[Bucks]

Hi fellow Seagull enthusiasts
Can anyone tell me when the Seagull st25 series was first released on to the market? I'm curious to know how long the movement has been around. Also, does anyone have an st25 that was bought shortly after release. Interested to hear any stories about this movement, either good or bad. I wonder how long one could expect the movement to perform well before service. The one I have is a stellar performer and it's hard to believe it's not a more expensive watch. Mine is the st2528 moonphase.

 

[Monkey_like_watch]

Bucks,

It was first released in the year 2000.

Here are some more details about the movement. This information was found at this website: https://watch-wiki.org/:
Automatic movement with double bridge, suitable for "open heart" applications (from the dial visible balance, in the style of Vacheron Constantin ). 25 jewels, 21,600 vibrations, 48 hours power reserve, ball-bearing rotor. In-house development by Tianjin Seagull from the year 2000. The work is available with various complications, including a perpetual calendar , and today represents the main line of the Seagull caliber.

Variants:

2501 - Small second at 9, visible balance at 6, 25 stones
2502 - center seconds, date hand at 3, weekday hand at 9, visible balance at 6, 29 jewels
2503 - sweep second, date hand at 3, weekday hand at 9, year and month at 12, visible balance at 6, 29 jewels
2504 - sweep second , retrograde date at 9:30, retrograde weekday at 2:30, visible balance at 6, 33 jewels
2505 - sweep second , retrograde date at 9:30, power reserve indicator at 2:30, visible balance at 6, 38 jewels
2508 - central minute, hour at 12, small second at 6
2510 - center seconds, independent 2nd time zone at 12, visible balance at 6
2525 - center seconds, two-digit date at 12, month hand at 9, weekday hand at 3, visible balance at 6
2526 - Small second at 6, two-digit at 12
2527 - sweep second, two-digit date at 12, month hand at 4, weekday hand at 8
2528 - Small second and moon phase at 6, two-digit date at 12
2530 - Small second at 9, date at 3, power reserve indicator at 5
2531 - sweep second, date at 1:30, power reserve indicator at 6, crown at 4
2540 - sweep second, year, month, 24h and day of the week from 8 to 4, two digits at 12
2542 - Small second at 6, power reserve indicator at 12
2545 - sweep second, 1st time zone (hour, minute) at 9, 2nd time zone (hour, minute) at 3, retrograde date at 6, power reserve indicator at 12, 45 jewels
2551 - center seconds, date at 3 (also available as manual wind version, ST2551-S)
2590 - sweep second, day of the week at 9, month at 6, day at 3, 4-year display at 4.5, moon phase at 12, perpetual calendar, 39 stones [1]

 

[Chascomm]

Excellent information!

...although I don't see how "from the dial visible balance" is in any sense "in the style of Vacheron Constantin" (apart from some need to name-check a famous Swiss brand to validate a design feature).

;-)

 

[Bucks]

Thankyou Monkey_like_watch and Chascomm, some awesome info. It's so difficult to find out much about Chinese movements and I'm quite the fan- especially when it comes to Seagull. I would love to get a Seagull high beat movement but that's going to have to wait until I've got some spare dough. Would still love to hear from anyone that's got an st25 that they've have for some time. Cheers.

 

[watchcrank_tx]

Thankyou Monkey_like_watch and Chascomm, some awesome info. It's so difficult to find out much about Chinese movements and I'm quite the fan- especially when it comes to Seagull. I would love to get a Seagull high beat movement but that's going to have to wait until I've got some spare dough. Would still love to hear from anyone that's got an st25 that they've have for some time. Cheers.

Many of us own examples of the ST2528 big date moonphase due to it being the movement used in the 2011 CMWF project watch. Mine keeps acceptable time when it runs, but I have to admit that is not often, and it's been a number of years since I bothered to time it precisely. I'm not sure how much the previous owner wore it, but since I've owned it (exactly one week shy of six years today), it's probably been worn only thirty or forty times at most. It deserves more wear, so it's slated as a Christmas gift for a vintage collector I know who admires it and whom I think will wear it.

Perhaps some other owners have worn theirs more often over the past seven years and can chime in with more conclusive reports as to long-term reliability and accuracy.

 

[Chascomm]

Perhaps some other owners have worn theirs more often over the past seven years and can chime in with more conclusive reports as to long-term reliability and accuracy.

Mine has always demonstrated excellent accuracy, however I've had it stop occasionally when part wound and not on the wrist. Possibly I've got some dirt in it from opening the back too often. A while back I had problems with the pushers being too tight in the case.

 

[Bucks]

I was just thinking...Is this watch a homage to another or is it a completely original design?

 

[Chascomm]

I was just thinking...Is this watch a homage to another or is it a completely original design?

The big 12 is a nod to Chopard. Sea-Gull already made a watch that paid homage to the Chopard Mille Miglia so the 12 was probably carried over from that. But to be fair, I've seen a Tissot that is closer to the Chopard than anything Sea-Gull ever did.

