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Sea-Gull (Tianjin)

The Tianjin watchmaker that grew from the trial group of 1955, made the air force chronograph of the 1960s and the Dongfeng, and became, by its own account, China’s largest maker of mechanical movements, supplying assemblers abroad and making tourbillons and repeaters.

Founded 1955 (as the Tianjin watch trial group; factory dates disputed), Owned by Tianjin Sea-Gull Watch Group Co. Ltd, controlled by the Tianjin state assets commission until 2019; since the mixed-ownership reform of 2019, 65 per cent held by Yuyuan (Fosun) through Shanghai Hanchen Watch Group

In the histories China builds a watch industry, Making watches today

A steel chronograph wristwatch on a white surface: a silvered dial with black Roman numerals, two sub-dials, a moon-phase window marked SEA-GULL and pushers beside the crown.
A Sea-Gull M199S chronograph, made by Tianjin Seagull Watch Group.6 Photograph: Martell (CC BY-SA 3.0). View full original at Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · 1,536 × 1,152 px; CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab). Adapted; shared alike.

From the trial group to the factory

Sea-Gull grew from the Tianjin trial group that finished the Five Star watch on 24 March 1955.1, 2, 4

Its factory’s early name and date are disputed: Sea-Gull and Xinhua say 1955; Chinese Watch Wiki says the Tianjin Wuyi Watch Factory opened in 1958 and was renamed Tianjin Watch Factory in 1962.2, 4, 5

Sea-Gull calls the Five Star China’s first domestically developed wristwatch and its Model 51, the Wuyi, the first Chinese watch made in quantity.4

Chinese Watch Wiki says the Wuyi watches were built on Swiss FHF designs and made until 1971.5

A time line of Sea-Gull (Tianjin) from 1955 to today. Dots mark the key dates.
Sea-Gull (Tianjin) from 1955 to today. The dots are its key dates.1, 2, 4, 5

The air force chronograph

The air force chronograph of Project 304 was made with Swiss Venus calibre 175 tooling, by Chinese Watch Wiki’s account; Sea-Gull says 1,400 went to pilots.3, 4

Its date is contested: 1963 by Sea-Gull and Wikipedia; approved in December 1965 and delivered by May 1966 by Chinese Watch Wiki.3, 4, 7

The air force chronograph came back as the ST19, which Chinese Watch Wiki says was revived in 2003.3, 5

Dongfeng and export

The Dongfeng of 1966 was, Sea-Gull says, designed and mass-produced by its own watchmakers.4, 5

Chinese Watch Wiki says export was approved in 1973 under the name Sea-Gull, and that Sea-Gull watches reached Britain in 1977 and 1978.5

Quartz, the market and a new home

The company was formed in 1992; Wikipedia and Chinese Watch Wiki say it then gave up mechanical watches for quartz and reversed the decision five years later.5, 7, 8

It was listed on the stock market in 2000 and opened a Hong Kong office for exports in 2003.5, 7

It moved to new works near Tianjin airport in 2010.4, 7

Movements for others

Chinese Watch Wiki says Sea-Gull became a large supplier of cheap automatic movements to foreign assemblers, above all in Hong Kong, makes copies of the ETA 2824 and 2892, and supplies ébauches to Swiss finishers.5

A steel bracelet watch with a black bezel, its open dial showing a skeletonised silver movement with gold balance wheel and red jewels, the dial lettered Armitron and Automatic.
An automatic skeleton watch whose movement, the record says, is a China-made Sea-Gull ST16 with holes cut in its plates and wheels.9 Photograph: Hustvedt (CC BY-SA 3.0). Cropped here. View full original at Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · 2,000 × 2,430 px; CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab). Adapted; shared alike.
A steel bracelet watch with a black bezel, its open dial showing a skeletonised silver movement with gold balance wheel and red jewels, the dial lettered Armitron and Automatic.
An automatic skeleton watch whose movement, the record says, is a China-made Sea-Gull ST16 with holes cut in its plates and wheels.10 Photograph: Hustvedt (CC BY-SA 3.0). Cropped here. View full original at Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab) · 2,000 × 2,430 px; CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab). Adapted; shared alike.

