Guangzhou Automatic with Day, Date, Month & 24 Hour Display Watch Review
/If you had a chance to read about the history of watchmaking in china, (or my more recent article about my trip to the Guangzhou Five Goats Watch Company factory), you'll recall that Guangzhou was one of the original eight cities where watch factories were established in 1958. So, for the entire history of watchmaking in China, short as it may be, the company behind the Guangzhou and Dixmont brands has continued a steady output of quality mechanical timepieces, managing to battle through the quartz crisis when many of the other original eight factories were shut down.
Some may prefer staying away from watches with four sub-dials, as things can tend to get a bit overcrowded. But it works on this watch because of the perfect symmetry of the sub-dials combined with the minimal use of color. The complications of this watch are basically that of a calendar. So if you happen to forget, the time, the day, the date, and the month—worry not! It's all right there on your wrist. In all seriousness though, I do find this watch extremely handsome with the combination of black and dark grays against the polished stainless steel case. The tinge of red at the tips of the small hands brings a little fun, and at 42mm it fits my wrist comfortably. The sub-dial at 6 o’clock features a 24-hour display.
The majority of the Guangzhou watches come either with a stainless steel bracelet or a leather strap, like this one. I appreciated the detailing on the buckle with the Guangzhou logo. I changed out the strap for a few natos and thought it worked very well. The case back is open to view the movement.
The 1963 Seagull Chronograph (or ‘Project 304’ as it is known in China, which I encourage you to read about in Li Wei's fascinating historical piece found here) is perhaps one of the most iconic and recognizable watches ever to come from China. As Li Wei stated, "Because the 304's production quantity was so small, and because it was a daily-wear watch, original pieces are not easily found today. The Seagull watch factory and watch enthusiasts have been duplicating this watch in a variety of versions in recent years, attempting to satisfy the desires of 304 enthusiasts."