[soviet]

Hello watch fans,

This is going to be a long thread as I am going to grade the rarity of vintage Chinese watches in a single thread. There was a similar thread on the old database, but at the moment it looks like those data is lost. I will grade the watches in a 5 ***** system based on my experience of how difficult a watch could be found on the local market.

Impossible to find prototypes will be graded with 5 stars, almost impossible to find watches such as Beijing model 1 will have 4 ****, rare models such as Shanghai 591,662 will be graded with 3 ***, less common Shanghai A581, Tianjin WuYI will have 2**, and other less common models such as A581,A611,A631,common Beijing BS-2s, etc will have 1 *.

In fact, many vintage Chinese watches that I will not grade are fairly rare outside China, and this is purely subjective based on my limited experience and observation. Corrections could be made as I am accumulating more knowledge about these watches.

Kind regards

Zhang

 

[soviet]

Re: Shanghai A591

Shanghai A591 is the first Shanghai watch with a shock absorber on balance. It still has a screw balance as that of A581 watches. It is much less often seen than Shanghai A581 watches. I have only seen one for sale so far for about a year.

raity-***

 

[soviet]

Re: An early Shanghai A581

This Shanghai A581 was made in the early years of A581 production. It has no date codes under the balance. It has a rare dial with luminous hands and hours. Sometime in 1959 Shanhai A581 watches began to have date codes under the balance such as 6107(July, 1961). This is the only example I have seen so far. It has a S/S case. It has the same type of caseback as that of A591 watches with slots for opening.

Shanghai A581 watches were made between 1958-1966.

rarity-***

 

[soviet]

Re: Rare 29 jewels Shanghai automatic

This military Rolex look-alike watch was made between 1970-1977, and was issued to PLA division commanders and above. Only about 4-5 thousand watches were made. Each watch was numbered on the movement and caseback. I have never seen one for sale during last year.

There is a 24 jewels version that was issued to PLA regiment commanders. Derek is lucky enough to have quite a few of these. :-! About 25,000 24 jewels watches were made.

The 29 jewels watch has a SS2 and the 24 jewels watch has a SS4 Shanghai made movement.

A recently found 24 jewels Shanghai military watch.

rarity: 29 jewels version-****, 24 jewels version-***

 

[soviet]

Re: Early Tianjin WUYI

Tianjin, later Sea-gull, made the very 1st Chinese wristwatch in 1955, a 15 jewels pin lever watch virtually made by hand, and with a brand name "WUXING"( five stars). later the brand changed to WUYI(5.1 or May 1st). WUYI watches has a copy of early Breitling movement.

One of the WUXING watches is dislayed at Sea-gull's factory museum, and I would grade it as a rarity *****watch.

Pre-series WUYI are hard to find. They are about as rare as a Russian Sputnik in China.

Pre-series WUYI rarity-***

1958 WUYI with a caseback 58001 rarity-**

 

[soviet]

Re: Textured dial Shanghai A581 watches

Shanghai A581 watches with textured dials and with more arabic hour numbers are less common and are more desirable to a collector.

Here are a couple of examples. One should try to find a watch in as better conditions as possible because worn examples may not be that rare. But NOS are extremely hard if not impossible to find. There are chrome and S/S versions of A581s.

Rarity-**

 

[soviet]

Re: Shanghai A611 watches

Shanghai A611 is an improved version of A581 with shock absorbers and a smooth balance made between 1961-1966? In fact a Shanghai A611 is slightly less often seen than an A581. A very clean Shanghai A611 is about as hard to find as a Sputnik on local markets. A611 usually has 17 钻(ZUAN) on the dials while A581 has 17 占(17 jewels) on the dials.

Rarity-*

 

[soviet]

Re: Shanghai 1120 model watches

Shanghai 1120 watches were made for a short time between 1966-1969? with a slow beat SS1 movement. Clean 1120 watches are sold quickly. People like 1120's 1950's style with a simple pie pan dial. Shanghai 1110 is a chrome version of the S/S 1120, and is less often seen.

I will not grade a 1120, but this model is much less often seen these days than a Shanghai 7120 model watch.

Or maybe I can grade it as -*

 

[soviet]

Re: SB5 Great Wall and Beijing Mudan

Great Wall brand watch with a very dark green pie pan dial, a stylish Chinese logo sign, and a SB5 movement is rare. The Mudan(peony) brand made in Beijing and with a SB5 movement,a pie pan dial, and a blank caseback is also very rare.

So far I have seen only one of each during the last 6 months even in Beijing area.

SB5 Greatwall, rarity-**
Beijing SB5 Mudan, rarity-**

 

[soviet]

Re: black dial Shanghai A581,A611

Black dial Shanghai A581 and A611 watches are very rare. The ratio with white dial A581 is perhaps 1:30 or more. I have seen only 2 black dial A581 and A611 for sale for the last 8 months in less than ideal conditions.

rarity-***

 

[soviet]

Re: Common Shanghai A581 watches

Shanghai A581 watches are hot collectable items among vintage Chinese watch collectors. A581 watches have many dial and case variations and this makes them an interesting watch to collect. Some collectors have hundreds A581 watches with different dials,cases,and casebacks. There must be over a million A581 watches made during its production run between 1958-1966.

