Zach Kazan, an editor at Worn & Wound, in his opinion, in a world of predictable releases, genuine surprises in horology are rare and exhilarating. Enter the Seagull Split-Second Chronograph Limited, a $3,649 rattrapante chronograph that defies expectations. Known for its complexity and traditionally high price tags, the split-second chronograph has long been reserved for luxury brands. Seagull, however, has disrupted the market with this classically styled timepiece, powered by their ST1961—a modified version of their ST1901 movement with a cam-based system replacing the column wheel. Offering 45 hours of power reserve and a design that nods to traditional aesthetics, this watch is a remarkable achievement in affordable haute horlogerie. This release not only exemplifies the "Bel Canto Effect" of accessible luxury but also cements Seagull’s place as a pioneer in bringing sophisticated mechanics to a broader audience. Discover why Zach Kazan considers this watch a must-have for enthusiasts and collectors alike.
We probably sound like a broken record, saying it over and over again, but there’s really nothing quite like a genuine surprise in this hobby. It’s just that there’s so much predictability, month after month and year after year, it’s naturally the quirky and strange stuff that stands out and makes us really take notice. There are also, sometimes, watches that come along that present a truly shocking value proposition, which for those of us with watch budgets that fluctuate but are very much finite, is something that really gets us excited. Lately, we’ve taken notice of a number of independent brands offering previously exclusive complications at prices that only a few years ago would have been unheard of. We can call this the Bel Canto Effect, if you’d like, because it’s a trend that, if it didn’t start with Christopher Ward, is still very much exemplified by their affordable chiming watch. Perhaps even more unlikely than Christopher Ward dropping a chiming watch in a haute horlogerie design language, now we have word of Sea-Gull’s release of an affordable split-second chronograph, a complication that for years has been associated with the highest end brands.
The Sea-Gull Split-Second Chronograph Limited, as it’s known, is a $3,649 rattrapante chronograph presented in a classical style. It’s extremely under the radar, so much so that we genuinely wonder why more people are not talking about it. Just in case you need a refresher on what a split-second chronograph does and what makes it special, it’s a specialized timing device that’s designed to allow the user to measure two separate events at the same time. It uses two chronograph seconds hands that can started and stopped independently, so it’s particularly useful for a variety of sporting events. In a traditional split-seconds chronograph, the seconds hands are stacked on top of each other so there only appears to be one at a glance, but “splitting” them leaves one to stop while the other continues. When rattrapante chronograph is split, it’s a highly distinctive look and a visual giveaway that you’re dealing with a pretty serious piece of mechanical horology.
Split-second chronographs are known to be quite delicate and a level or two up in terms of degree of difficulty when it comes to design, assembly, and service. Because of their complexity and the cost associated with them, they’ve traditionally been produced by high end brands and have commanded retail prices well into the five figures. Notably Maria and Richard Habring designed a module made to be affixed to a Valjoux 7750 that would effectively create a rattrapante out of a standard chrono, and they’ve developed refinements to this movement over the years to make the mechanism better and more reliable (IWC also used a version of their movement in the 1990s). These have always been the most accessible split-second chronographs, but they’ve been inexpensive (think low five figures, on average).
So this watch from Sea-Gull, which again is priced at $3,649, is a pretty big deal. It runs on what they’re calling Caliber ST1961, which is based on Sea-Gull’s widely used manually wound, column wheel ST1901 movement. Taking a page out of the Habring playbook, a module has been added to the base movement, but this one replaces the column wheel system with a cam based system, which is a far more economical solution. The movement has 45 hours of power reserve on a full wind, runs in 27 jewels, and operates at 21,600 vibrations per hour.
In terms of the design of the case and dial, it should appeal to collectors and enthusiasts who are traditionally minded. It’s a pretty simple affair, with a white dial and polished Arabic numerals that are Breguet-like without actually being “Breguet numerals,” strictly speaking. The case is quite large, particularly for something in this style, at 42.5mm in diameter and 16mm thick. But, I mean, are we really going to complain about dimensions here? This is a $3,649 split-second chronograph – it shouldn’t really exist at all, at least according to the general wisdom of the watch community of 4 or 5 years ago.
For more information, you can visit Sea-Gull’s official website.
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Blog correction: $3,649 is the price for free shipping and insured delivery to countries and regions outside mainland China.
