WatchUSeek Watch Forums banner

Some historical prices

11K views 31 replies 13 participants last post by  soviet 
#1 ·
Hi,

I just found this old thread on a Chinese photography site. It has information about vintage Chinese, Swiss, Soviet, Japanese watches back in the 1950-60-70's.

It is in Chinese, but I might translate some popular models into English when I have time. Or may be a google translation could be good enough?

http://forum.xitek.com/showarchives.php?threadid=406696

Cheers,

Soviet
 
#3 ·
Hi gigfy,

No problem. It is too long, so I just copy and paste the section for 1983 Chinese brands FYI. The thread contains valuable information.:-!

Now we know what grade A watches to collect.

 表2-11-77   1983年1月国产机械手表销售价格表

单位:元/只

级 别
产 地
牌 号
规   格
零售价

原价
调后价

一级
上海
上海
19钻全钢三防男表
100
90

一级
上海
春蕾
19钻全钢三防男表
100
90

一级
上海
宝石花
17钻全钢三防男表
90
80

一级
上海
上海
17钻全钢三防女表
90
80

一级
上海
钻石
17钻全钢三防男表
90
75

一级
天津
海鸥
19钻全钢三防男表
90
90

一级
天津
东风
19钻全钢三防男表
90
80

一级
北京
双菱
20钻全钢三防男表
85
75

一级
西安
延安
19钻全钢三防男表
75
70

一级
西安
蝴蝶
19钻全钢三防男表
75
70

一级
广州
广州
17钻全钢三防男表
75
70

一级
广州
明珠
17钻全钢三防男表
75
70

一级
丹东
孔雀
17钻全钢三防男表
75
70

一级
重庆
山城
17钻全钢三防男表
70
70

二级
青岛
金锚
19钻全钢三防男表
70
60

二级
天津
兰花
19钻全钢三防男表
67
60

二级
天津
珠峰
17钻全钢三防男表
65
60

二级
北京
菱花
20钻全钢三防男表
70
60

二级
北京
三环
20钻全钢三防男表
60
60

二级
苏州
苏州
17钻全钢三防男表
65
55

二级
西安
熊猫
17钻全钢三防男表
60
55

二级
丹东
美美
17钻全钢三防女表
55
55

二级
大连
珍珠
17钻全钢三防盲人表
65
60

二级
大连
珍珠
17钻全钢三防女表
60
55

二级
重庆
山花
17钻全钢三防男表
60
55

二级
烟台
北极星
19钻全钢三防男表
60
55

二级
青岛
玫瑰
19钻全钢三防男表
60
55

二级
聊城
泰山
19钻全钢三防男表
60
55

二级
沈阳
百花
19钻全钢三防男表
55
55

三级
上海
金鸡
19钻全钢防震男表
60
55

三级
上海
银花
17钻全钢防震男表
54
50

三级
上海
沪光
17钻全钢防震男表
54
50

三级
上海
银杯
17钻全钢防震男表
54
50

三级
天津
天津
17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
天津
迎春
17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
天津
米兰
17钻全钢防震男表
45
50

三级
北京
燕山
20钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
西安
玉兰
19钻全钢防震男表
55
50

三级
广州
羊城
17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
丹东
春兰
17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
沈阳
春花
19钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
大连
双鱼
17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
丹东
青云
17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
重庆
昆仑
17钻全钢防震男表
45
50

三级
重庆
花溪
17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
重庆
宝律
17钻全钢防震男表
55
50

三级
济南
春燕
19钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
青岛
双喜
19钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
烟台
萌芽
19钻全钢防震男表
45
50

三级
苏州
多菱
17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
西安
羚羊
17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

