From Benjamin Chee, founder of Maison Celadon: "The ST5’s movement was of such quality that it was one of only three movements that were exempt from converting to producing the Unified Movement (also known as Tongji or Standardized Movement) in the mid-1950s. The survival and high accuracy of so many of these ST5 and Dongfeng watches to this day half a century on is testament to their quality. The watch was clearly of such excellence that select watches were hand-picked and fine-tuned to function accurately under minus 40 degree Celsius conditions and other demands of extreme cold, and issued to the elite team of explorers that led China’s first expedition to the Antarctic in 1984."

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I asked my friend, Li Wei, to say a few words about his favorite vintage Chinese mechanical watch for an upcoming feature here on EWR. His reply was so thorough and beyond my expectations, I decided to give it its own post here.

"Because of its handsome appearance and accurate time, this 304 is the treasure of my collection."

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While the Middle Kingdom enjoys one of the longest and most interesting histories of any country, its history in horology is only a relatively small blip on the radar of time. China began manufacturing wristwatches in 1955, and has since become one of the largest producers of both parts (of which many are found in Swiss watches) and movements. Many Chinese brands are earning more appreciation among the international watch community.