Common A581 watches are not very hard to find on local markets, but clean examples are very rare.

rarity-*

 

[soviet]

Re: 17 jewels Beijing BS-2 watches

Beijing BS-2 watches were built on imported Swiss Enicar production line and equipment according to Swiss technical and quality standards. Some 160,000 watches were made during 1961-1968, but many used watches were destroyed in late 1970's when the factory tried to promote their new watches. This makes BS-2 watches much less often seen on used markets than Shanghai A581.

Textured dial BS-2 watches are very rare. I have only seen two during last year. It also has a different caseback. The caseback with slots for opening is a 18 jewels version.

Early 17 jewels vesion with slim hands and engraved hour markers are also much less often seen than later 18 jewels BS-2s.

Textured dial BS-2, rarity-***
17 jewels BS-2, rarity-**

 

[soviet]

Re: 18 jewels Beijing BS-2 watches

18 jewels Beijing BS-2 watches are more often seen than 17 jewels version, and due to its original very good built quality, many are still in beautiful conditions. The ratio vs 17 jewels version is about 3:1. BS-2 watches with arabic hour markers are very rare. All BS-2 watches have a S/S case. I think BS-2 watches are the best quality vintage Chinese watches among Shanghai A581, A611,Tianjin WUYI, and other earlier watches with non-standard movements.

BS-2 with arabic hour makers, rarity-***
other 18 jewels BS-2, rarity-*(in Beijing area),-**(in other places)

 

[soviet]

Beijing SB5 is the 3rd mass produced model of Beijing watch factory. A total of about 1.6 million watches were made between 1968-1973. SB5 watches has a simplified BS-2 movement. Some later SB-5 has a quick beat movement and is usually marked on the dial with 21600. Beijing SB5 is slightly less often seen than Shanghai 1120 watches even in Beijing area.

SB5 with coloured pie pan dial, rarity-**

Other SB5 watches, very common but less often seen than common Shuangling or Shanghai 7120 watches.

 

[soviet]

Re: Suzhou 1120

Suzhou 1120 with a Suzhou made SS1 movement is very uncommon. This early Suzhou watch was made when Kiu Dayu was still an employee of the factory. This watch was sold at a fraction of the price of a Shanghai 1120, but the watch looks equally well made.

This Suzhou 1120 with a pie pan dial is very hard to find in Beijing area. I have only seen this one either at flea markets or on the Chinese websites.
It has 'Suzhou 17 jewels' engraved on the movment.

Suzhou 1120,rarity-*** in Beijing area.

 

[soviet]

Re: A blind man watch

This JINBI(gold coin) brand blind man watch is the only example I have seen so far, and no one else has reported another find of such a watch. It was made in Shanghai with a standard movement.

I have no idea how many such watches were made by the factory.

Here is another image of a Dalian brand blind man watch.

rarity-**?

 

[soviet]

Re: Early HONG QI(red flag)

Early HONG Qi (red flag) watches have a unique movement that looks similar to a Swiss Marvin A620 movement in genenral layout and size. HONG QI is another favourite item for collectors due to its "Great Cultural Revolution" background.They usually demand a higher price than other similar watches especially those with a red flag logo sign. This is a good quality watch because someone said Liao Ning watch factory, where this watch was made, had much better equipment than that of Shanghai Watch factories. Those big Mao's handwriting Chinese characters logo are also attractive to a collector.

Red logo Hong Qi, and Hong Qi with rose gold hands and markers, rarity-*

Other Hong Qi in excellent conditions, uncommon

 

[soviet]

Re: Shanghai A592

Shanghai A592 is the 2nd model made in 1959 by Shanghai Watch Factory, and it is the 1st Chinese mid-size(lady?) watch. I have only found this worn watch and saw another offered for sale so far. It has the same movement as that of A581 watches. It is even less often seen than a pre-series Tianjin WUYI. The one with luminous hands is even rarer. Many collectors don't know there is such a watch.|>

Rarity-***

 

[soviet]

Re: Shanghai 1512 mid-size watch

Shanghai 1512 is a rare bird. It has a SS1 movement, and a chrome plated case. It is even much less often seen than a Shanghai A631 with an A581 movement. This is the only one I have ever seen.

rarity-**

 

[soviet]

Re: Guang Zhou SG3A watch

This watch is very rare in north China. Guang Zhou Watch factory did not have regular production due to many times site relocation until the "Great Cultural Revolution" began , and then poduction was interrupted due to the 'revolution' until early 1970's. So any Guang Zhou watch with a non-standard movement is uncommon for limited production numbers.

This watch has a Swiss Enicar copy movement made by the factory. Parts of the movement are not completely interchangeable with Beijing's BS-2 Enicar movement. I have found only this watch so far, and saw an image of a similar WU YANG (five rams) watch on a Chinese site.

Rarity-*** in north China