Re: Seagull auto

On May 29, 2:41 pm, "Jack Denver" <nunuv...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I'm just back from 2 weeks in China - I was utterly stunned by the technical
and economic strides that China is making.  I expected a sort of
third-worldish place (and there were some vestiges of that) but what I saw
instead knocked my socks off - they are developing at such a rate that in
some areas, almost without realizing it themselves, they have not only
caught up with the West but have such momentum that they have zoomed right
past us - for example this year China will be the #1 automobile market in
the world, selling more cars than the US.  And they drive these cars on 8
lane elevated expressways past soaring skyscrapers, not on rutted dirt
paths.

On the watch front (and I'll write more about this later) the Seagull
movement you describe is almost a part for part copy of the ETA autos -
someone did a side by side teardown and I'll find the link for it, and it is
damn close to the real thing. I saw the same thing in many fields - Chinese
manufacturing is still beset by some quality control type issues but the
stuff they are making is quite close to top Western products and getting
closer by the minute.  Not sure where the Seagulls are ending up  (other
than in fakes, which are ample and range from pathetically bad quartz
"Rolexes" to a very convincing full automatic "Fauxmega" chronograph that I
saw.  A Westerner who walks down the main pedestrian mall in Shanghai is
approached by countless hawkers who (I suppose in response to some kind of
crackdown) carry a laminated card with PICTURES of fake watches - if you
show interest  (which I did not) they will take you to a shop where they
will show you the actual watches. In other places the fakes were sold openly
or sometimes kept seperately "in the back" but show to you at the slightest
sign of interest. And no I did not buy any fakes.)

 Chinese consumers in general are absolutely mad for, and very knowledgeable
about, Western brands when they can afford them (and apparently many can - I
saw countless billboards, etc. for the top Swiss and German brands, which
are sold in luxurious shops that would not be out of place in London or
Zurich) while Seagull has very limited distribution and marketing power.
And talk about marketing - the country is a "Communist" dictatorship (I put
Communism in quotes because it is the most capitalistic place I have ever
been) but the Party keeps a fairly low profile - there's that one big
picture of Mao on Tienanmen Square but there are pictures of the Colonel (as
in KFC) everywhere - there's literally a KFC at every major intersection in
every big city.

Their domestic market is now a mature consumer culture where (just as in the
West) marketing and prestige count more than the technical attributes in
watches and many other products, and the Chinese consumers themselves prefer
well known Western "brand" names over Chinese products that they see as
being inferior.

That's enough for now, but my overall impression of the country is "wow".
Ten or 20 years ago they were way behind (their entire economy essentially
had to be restarted from zero at the end of the Mao period), now they are
"that" close to the West  in their coastal region (parts of the interior are
still behind)  and still  progressing very rapidly (this year their economy
will grow by "only" 8% while Western economies are negative)  - its not hard
to guess where they will be in ten years from now.  Although I am happy for
the Chinese people who now are enjoying material wealth beyond their wildest
dreams of 30 years ago (once they dreamed of owning a bicycle, now the goal
and in many cases the reality  is a German luxury car) I am very concerned
for the West -  while they have toiled day and night we have been asleep at
the switch. As I said before there is an opening in that Chinese consumers
like Western brands but it won't take too long before we are back at the
situation that prevailed before the Opium Wars - we will want Chinese goods
but there will be nothing that the Chinese will want back from us, because
(as their emperor once said, in a letter rejecting trade with the West) all
things under heaven and earth are produced in China.

"dAz" <d...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:gvgqfn$fl7$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I got my hands on a Seagull auto date movement today, first chance I have
had in having a close look at one.

that Seagull movement is quite nice for a chinese made one, the finish is
good, I noticed the tolerances of the pivots are a little looser than what
I am used to with ETA movements and the finishing on some components like
the stem are a little rough.

but overall a good effort, nice finish on the plates and rotor, fully
jewelled plates right down to the barrel, 28,800bph train, has a nice
clean trace on the timer with little variations in different positions.

I broke one of the barrel bridge screws when I was screwing it back in
place, a screw from an ETA auto fitted straight in :)

the main differences between this and the ETA version is small, mainly
things like tolerances, the finish or polish on operating surfaces could
be better.

I think the attitude of ETA/Swatch is stupid, they are shooting themselves
in the foot, because it won't take long for the Chinese and others to fill
in the gaps, and if this movement is any indication the quality can only
get better.

Nice to have you back, looking forward to reading your further news.

Indeed China, can proudly look back to their 7000 years of "recorded"
history and is once again on the verge of taking the lead in many
ways. What we should do now is read Confucius.

.

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