四级
揭阳
葵花
11钻全钢防震男表
83
35

四级
丹东
龙凤
17钻半钢简装日历表
50
50

四级
南京
钟山
9钻全钢防震男表
40
35

四级
南京
钟山
9钻全钢男表
30
30

四级
扬州
琼花
17钻全钢简装防震男表
45
40

  
 表2-11-78   1983年3月国产机械手表零售价格表

单位:元/只

级  别
产  地
牌 号 规 格
原 价
调后价

一级
石家庄
石珠牌19钻全钢三防男表

70

二级
哈尔滨
北方牌17钻全钢三防男表
55
55

二级
长春
梅花牌19钻全钢三防男表
55
55

二级
杭州
西湖牌19钻全钢三防男表
60
55

二级
南昌
庐山牌19钻全钢三防男表
55
55

二级
合肥
红星牌17钻全钢三防男表
55
55

二级
武汉
武汉牌17钻全钢三防男表
55
55

二级
石家庄
太行牌17钻全钢三防男表
60
55

二级
石家庄
红莲牌17钻全钢三防男表
60
55

二级
昆明
春城牌17钻全钢三防男表
60
60

三级
哈尔滨
云雀牌17钻全钢防震男表
49
50

三级
长春
参花钻17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
大连
大连牌17钻全钢防震男表
55
50(补列)

三级
沈阳
宝龙牌19钻全钢防震男表

60

三级
江西
波阳牌17钻全钢防震男表

50

三级
武汉
星火牌17钻全钢防震男表

50

三级
南宁
桂花牌17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
洛阳
牡丹牌17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
昆明
云雀牌17钻全钢防震男表
50
50

三级
石家庄
三花牌17钻全钢防震男表

50

三级
石家庄
赵州桥牌17钻全钢防震男表

50

三级
石家庄
三鱼牌17钻全钢防震男表

50

四级
郑州
黄河牌16钻简装防震男表
40
36

  1986年,手表价格放开,实行市场调节,由工商企业自行定价。国产手表放开10多年来,价格基本稳定。1998年,上海牌17钻大三针男表市场零售价每只65~70元。
 
#4 ·
Thanks!

A few questions as I have just skimmed through the brands. These are the 1983 prices, correct? Why is there a Dong Feng listed? I thought that name went away when it changed to Sea-Gull?

I recognize most of the brands but I don't recall "美美" Meimei. My translator says it means "America" or "Beautiful". Do you have one of these? Is it a man's watch? BTW, I searched the forum and found a lovely picture of someone's baby daughter named Mei Mei. :) :) :)

Also, I found the 11zuan "葵花" Kiahua and 9zuan "钟山" Zhongshan on the list. These are Grade A movements?

In the original post, are there prices lists for Grade B or C movements? Are there price lists for Grade A/B/C from other years?

many thanks for posting this information! :-!

cheers,
gigfy
 
#6 ·
Thanks!

A few questions as I have just skimmed through the brands. These are the 1983 prices, correct? Why is there a Dong Feng listed? I thought that name went away when it changed to Sea-Gull?

I recognize most of the brands but I don't recall "美美" Meimei. My translator says it means "America" or "Beautiful". Do you have one of these? Is it a man's watch? BTW, I searched the forum and found a lovely picture of someone's baby daughter named Mei Mei. :) :) :)

Also, I found the 11zuan "葵花" Kiahua and 9zuan "钟山" Zhongshan on the list. These are Grade A movements?

In the original post, are there prices lists for Grade B or C movements? Are there price lists for Grade A/B/C from other years?

many thanks for posting this information! :-!

cheers,
gigfy
Yes, these are prices of 1983, and I guess there might still be some NOS Dongfeng watches.

It is also the 1st time I heard of the Meimei brand. It must be very rare and beautiful.:-d

The number of 1,2,3,4 on top row of each brand is the grade of movements. So Zhongshan, and Kuihua has a grade 4(D) movement inside.;-)

There are information for watches of 1950-1970's, but without grades. Information for Swiss and Russian watches could be used as a reference. A Rolex only cost RMN 450 in early 1970's. Not much more expensive than a Shanghai 25 jewels military.
 
