“He’s really been saving up just for this watch — one that can only be bought here in China.”
As American tourist Emma explained this to the camera, she and her boyfriend walked into Seagull’s Beijing boutique to purchase the 1963 Pilot Chronograph — a watch he had dreamed of owning for ten years. Emma is the sister of “Lao Zhang & Annie,” a social media duo who documented the story and shared it with Chinese viewers on Xiaohongshu.
And Emma’s boyfriend isn’t the only foreign Seagull fan.
Forty-year-old Sergio Verdugo from Santiago, Chile, told Jiemian News that the Seagull 1963 Chronograph might be the most discussed Chinese-made watch among international collectors and horological experts. “It’s often described as interesting, functional, beautiful, and offering excellent value for money,” he said.
For years, Seagull has had no physical retail presence in regions such as North or South America. YouTube, TikTok, and specialist watch community websites have been the main ways overseas enthusiasts discover the brand. For a long time, international buyers could only acquire Seagull watches via third-party resellers or while traveling to China.
However, that may soon change, as the brand is accelerating its push into global markets.
In 2022, Seagull launched its DTC (direct-to-consumer) international website, Seagullwatches.com. By 2024, it had opened three boutiques in Hong Kong and entered retailers in Singapore, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian cities.
Originally, Seagull planned to expand into North America, Europe, and the Middle East around 2026–2027. But based on strong performance in East and Southeast Asia, its parent company told Jiemian News that this timeline is now expected to move forward.
According to Xu Chuangyue, Chairman and General Manager of Tianjin Seagull Watch Group, Seagull’s overseas business has achieved growth of 100% to 200% over the past three quarters. Excluding its movement-supply operations, international revenue now accounts for about 8% of total sales — “and we conservatively estimate 10% by year-end,” Xu said.
Addressing Overcapacity Through Global Expansion
One of the main motivations behind Seagull’s international push is to tackle overcapacity.
By 2024, the Tianjin-based group had achieved an annual production capacity of 3 million movements and 200,000 complete watches, including over 4,000 high-end timepieces. This level of output is on par with some leading Swiss manufacturers.
According to Morgan Stanley’s 2024 analysis of Swiss watch brands, Seagull’s production volume already exceeds that of Breitling, Tudor, and IWC.
However, while those Swiss brands export globally, Seagull’s comparable production has long been concentrated in the domestic market — one that has faced prolonged stagnation. Over the past three years, demand in China’s traditional watch sector has remained weak, and Swiss watch exports to the Chinese mainland have dropped by double-digit percentages annually. Globally, the watch industry is grappling with excess inventory.
“The domestic market has been rather passive,” Xu said. “Competition is fierce, and companies face significant localized overcapacity.”
For instance, Seagull recently launched a new titanium flyback chronograph — the ST1961 Rattrapante Split Second Chronograph model — to celebrate its 70th anniversary. The initial batch of 500 pieces sold out immediately, with a second batch of 500 now in planning.
That figure alone exceeds the annual global production of similar split-second chronographs by prestigious Swiss houses like Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Söhne, and Breguet.
According to Ding Zhixiang, Cultural Council Member of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), “Seagull’s first batch of 500 pieces is equivalent to what Swiss brands produce in this category over an entire year. Some might take two years to make that many.”
Converting Technical Strength into Market Demand
Xu believes the key for Seagull now is to transform its manufacturing advantage into market demand.
As one of the few fully vertically integrated watchmakers worldwide — capable of both movement R&D and complete watch production — Seagull currently operates 11 movement series and over 200 variations, accounting for around 40% of global movement supply.
Among these, the ST19 chronograph movement is the best known internationally.
The ST19 traces its origins to the ST3, developed in 1963 for the Chinese Air Force. It features a column-wheel and horizontal clutch design, offering smooth operation and reliable precision.
The movement is similar to the historic Venus 175, but after Venus ceased production in 1966, Seagull became the only manufacturer continuing its refinement. The company has since developed multiple generations of ST19-based calibers.
As Ding explained, “Seagull is the only brand still making this type of movement, and after years of persistence, it’s become very stable — that’s why it’s so widely respected.”
Today, the ST19 structure is typically seen in high-end chronographs. Comparable Swiss models often cost six figures, while Seagull watches using the same movement retail for just one-tenth or one-twentieth of that price.
“This gives Seagull’s chronographs virtually no rivals in the mid-tier market,” Ding noted.
Currently, ST19 movements are supplied to over 60 overseas designer brands, including the rising British independent label Studio Underd0g. After years of collaboration between “foreign design” and “Chinese engineering,” Ding observed that “in many enthusiast circles overseas, the ST19 name actually has more influence than it does domestically.”
Chilean collector Sergio Verdugo, who owns a small-brand Sugess watch powered by an ST19, said: “China’s watchmaking industry has advanced so much that it can now compete with Swiss-made timepieces.”
Beyond chronograph movements, Seagull also produces minute repeater, tourbillon, and perpetual calendar calibers — an exceptionally broad range that underpins its global ambitions.
“There are real opportunities overseas,” Ding said. “Foreign collectors are especially passionate about chronographs and care deeply about movement finishing and mechanical detail. If Seagull can continue refining its craftsmanship, it could raise prices moderately and still remain far more affordable than Swiss products.”
The Branding Challenge: Global Aesthetics and Local Expression
But Seagull’s greatest challenges go beyond technology — its design language and artistic expression must also resonate internationally.
Since Fosun Group became an indirect majority shareholder in 2019, Seagull has been undergoing a major brand transformation.
On the product side, it has invested more in original design, integrating traditional Chinese craftsmanship such as gold engraving and drawing inspiration from Chinese cultural motifs like the Classic of Mountains and Seas and the Sun Bird totem. In 2025, Seagull plans to debut a timepiece inspired by the Twenty-Four Solar Terms.
“As a Chinese brand, we naturally have an advantage in expressing Eastern aesthetics,” Xu said.
However, Swiss watchmakers currently show greater mastery in incorporating Chinese cultural elements — a testament to their longer industrial history and deeper heritage in traditional artistry.
Brands such as Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Cartier have featured Chinese zodiac motifs, imperial robe patterns, and lunar calendar elements on their dials.
Chinese culture has thus become a universal design theme in global watchmaking. The difference now lies in who can craft truly distinctive interpretations and use savvy marketing to build emotional resonance with a broader audience.
According to Ding, Japanese high-end independent watchmakers that have “forged unique paths” through design and innovation in recent years may offer a useful reference for Chinese brands seeking global expansion.
Local Adaptation Will Be Crucial
Finally, Seagull must also confront the challenge of localization.
Different regions have different consumer preferences — a lesson Western brands learned the hard way while entering China, and one Chinese brands must now learn in reverse.
“In the future, we’ll definitely pursue co-creation with local partners in overseas markets,” Xu told Jiemian News.
In short, Seagull’s journey from Tianjin to the world marks a turning point for Chinese watchmaking — from being the “movement factory of the world” to becoming a brand with its own voice on the international stage.
By Huang Shan, Jiemian News Reporter
Edited by Lou Qiqin, Jiemian News Editor
