“Uncle Kou, the two heirloom watches you repaired for me are incredible. They’re running extremely accurately now. One day, I’ll invite you to Beijing to stay for a while—and maybe help my neighbors repair their watches too.”
This was a phone call Mr. Yang, a Beijing resident, made to Mr. Kou Zhonghuai, a resident of Jingyajiali Community in Liulin Subdistrict, Hexi District, Tianjin. Mr. Yang was expressing his heartfelt gratitude after Mr. Kou successfully restored two inherited mechanical wristwatches from the 1940s—a Swiss Titoni and an Enicar—both family treasures.
Now 71 years old, Mr. Kou is a retired master technician from Tianjin Seagull Watch Group. Over the past 18 years, he has voluntarily repaired more than 10,000 wristwatches and over 300 clocks for community residents, serving tens of thousands of people. Remarkably, he has never had a single return for rework. He charges nothing for labor—only the basic cost of batteries or replacement parts.
1. A Watchmaking Expert in the Community
One of China’s First-Generation Watch Assemblers
“Tiny watches measure time with care,
Easy to carry, for all to share.
If your watch breaks, don’t despair—
Go find Technician Kou right there.”
This lighthearted verse, widely known in the neighborhood, was composed by local residents in appreciation of Mr. Kou.
Mr. Kou joined the Tianjin Watch Factory in 1960, at just 16 years old. Upon entering the factory, he was immediately captivated by the automated lathes, orderly production lines, and the rhythmic tick-tock of mechanical movements.
“The sound in the workshop fascinated me,” he recalls. “That was when I truly fell in love with this profession.”
Under the guidance of senior masters, he studied watchmaking and repair with dedication, quickly mastering the twelve standard procedures of mechanical watch servicing, as well as advanced techniques for hand-fabricating components—a rare and demanding skill. His rapid progress earned him widespread respect.
During factory-wide technical competitions, Mr. Kou became well known. He referred to the balance wheel, bridge, and train wheel as the “three core components” of a mechanical watch. His personal record: assembling over 300 components in a single day, earning him the nickname “Little Tiger.”
In a major technical competition in 1977, contestants were asked to repair stopped watches and see whose would run the longest without winding. The watch repaired by Mr. Kou ran continuously for 53 hours, far exceeding the requirement and surpassing several senior craftsmen—earning him first prize.
Thanks to his exceptional skill and reliability, Mr. Kou was awarded the title of Master Technician, becoming one of Tianjin’s first-generation watch assembly craftsmen. In the 1980s, he was stationed in Guangzhou and Shenzhen to support service centers, where his work helped reinforce the reputation of Seagull watches nationwide.
2. “Are There Watches That Can’t Be Fixed?”
Volunteering to Repair Thousands of Watches Over 18 Years
After retirement, Mr. Kou found it impossible to let go of the craft he had practiced for more than four decades.
One morning, while exercising in his residential garden, he overheard an elderly woman say, “My watch is broken. I went to several repair shops, and none of them could fix it.”
“A broken watch that can’t be repaired?”
The words sparked his curiosity immediately.
“I used to work at a watch factory—let me take a look,” he offered. Drawing on decades of experience, he repaired the watch with ease. From that moment on, neighbors began bringing him their broken watches.
His services were primarily for community residents—especially low-income families, elderly individuals living alone, people with disabilities, and families of revolutionary martyrs. As many residents put it:
“When Uncle Kou repairs a watch, we feel completely at ease. The workmanship is excellent, he charges no labor fee, and it comes with lifetime care.”
Since then, Mr. Kou has become a devoted community volunteer. Even today, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, he carries his tools to the community service point—rain or shine.
“When it’s busy, the room can’t even hold everyone. Sometimes more than twenty people line up to wait,” community staff members note.
For Mr. Kou, a small watch is deeply connected to everyday life—and to memory. One elderly man brought him a Shanghai 581 watch:
“I’ve worn this watch for 43 years. I can’t bear to throw it away. I’ve tried everywhere, but no one could fix it.”
After inspection, Mr. Kou found damage to the seconds wheel pivot and a misaligned shock absorber. Replacement parts no longer existed. He searched flea markets repeatedly, found a donor watch of the same model, carefully salvaged the needed components, fully disassembled, cleaned, repaired, adjusted, and regulated the movement.
When the watch began ticking again and was returned to its owner, the elderly man was moved to tears.
3. A Master Craftsman Whose Reputation Spread Far and Wide
More Than 20 Repair Logs Preserving Time and Memory
Most watches Mr. Kou repairs date back to the 1940s and 1950s. Years of use cause oil degradation, component wear, broken crowns, cracked crystals, and other issues. As spare parts have long been discontinued, he often sources donor watches from vintage markets and performs meticulous part replacements.
Each repair requires a full disassembly, manual cleaning of every component, replacement or correction of damaged parts, lubrication, and timing regulation—often taking one to two hours per watch.
Whether Swiss brands or iconic Chinese watches, every timepiece restored by Mr. Kou emerges renewed.
“To use my skills to serve others—that’s my greatest joy,” he says. “An old watch may not be worth much money, but it carries priceless memories.”
As media coverage spread, requests for repairs poured in—from across Tianjin, from surrounding districts, and even from Beijing. One official brought a ‘51’ commemorative watch developed by Tianjin Watch Factory. A critical component had failed, and no replacement could be found—until Mr. Kou’s wife discovered a red box during a house cleaning.
Inside was Mr. Kou’s own ‘51’ commemorative watch.
Without hesitation, he carefully removed the needed component from his personal keepsake and installed it into the client’s watch—bringing it back to life.
Today, more than 20 handwritten repair logbooks are preserved in Mr. Kou’s home.
“Although I’ve been retired for many years,” he often says,
“the skills of a ‘Seagull man’ are still here, and so is the spirit. To serve people with my craftsmanship—that is my greatest happiness.”
