so my wife is leaving for China Monday and will be gone for a month so I can invite everyone over my place for a big watch party. But seriously she loaded up on timex, seiko and citizen to bring as gifts her coworkers in China requested. Normally we are able to work these trips out where we both go but I’m recovering from an injury so it is not feasible for me. Anyway the point of this is asking if anyone knows where a good place to purchase watches in Shanghai or Hefei. I’m looking for seagulls or some of these newer brands China is making that are supposed to be well made. We know some people in China and I have asked if they see that 63 Seagull reissue and no one has seen it. So that’s what I’m looking for, native Chinese watches made for the Chinese. My wife is already annoyed with my watch collection. I fear she will bring me back one of those cheap mostly plastic ones that has chairman Mao on the dial. Those are cool for the week and a half they last. So I’m not expecting much but if anyone is familiar with either Shanghai and Heifei and she by chance sees these seagulls or “quality” Chinese watches for the natives she may see they aren’t a lot of money and pick me up a couple.
Well no response, that’s fine. I did ask my wife to try to seek out a watch or two for me, she left this AM but prior to getting into the car I was given strict orders not to purchase watches while she is gone for the month so I doubt she will pick up anything
There are some watch shops along Huaihai Middle Road in Shanghai (or Huaihai Zhonglu in Mandarin). She can try there.
Is that the area that’s like well known shopping district and has a Rolex store etc we have been there but it was quite a few years ago
https://www.watchgecko.com/what-is-a-tourbillon/ This is an interesting article on torbillon but it’s really and add for Chinese “luxury” watches. They have some nice looking things. I know nothing of them and hadn’t heard of them until recently
New Omega being released to Chinese first https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.alizila.com/omega-launches-pop-up-on-tmall-luxury-pavilion/amp/
If you are interested in vintage Chinese watches you can find pretty good deals on Shanghai Watch Factory products. The first wristwatch they produced in 1958 (?) is a stylish piece with an excellent movement. I picked up a later (90's)re-issue of this watch awhile back for the princely sum of 6 USD. Apparently no one else wanted to bid on it because a very light scrape on the crystal looked like a cracked crystal in the sellers photos. The scruff polished out in less than a minute. Accurate to a few seconds per day, I wear it as a daily beater. I'm not suggesting the re-issues, which while good watches have no collector interest to speak of, but the originals that required a letter signed by the local communist party official for the average Chinese to purchase at a price equal to 3-4 months pay for a factory worker. Get one of these old war horses which is serviced and in good condition and you'd have a real conversation piece.
Perhaps a bit late.... Sorry I can't help you with watches in Shanghai etc... but We have recently returned from our annual trip to China, and apart from the Breguet Boutique I posted about earlier, the most exciting watch I saw there this trip was a 3D Billboard in the Subway in Chongqing. The photo says it all. I inquired about this model at a Fiyta outlet and was told that they were discontinued. I asked about price, to be told that the newer models were going for around $AUD2800 from memory. As I have a flightmaster and Speedmaster, I would love one of these.. Would even settle for the sign...