#5 ·
Here's a quick Google translation:
-------------------------------------------------------

Table 2-11-77 January 1983 price list of domestic sales of mechanical watches

Unit: RMB / pcs


Grade
Place
Card number
Specification
Retail Price

Original Price
After the price adjustment

1
Shanghai
Shanghai
19 drill steel-three men and table
100
90

1
Shanghai
Spring Bud
19 drill steel-three men and table
100
90

1
Shanghai
Stone Flower
Three anti-drilling steel 17 male table
90
80

1
Shanghai
Shanghai
Three anti-drilling steel 17 female table
90
80

1
Shanghai
Diamond
Three anti-drilling steel 17 male table
90
75

1
Tianjin
Seagull
19 drill steel-three men and table
90
90

1
Tianjin
Dongfeng
19 drill steel-three men and table
90
80

1
Beijing
Shuangling
Three anti-drilling steel 20 male table
85
75

1
Xi'an
Yan'an
19 drill steel-three men and table
75
70

1
Xi'an
Butterfly
19 drill steel-three men and table
75
70

1
Canton
Canton
Three anti-drilling steel 17 male table
75
70

1
Canton
Pearl
Three anti-drilling steel 17 male table
75
70

1
Dandong
Peacock
Three anti-drilling steel 17 male table
75
70

1
Chongqing
Fortress
Three anti-drilling steel 17 male table
70
70

2
Qingdao
Golden Anchor
19 drill steel-three men and table
70
60

2
Tianjin
Orchid
19 drill steel-three men and table
67
60

2
Tianjin
Everest
Three anti-drilling steel 17 male table
65
60

2
Beijing
Linghua
Three anti-drilling steel 20 male table
70
60

2
Beijing
Tricyclic
Three anti-drilling steel 20 male table
60
60

2
Suzhou
Suzhou
Three anti-drilling steel 17 male table
65
55

2
Xi'an
Panda
Three anti-drilling steel 17 male table
60
55

2
Dandong
The United States and the United States
Three anti-drilling steel 17 female table
55
55

2
Dalian
Pearl
17 Anti-drill steel three blind table
65
60

2
Dalian
Pearl
Three anti-drilling steel 17 female table
60
55

2
Chongqing
Shanhua
Three anti-drilling steel 17 male table
60
55

2
Yantai
Polaris
19 drill steel-three men and table
60
55

2
Qingdao
Rose
19 drill steel-three men and table
60
55

2
Liaocheng
Taishan Mountain
19 drill steel-three men and table
60
55

2
Shenyang
Flowers
19 drill steel-three men and table
55
55

3
Shanghai
Rooster
Male 19 earthquake drill steel table
60
55

3
Shanghai
Silver Flower
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
54
50

3
Shanghai
Hu Guang
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
54
50

3
Shanghai
Silver cup
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
54
50

3
Tianjin
Tianjin
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Tianjin
Spring Festival
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Tianjin
Milan
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
45
50

3
Beijing
Yanshan
Male 20 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Xi'an
Magnolia
Male 19 earthquake drill steel table
55
50

3
Canton
Guangzhou
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Dandong
Chunlan
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Shenyang
Chunhua
Male 19 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Dalian
Pisces
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Dandong
Albatron
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Chongqing
Kunlun
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
45
50

3
Chongqing
Huaxi
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Chongqing
Po law
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
55
50

3
Jinan
Chunyan
Male 19 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Qingdao
Double Happiness
Male 19 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Yantai
Bud
Male 19 earthquake drill steel table
45
50

