wouldn't over think it and I certainly wouldn't pay 3x as much to buy from one dubious Ali Express seller over another dubious Ali Express seller. If the company puts no effort into differentiating themselves from the multitude of other shops selling the identical watch on the same platform, and better yet seems to supply the other stores, then I don't think it becomes the customers problem to somehow solve the puzzle. Just my 2 cents.
You pays your money and you takes your choice. Many purists like the HKED version with the Star Trek style logo, this is mine:
This video is quite illuminating on the subject:
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Mine certainly makes a lot of my other watches seem overpriced. What was it, £120 or thereabouts? And not being the 'official' one, it has the exhibition caseback.
Keeps good time too. What's not to like?
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Thanks for the continued input guys.
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Here's the thread on WUS regarding the background to the HKED project:
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/e...watch.1069351/
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Thanks Mr C, I’m certainly leaning towards the HKED version, closer to the original and maybe even a step up in quality from what I can gather.
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Here are the WatchUnique and HKED project versions side-by-side. There are a lot of differences and both have their merits. Obviously the ST1901 movements are the same, and although not terribly reliable they are inexpensive to obtain parts for.
The HKED version has a slightly paler dial with really nice concentric rings on the sub-dials, a gold coloured chapter ring and the cool original logo. What it gains in authenticity of design it loses in legibility compared to the blue hands of the more common 'reissue'.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
FWIW I have a model from 2008:
I wrote a bit about it back then:
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/1963.169653/
And a zenith pilot watch from '45 for obvious reasons:
Last edited by M4tt; 7th May 2022 at 23:33.
Thanks all for the additional info.
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Just to round this thread off, I received this little beauty today from a member on here, (thanks Tom). HKED WUS edition, solid case back, quite taken with it.
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Just to round this thread off, I received this little beauty today from a member on here, (thanks Tom). HKED WUS edition, solid case back, quite taken with it.
I like that far more than the regular ones.
The blue hands are just too many colours for me (and the lack of Chinese characters improves it in my eyes, too).
I've never really seen the appeal of these, though, but then it'd be a dull world if we all liked the same thing
M
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
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