Sea-Gull calls itself China’s largest maker of mechanical movements, at over two million a year; Chinese Wikipedia gives a capacity of six million movements and 200,000 watches in 2012.4, 8

Sea-Gull says that in 2021 it held more than half of the Chinese watch industry’s patents, 1,173 in all.4

Complications

Sea-Gull dates its tourbillon to 2005, a minute repeater to 2006 and a double tourbillon to 2007; its ST9250 of 2009 combines a tourbillon, minute repeater and perpetual calendar.4, 7

Key dates

  1. 1966

    The Dongfeng watch goes into production.4, 5

  2. 1992

    The Tianjin Sea-Gull company is formed and turns to quartz.5, 7, 8

  3. 1997

    Sea-Gull goes back to mechanical movements and drops quartz.5, 7, 8

  4. 2000

    The Sea-Gull group is listed on the stock market.5, 7

  5. 2003

    Sea-Gull opens a Hong Kong office for its exports.5, 7

  6. 2009

    The ST9250 movement combines a tourbillon, minute repeater and perpetual calendar.4, 7

  7. 2010

    Sea-Gull moves to new works near Tianjin airport.4, 7

Where Sea-Gull (Tianjin) leads

  • Based in, PlaceTianjin

    Sea-Gull’s head office and works are near Tianjin airport.4, 7

  • Part of, HistoryChina builds a watch industry

    Tianjin’s watch factory, now a maker of mechanical movements and complicated watches.2, 7

  • Part of, HistoryMaking watches today

    Tianjin’s movement maker, which says it can make three million movements a year.11

  • See also, CompanyShanghai Watch Factory

    The two historic state makers, both brought into Fosun’s watch business in 2019, by Chinese Wikipedia’s account.8, 12

  • See also, EventThe ETA supply dispute

    Monochrome counts Sea-Gull’s movements among the cheaper alternatives smaller brands used as ETA’s supply shrank.13

Facts and sources

Founded
1955 (as the Tianjin watch trial group; factory dates disputed)1, 2, 4, 5
Based
Tianjin, China4, 7
Owner
Tianjin Sea-Gull Watch Group Co. Ltd, controlled by the Tianjin state assets commission until 2019; since the mixed-ownership reform of 2019, 65 per cent held by Yuyuan (Fosun) through Shanghai Hanchen Watch Group14, 15

Sources

  1. 1

    新中国第一只国产手表是怎样诞生的？ (How new China's first domestic watch was born) (opens in a new tab), The Paper (澎湃新闻, government account), 6 June 2021, quoting Guo Hui of the Tianjin Museum, independent

  2. 2

    时光相册丨70年前，这里诞生了新中国第一只国产手表 (Seventy years ago new China's first domestic watch was born here) (opens in a new tab), Xinhua News Agency, 24 March 2025 (photos Zhao Zishuo), independent

  3. 3

    Project 304 chronograph (opens in a new tab), Chinese Watch Wiki (collectors' wiki), independent

  4. 4

    About Us (opens in a new tab), SEA-GULL Watch (Tianjin Seagull Watch Group), official website, official

  5. 5

    Tianjin Sea-Gull (opens in a new tab), Chinese Watch Wiki (collectors' wiki), independent

  6. 6

    A Sea-Gull M199S chronograph, made by Tianjin Seagull Watch Group. (opens in a new tab), Wikimedia Commons, public record

  7. 7

    Tianjin Seagull (opens in a new tab), Wikipedia, independent

  8. 8

    海鸥手表 (Sea-Gull watches) (opens in a new tab), Chinese Wikipedia, independent

  9. 9

    An automatic skeleton watch whose movement, the record says, is a China-made Sea-Gull ST16 with holes cut in its plates and wheels. (opens in a new tab), Wikimedia Commons, public record

  10. 10

    An automatic skeleton watch whose movement, the record says, is a China-made Sea-Gull ST16 with holes cut in its plates and wheels. (opens in a new tab), Wikimedia Commons, public record

  11. 11

    Seagull’s annual movement production capacity exceeds 3 million (opens in a new tab), Tianjin Sea-Gull (brand site), official

  12. 12

    Shanghai Watch Factory (opens in a new tab), Chinese Watch Wiki (collectors' wiki), independent

  13. 13

    Alternatives to off-the-shelf Swiss ETA and Sellita movements, with Seagull, Seiko and Miyota (Erik Slaven, 12 December 2018) (opens in a new tab), Monochrome Watches, independent

  14. 14

    新中国“第一块手表”易主 豫园股份将获天津海鸥65%股权 (Yuyuan to take 65 per cent of Tianjin Sea-Gull) (opens in a new tab), Securities Times (证券时报网), Mei Shuang, 21 November 2019, reprinted by Stockstar, independent

  15. 15

    北京天时恒生网络股份有限公司 2024年年度报告 (Beijing Ttime Network Co., annual report 2024), NEEQ 838243, announcement 2025-004 (opens in a new tab), Beijing Ttime Network Co., Ltd., filed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations, public record

Sources read November 12, 2026.