Noticed a pic. of this on thier tmall store site, and the no seconds sub-dial SB18's.
......and the new prices
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......and the new prices
You got a link to the BJWAF tmall store, Dave?Noticed a pic. of this on thier tmall store site, and the no seconds sub-dial SB18's.
......and the new prices(
You got a link to the BJWAF tmall store, Dave?
I *did* find these new SB18-engined watches on the bjqiaohanmei Taobao store. No seconds hand at all, which resolves the sub-seconds point in a way. Roman numerals not my thing, but I have to admit it's a handsome beast anyway:
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Looks to be CNY 8,800 rrp, and CNY 6,688 with the usual discounts. That's $1,400 and $1,100 respectively. Looks like BJWAF have realised what they're truly worth, and the days of an inhouse handwind movement for only $300 are drawing to a close.
Ric
So the "new" SB18 might be a centre-seconds version? Could that mean BJWAF might retain both versions so they can also continue to offer sub-seconds in parallel? I hope so. Easy not to see in modern times, but centre-seconds was the original fancy complication coming out of the 1950s... it was the overhead cam of its time. 99% of vintage watches came with sub-seconds until then.Is this new movement really designated SB18?
The functional difference is that whereas the old movement has the wheels positioned more-or-less the same as the classic Miyota 8200 (escape wheel at 6 o'clock, 4th wheel at 5 o'clock), and therefore requires an indirectly-driven second hand even for a 6 o'clock sub-dial (unless the movement is rotated to place the crown at 4 o'clock); the new movement has a new alignment placing the 4th wheel at 6 o'clock to directly drive the second hand (if installed at 6 o'clock).
This closely matches the change between the Sea-Gull ST16 and ST17, which is why we tend to see the ST17 in watches with a 6 o'clock sub-dial e.g. Rodina.
Is this new movement really designated SB18?
The functional difference is that whereas the old movement has the wheels positioned more-or-less the same as the classic Miyota 8200 (escape wheel at 6 o'clock, 4th wheel at 5 o'clock), and therefore requires an indirectly-driven second hand even for a 6 o'clock sub-dial (unless the movement is rotated to place the crown at 4 o'clock); the new movement has a new alignment placing the 4th wheel at 6 o'clock to directly drive the second hand (if installed at 6 o'clock).
This closely matches the change between the Sea-Gull ST16 and ST17, which is why we tend to see the ST17 in watches with a 6 o'clock sub-dial e.g. Rodina.
Completely agree with you Ric, folks have got to realise how much a truly in-house watch costs to produce (don't forget 2 million USD and 2 years investment for the movement - for the SB18 it was more than 4 years. In Switzerland it would cost slightly more) with its R&D and the tooling needed. From what I was told, many of the lesser SB18s are installed in the lower-priced SB18-powered Beijing watches. That's not a problem for those who've bought the Zhufeng as 300 USD for a watch of such quality is just unheard of. It feels and looks better than the IWC Portuguese for example.You got a link to the BJWAF tmall store, Dave?
I *did* find these new SB18-engined watches on the bjqiaohanmei Taobao store. No seconds hand at all, which resolves the sub-seconds point in a way. Roman numerals not my thing, but I have to admit it's a handsome beast anyway:
¹ú²ú±í±±¾©»úеÊÖ±í öùÓãÆ¤´ø·ÀË®ÖÐÐÔ±í ³¬±¡²»Ðâ¸ÖÄÚǶ·©Àűí-ÌÔ±¦Íø
Looks to be CNY 8,800 rrp, and CNY 6,688 with the usual discounts. That's $1,400 and $1,100 respectively. Looks like BJWAF have realised what they're truly worth, and the days of an inhouse handwind movement for only $300 are drawing to a close.
Ric
I did time the ZhuFeng when I just got it. After wearing it for a few days, it was on average +1.5 seconds per 24 hours. The power reserve was very good, something like 50+ hours, but I have to verify to be sure.Any of you guys time the performance of the SB18-3 (or if there are any SB18-6 out there) watches - eg Beihai, Zhufeng?
The Beijing people told me the specs of the movement, but I'm curious to hear real-life reports. I've never bothered myself to be honest - there is no greater luxury then having time![]()
I'm on the fence about getting the Beihai 50th anniversary. How much better is the newly-designed SB-18? I seem to recall seeing some Beihai that weren't anniversary editions (China Made instead of Make in China IIRC).... apparently the one in my watch is a newly-designed SB18, which is just starting to be produced and has not yet (or will never be - still unclear) been installed on the latest batches of the Beihai and Zhufeng.
According to them, the reliability and accuracy of this latest iteration is much better than the previous one. .....
The movement on my Beijing Behai that I received 2 weeks ago is identical to the one in your photo. The literature that came with the watch said it is an SB18-3Guys, recently I noticed a few differences between the SB18 movement in my enamel dial watch and the one in the Beihai. The positions of the gold chatons is different and the 3/4 plate is aligned differently.
So a quick text message to the Beijing manager and apparently the one in my watch is a newly-designed SB18, which is just starting to be produced and has not yet (or will never be - still unclear) been installed on the latest batches of the Beihai and Zhufeng.
According to them, the reliability and accuracy of this latest iteration is much better than the previous one. I also think it looks better as the 3/4 plate is now straighter and looks better with Chinese characters engraved on it, like a scroll. Beijing also said my CELADON Imperials made by them will have this new movement, which definitely made my day.
View attachment 1092712
Was that the limited edition? Who'd you buy it from? Can you post or PM the details (or just vaguely point in the right direction)?The movement on my Beijing Behai that I received 2 weeks ago is identical to the one in your photo. The literature that came with the watch said it is an SB18-3