3
Suzhou
Multi Link
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

3
Xi'an
Antelope
Male 17 earthquake drill steel table
50
50

4
Jieyang
Sunflower
Male 11 earthquake drill steel table
83
35

4
Dandong
Dragon
17 Semi-steel drill Softcover calendar
50
50

4
Nanjing
Zhongshan
Male 9 earthquake drill steel table
40
35

4
Nanjing
Zhongshan
Table 9 male drill steel
30
30

4
Yangzhou
Viburnum
Softcover earthquake drill steel 17 male table
45
40




Table 2-11-78 in March 1983 made mechanical watches retail price list

Unit: RMB / pcs


Grade
Place
No. Specification Brand
Original Price
After the price adjustment

1
Shijiazhuang
Stone bead drilling steel license three anti-male and 19 tables

70

2
Harbin
Northern brand drill steel-three men and 17 tables
55
55

2
Changchun
Plum Flower brand-three men and 19 drill steel table
55
55

2
Hangzhou
West Lake brand-three men and 19 drill steel table
60
55

2
Nanchang
Lushan license three anti-M 19 drill steel table
55
55

2
Hefei
Red Star brand-three men and 17 drill steel table
55
55

2
Wuhan
17 Diamond Steel, Wuhan card table-three men
55
55

2
Shijiazhuang
Taihang license three anti-M 17 drill steel table
60
55

2
Shijiazhuang
17 drill steel lotus card table-three men
60
55

2
Kunming
Spring City 17 drill steel license three anti-male table
60
60

3
Harbin
17 Skylark brand earthquake drill steel male table
49
50

3
Changchun
Participants spend 17 drill steel drill earthquake male table
50
50

3
Dalian
Dalian card 17 earthquake drill steel male table
55
50 (fill out)

3
Shenyang
Baolong card table 19 drill steel shock M

60

3
Jiangxi Province
Boyang card table 17 drill steel shock M

50

3
Wuhan
Earthquake drill steel Spark brand Male Table 17

50

3
Nanning
Osmanthus brand 17 earthquake drill steel male table
50
50

3
Luoyang
Peony card table 17 drill steel shock M
50
50

3
Kunming
17 Skylark brand earthquake drill steel male table
50
50

3
Shijiazhuang
Three flower card table 17 drill steel shock M

50

3
Shijiazhuang
Earthquake drill steel bridge Zhaozhou 17 male table

50

3
Shijiazhuang
Three fish of 17 drill steel shock male card table

50

4
Zhengzhou
Yellow cards 16 earthquake drill Softcover male table
40
36

-------------------------------------------------------

Thanks a bunch for this information, Zhang!
 
#7 · (Edited)
Gentlemen,

I have worked on the list offered by member Soviet, I hope it is a little better than Google Translation!

There is a bit of an odd term there: 簡裝 normally refers to simplified packaging; for photographic film for instance, it means a roll of film in foil only without the box. So I guess I would render it like that. I also added the same Chinese names in Traditional Chinese font too. Here goes:

Table 2-11-77

January 1983 price list of domestically produced mechanical watches

Unit: RMB / unit

Grade
Place of manufacture
Brand
Specifications
Retail price

List price
After price adjustment

Grade 1
Shanghai
Shanghai 上海/上海
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
100
90

Grade 1
Shanghai
Chunlei 春蕾/春蕾
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
100
90

Grade 1
Shanghai
Baoshihua 宝石花/寶石花
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
90
80

Grade 1
Shanghai
Shanghai 上海/上海
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, woman's watch
90
80

Grade 1
Shanghai
Diamond/Zuan Shi 钻石/鑽石
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
90
75

Grade 1
Tianjin
Sea-Gull/Haiou 海鸥/海鷗
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
90
90

Grade 1
Tianjin
Easterly Wind/Dongfeng 东风/東風
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
90
80

Grade 1
Beijing
Double Rhomb/Shaungling 双菱/雙菱
20-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
85
75

Grade 1
Xian
Yan'an 延安/延安
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
75
70

Grade 1
Xian
Butterfly 蝴蝶/蝴蝶
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
75
70

Grade 1
Guangzhou
Guangzhou 广州/廣州
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
75
70

Grade 1
Guangzhou
Bright Pearl 明珠/明珠
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
75
70

Grade 1
Dandong
Peacock/Kongque 孔雀/孔雀
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
75
70

Grade 1
Chongqing
Mountain City 山城/山城
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
70
70

Grade 2
Qingdao
Jinmao 金锚/金錨
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
70
60

Grade 2
Qingdao
Jinmao 金锚/金錨
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
70
60

Grade 2
Tianjin
Lanhua 兰花/蘭花
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
67
60

Grade 2
Tianjin
Mt Everest/Zhufeng 珠峰/珠峰
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
65
60

Grade 2
Beijing
Linhua 菱花/菱花
20-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
70
60

Grade 2
Beijing
Three Rings 三环/三環
20-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
60
60

Grade 2
Suzhou
Suzhou 苏州/蘇州
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
65
55

Grade 2
Xian
Panda/Xiongmao 熊猫/熊貓
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
60
55

