Today, I’m moving up the ladder of Chinese watches. I’m taking apart my beloved Sea-Gull 816.351. This is my everyday watch, and I absolutely love it. I’ve regulated to be 2 seconds fast during the day when I wear it, and then I put it face up on my bedside table and it loses 1-2 seconds overnight. It does this constantly, so the movement must be quite good!

The looks are almost identical to the Sea-Gull M177S – with slight differences of the dial and of course the metal wrist band.  Continue reading →

Another Chinese bargain watch – the Sea-Gull M177S.

First impressions are good – it comes in a decent box, with a manual entirely in Mandarin. But manuals are for wimps, right?

The Sea-Gull M177S - great no-frills look

I love the look of this watch. It’s quite understated, the dial and hands are of great standard, and the watch case is nicely finished. A very happy unboxing indeed!  Continue reading →

Parnis is a Chinese watch maker. Their watches are cheap and cheerful – this one cost me £ 58 on the internet. So expectations shouldn’t be too high.

Parnis Automatic Power Reserve Tourbillon – pleasant dial

Firstly, I notice that this is not an illegal copy of another watch – this is a Parnis and looks like one. The design might remind you of some IWC watches, but this is not a copy of anything. Good on them.

The leather strap is nice and thick, and made of real leather.

The back of the watch is glass, so you can see the movement in action.

The face is rather nice – at 10 o’clock, there is a dial for the current date, and at 2 o’clock, a dial for the power reserve which is actually fairly accurate. Continue reading →