 

[gray-beard]

I have had my Parnis Power Reserve for over a year now and other than having to lubricate and regulate, it is doing quite well.
It runs at about 5 seconds fast per day which I like and is pretty stable.
ST 2505 movement ,38 jewels, 43mm big and the movement is nicely dressed.
I don't know if it is an homage of any other watch.
Less than $100 on eBay from BlueTiger.
I also think you can get it through Amazon.

 

[watchcrank_tx]

ST 2505 movement ,38 jewels, 43mm big and the movement is nicely dressed.
I don't know if it is an homage of any other watch.

Like many Parnis models, it seems to have originated as a clone of an IWC, in this case IWC's Portugieser line. Some of the Parnis "Portuguese" models are direct clones of IWC, but I don't believe IWC made anything like your particular variation. IWC have done open hearts in the Portugieser line, but at nine o'clock or twelve o'clock; I don't recall ever having seen one with a six o'clock open heart.

Here is a simple three-hand/date model I own

I actually forgot this one had an ST25 in it. Like my WUS moonphase, this watch too gets little wear, not because it's too big for me (which it is) or that it keeps poor time (it doesn't) or that it's a clone (a three-handed deck watch is pretty generic) but because I simply can't unsee the woeful misalignment of so many of the numerals.

 

[watchcrank_tx]

While we're on the topic of the ST25 family, does anyone have any experience with keeping one on a winder? Orbita's movement database states TBD for both direction and turns per day. I believe the ST25 only winds when the rotor turns clockwise when seen from the dial side, so I have set the Versa I'm testing to rotate the watch counterclockwise. I'm also trying 650 turns per day to start. If anyone has better info, I'll be grateful for your input.

 

[Mrs Wiggles]

I have had my Parnis Power Reserve for over a year now and other than having to lubricate and regulate, it is doing quite well.
It runs at about 5 seconds fast per day which I like and is pretty stable.
ST 2505 movement ,38 jewels, 43mm big and the movement is nicely dressed.
I don't know if it is an homage of any other watch.
Less than $100 on eBay from BlueTiger.
I also think you can get it through Amazon.

View attachment 13666517

View attachment 13666519

I have the same watch in black. I THINK it is a IWC homage.

 

[quino171]

So my Fossil ME1044 supposedly is a Seagull ST2502. My problem is that there doesn't seem to have a power reserve. I do have a watch winder, but even then the movement will stop. Any info that I am missing?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[Bucks]

There's no info you're missing. The rotor winds the movement in one direction only and if you look closely you can see gears turning when moved in this direction but not the other. Sounds like it needs repair.

 

[Chascomm]

So my Fossil ME1044 supposedly is a Seagull ST2502. My problem is that there doesn't seem to have a power reserve. I do have a watch winder, but even then the movement will stop. Any info that I am missing?

Does the watch keep running if you wind it by hand? How about on the wrist? Is it just on the winder that it doesn't wind? If so, then you might need to adjust the settings to wind in one direction only.

 

[quino171]

Does the watch keep running if you wind it by hand? How about on the wrist? Is it just on the winder that it doesn't wind? If so, then you might need to adjust the settings to wind in one direction only.

Since posting this yesterday, it seems to hold some power now. I guess I hadn't wore it enough to charge the reserve. Do you by chance know the turns Per Day and does it go clockwise or counter clockwise?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[BMPB]

Since posting this yesterday, it seems to hold some power now. I guess I hadn't wore it enough to charge the reserve. Do you by chance know the turns Per Day and does it go clockwise or counter clockwise?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

I have the same watch as the OP. I don't have it on a winder but I do frequently "swirl" the watch around in the winding direction to keep it wound while off the wrist for extended periods. I've found that generally 150 rotations of the rotor gives about 6 hours of power. So to keep it wound for 24 hours would require about 600 revolutions per day. The movement winds when the rotor spins clockwise as viewed from the dial side. You can also tell by sound. My rotor is very quiet when winding and emits a faint ratcheting sound when turning the other direction.

 

[broadsword416]

Thank for the info. I have a 2505 movement and I am impressed. Keeping great time.

 

[watchcrank_tx]

I believe the ST25 only winds when the rotor turns clockwise when seen from the dial side, so I have set the Versa I'm testing to rotate the watch counterclockwise. I'm also trying 650 turns per day to start.

So my Fossil ME1044 supposedly is a Seagull ST2502. My problem is that there doesn't seem to have a power reserve. I do have a watch winder, but even then the movement will stop. Any info that I am missing?[

Since posting this yesterday, it seems to hold some power now. I guess I hadn't wore it enough to charge the reserve. Do you by chance know the turns Per Day and does it go clockwise or counter clockwise?

The rotor needs to turn clockwise when viewed from the dial side, which means the watch needs to turn counterclockwise when viewed from the dial side. I haven't been on the forum much lately so had not given an update on my post above, but 650 turns a day worked for me (and so far as I know for my vintage-collecting cousin ddrake who owns it now), which is in keeping with BMPB's calculation above.