Grade 2
Dandong
MeiMei 美美/美美
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, woman's watch
55
55

Grade 2
Dalian
Pearl 珍珠/珍珠
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, watch for the blind
65
60

Grade 2
Dalian
Pearl 珍珠/珍珠
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, woman's watch
60
55

Grade 2
Chongqing
Sanhua 山花/山花
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
60
55

Grade 2
Yantai
Polaris 北极星/北極星
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
60
55

Grade 2
Qingdao
Rose 玫瑰/玫瑰
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
60
55

Grade 2
Liaocheng
Taishan 泰山/泰山
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
60
55

Grade 2
Shenyang
Hundred Flowers 百花/百花
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
55
55

Grade 3
Shanghai
Jinji 金鸡/金雞
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
60
55

Grade 3
Shanghai
Silver Flower 银花/銀花
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
54
50

Grade 3
Shanghai
Pride of Shanghai 沪光/滬光
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
54
50

Grade 3
Shanghai
Silver Cup/Yinbei 银杯/銀杯
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
54
50

Grade 3
Tienjin
Tienjin 天津/天津
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Tienjin
Welcome Springtime 迎春/迎春
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Tienjin
Milan 米兰/米蘭
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
45
50

Grade 3
Beijing
Yanshan 燕山/燕山
20-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Xian
Magnolia 玉兰/玉藺
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
55
50

Grade 3
Guangzhou
Yangchen 羊城/羊城
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Dandong
Spring Orchid/Chunlan 春兰/春蘭
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Shenyang
Spring Flower/Chunhua春花/春花
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Dalian
Double Fish (or Pisces) 双鱼/雙魚
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Dandong
Green Clouds 青云/青雲
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Chongqing
Kunlun 昆仑/崑崙
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
45
50

Grade 3
Chongqing
Flower Creek 花溪/花溪
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Chongqing
Precious Laws 宝律/寶律
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
55
50

Grade 3
Jinan
Spring Swallow/Chunyan 春燕/春燕
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Qingdao
Double Happiness双喜/雙喜
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Yantai
Sprout 萌芽/萌芽
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
45
50

Grade 3
Suzhou
Multiple Rhombs 多菱/多菱
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Xian
Antelope 羚羊/羚羊
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Jieyang
Sunflower/Kuihua 葵花/葵花
11-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
83
35

Grade 3
Dandong
Dragon & Phoenix 龙凤/龍鳳
17-jewel, half steel, simplified packaging watch with date
83
35

Grade 4
Nanjing
Zhongshan 钟山/鐘山
9-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
40
35

Grade 4
Nanjing
Zhongshan 钟山/鐘山
9-jewel, all steel, man's watch
30
30

Grade 4
Yangzhou
Viburnum 琼花/瓊花
17-jewel, all steel, simplified packaging, shockproof, man's watch
45
40


Table 2-11-78

March 1983 price list of domestically produced mechanical watches

Unit: RMB / unit

Grade
Place of manufacture
Brand
Specifications
List price
After price adjustment

Grade 1
Shijiazhuang
Stone Pearl 石珠/石珠
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
-
70

Grade 2
Harbin
Northern 北方/北方
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
55
55

Grade 2
Changchun
Plum Blossom/Meihua 梅花/梅花
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
55
55

Grade 2
Hangzhou
West Lake/Xihu 西湖/西湖
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
60
55

Grade 2
Nanchang
Lushan 庐山/廬山
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
55
55

Grade 2
Hefei
Red Star 红星/紅星
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
55
55

Grade 2
Wuhan
Wuhan 武汉/武漢
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
55
55

Grade 2
Shijiazhuang
Taihang 太行/太行
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
60
55

Grade 2
Shijiazhuang
Red Lotus 红莲/紅蓮
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
60
55

Grade 2
Kunming
Spring City 春城/春城
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
60
60

Grade 3
Harbin
Skylark 云雀/雲雀
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
49
50

Grade 3
Changchun
Ginseng Flower 参花/參花
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Dalian
Dalian 大连/大連
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
55
50 (added later)

Grade 3
Shenyang
Precious Dragon 宝龙/寶龍
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
-
60

Grade 3
Jiangxi
波阳/波陽
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
-
50

Grade 3
Wuhan
Starfire 星火/星火
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
-
50

Grade 3
Nanning
Guihua 桂花/桂花
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Luoyang
Peony 牡丹/牡丹
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Kunming
云雀/雲雀
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
50
50

Grade 3
Shijiazhuang
Three Flowers三花/三花
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
-
50

Grade 3
Shijiazhuang
Zhauzhou Bridge 赵州桥/趙州橋
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
-
50

Grade 3
Shijiazhuang
Three Fishes三鱼/三魚
17-jewel, all steel, shockproof, man's watch
-
50

Grade 3
Zhengzhou
Yellow River 黄河/黃河
16-jewel, simplified packaging, shockproof, man's watch
40
36

The prices of watches became deregulated in 1986, allowing the prices to be determined by the market and the manufacturing and retail sectors. Since deregulation more than a decade ago, prices have been relatively stable. in 1998, the Shanghai brand 17-jewel man's watch with centre second hand retails at between RMB 65 and 70.
 
#9 ·
It would be interesting, as the official exchange rate at the time was aproximately 2 rmb to US$1... so 100rmb is about $50. But that doesn't tell the whole story, as many prices in China were artificially adjusted.

I am trying to find the price in rmb of one ounce of gold, as of 1983... this might be a good constant to use.

I was shocked to discover that in 1965, the average price of a Grade 1 Shanghai was 1/3 that of an entry level Rolex. Given that I bought a 611 recently for the equvalent of $20US, I am now prepared to pay the princely sum of $60 for a 1965 Rolex! :)
 
#15 ·
Thank you for your appreciation.

The translation is far from perfect: not being an expert on Chinese watches I can only approach it using the data at hand, and I have to work from the original document which is in Chinese. If a watch is signed with Roman characters, it could be in either the Pinyin form, or literal form, or both (such as Shaungling and Double Rhomb), and I could only extrapolate which kind of literal form that could have been used.

At times the Chinese language can present problems, where it is difficult to assume what the word actually means! An example is the brand 迎春 which literally means "welcome springtime". However, a bit like German, individual characters and words are strung together to make different words, and often bits are left out with the assumption that the reader just "knows". In this example, it could actually mean 迎春花 which is a flower known as winter jasmine, but I can never be quite sure.

By the way I think I made a mistake here: the TC version of "Zhongshan" is actually 鍾山 , not 鐘山 .
 
#17 ·
To add to that; as Joel mentions on his website: "Shanghai watches were selling at RMB 120 in the 60's which equals a normal worker's 15 months salary."

Don't know how much it could have increased another 20 years, but I don't think that it's a lot (of course an increase proportionally with inflation must be considered).
 
#24 ·
I was shocked to discover that in 1965, the average price of a Grade 1 Shanghai was 1/3 that of an entry level Rolex. Given that I bought a 611 recently for the equvalent of $20US, I am now prepared to pay the princely sum of $60 for a 1965 Rolex! :)
I know this is a bit late. But you should remember that rolex's rise to ultra luxury status in the eyes of people didn't happen until their beautifully effective marketing campaign in the 1980's. They always made good watches but they weren't always so expensive. For example in 1970 a rolex no-date submainer was $230 (according to a document i found here) witch is equivalent to about $1290 today according to the cpi inflation calculator. $5,450 was the msrp in 2008(bet it's higher now).
 
#27 ·
Grade 1
Tianjin
Sea-Gull/Haiou 海鸥/海鷗
19-jewel, all steel, shockproof, waterproof, antimagnetic, man's watch
90
90

@.@

inflation, inflation, inflation!!
 
#30 ·
即使我们不是中国人都很高兴见到更多的中国在这里在 WatchuSeek - - 欢迎的朋友!!
from Alberta ;-)

:-!
 
#32 ·
I just heard about a historical price of the Tianjin tunning fork watch from a Chinese site. It was called '3 rooms' as its price of 360 yuan RMB could buy 3 rooms in the countryside.o| Now this rare watch could cost 50,000-60,000 yuan to a collector.:roll:
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top