上海手表厂 Shanghai Watch Company
Original stock Shanghai brand 7120 all-steel manual mechanical men's watch with a diameter of 37mm
(description from dealer)
My new watch and so far I love it! Collector value for me is due to its place in China horological life. Trial production occurred between 1955 and 1957 until the quality was adequate to justify full production. China’s first full-fledged watch factory, in the sense that they made their own movements, the Shanghai Watch Factory was completed in 1958. Consumer-targeted production commenced of the A581 watch, introducing the brand Shanghai to China and eventually the world.
Seems at first their watches were like China's answer to Timex, but since then they moved more upscale. But that's just my impression. Anyway, it feels solid and well made, comfortable obviously, and so far (2 days) has kept good time. Taking some getting used to winding a watch though, but definitely keeps the Retro feel alive.
But like we all know the main thing is do I luv it, and the answer is a solid yes. Got my sights on a Seiko Presage for next acquisition, watch out!
'Shanghai Watch, with a 60-year history and recognized as a China time-honored brand, has left an indelible impression on the memories of several generations in China.
As the first domestically produced mechanical watch in China, it was once worn by the late Premier Zhou Enlai.'
Live/work in China. Oris or Omega is my wish, but pricey for my budget. Have an Omega Seamaster I bought new 30 yrs ago, and a Bulova Moonwatch replica purchased in HK maybe 8 years ago. Love them bot...
In case you were wondering the words @ 6 o'clock read- 'Serve the People'
My father in law was born in a community very near to Shanghai, eventually made his way to Taiwan or perhaps it was still called Formosa where he and other young men of his generation assisted in pushing the island towards the modern democratic nation of today. A lawyer and successful businessman he would spurn the materialistic adornments most of his cohort favoured never forgetting his roots, there is a story about a gold Rolex gifted to him that quickly found his way onto the wrist of his longtime driver and bodyguard. My dad in law favoured a 1970s quartz gold filled Seiko watch might have expressed some interest in this Shanghai mechanical timepiece because he loved China returning many times before old age and his eventual passing. Not sure dad would have tolerated a winder! Thx for the post.
The faceted screw-off case backs that require some special spanner to open seem to be endemic to the vintage Chinese watches I see. Anyone know why? I don't see these anywhere as frequently elsewhere.
Oh, I forgot to mention the price. ¥110.00 ($15.38)
The faceted screw-off case backs that require some special spanner to open seem to be endemic to the vintage Chinese watches I see. Anyone know why? I don't see these anywhere as frequently elsewhere.
ah, I didn't note that on initial examination. Indeed seems a specialized spanner required.
That's nice
Awesome post! 🤩
Thank you for sharing this with us
Keep up the good work 🙌🏾
🍻
The faceted screw-off case backs that require some special spanner to open seem to be endemic to the vintage Chinese watches I see. Anyone know why? I don't see these anywhere as frequently elsewhere.
I know this is a late answer, but here I go anyways 😀
Faceted watch case backs weren't all that rare in the west back in the day, as this Ebay sourced set of Mido wrenches shows...
..and Esslinger sells this set for vintage pieces like "Benrus and others" as per the description
https://www.esslinger.com/10-sided-watch-case-back-opener-wrench-spoonz-set-of-8/
Faceted wrenches (factory and aftermarket) for most of the common Chinese brands are fairly easy to obtain on Taobao, so even easier if you're in China.
Now, this next bit is opinion but I think a faceted case and a good fitting faceted wrench is a lot safer system than using typical two or three post wrenches like the one I show below.
Nothing else I can think of matches the balanced but strong torque one gets removing the back, along with very gentle and balanced ease replacing the case back. With this, it's simple to tighten the back to the perfect "firm but not stoopid" point, too.
I wrote about the Chinese wrenches here:
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/new-exhibit-at-the-amchpr-not-a-watch.788666/
and here:
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/vcm-with-a-twist.639430/
The Sea-Gull set (plastic handles) has one faceted wrench, and three circle with protrusions--and both are good back/wrench systems.
And, in any case, like with most watches, if the back isn't over-tightened, the old rubber (or duct/gaff tape) ball trick works with the vintage Chinese backs.
I know this is a late answer, but here I go anyways 😀
Faceted watch case backs weren't all that rare in the west back in the day, as this Ebay sourced set of Mido wrenches shows...
..and Esslinger sells this set for vintage pieces like "Benrus and others" as per the description
https://www.esslinger.com/10-sided-watch-case-back-opener-wrench-spoonz-set-of-8/
Faceted wrenches (factory and aftermarket) for most of the common Chinese brands are fairly easy to obtain on Taobao, so even easier if you're in China.
Now, this next bit is opinion but I think a faceted case and a good fitting faceted wrench is a lot safer system than using typical two or three post wrenches like the one I show below.
Nothing else I can think of matches the balanced but strong torque one gets removing the back, along with very gentle and balanced ease replacing the case back. With this, it's simple to tighten the back to the perfect "firm but not stoopid" point, too.
I wrote about the Chinese wrenches here:
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/new-exhibit-at-the-amchpr-not-a-watch.788666/
and here:
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/vcm-with-a-twist.639430/
The Sea-Gull set (plastic handles) has one faceted wrench, and three circle with protrusions--and both are good back/wrench systems.
And, in any case, like with most watches, if the back isn't over-tightened, the old rubber (or duct/gaff tape) ball trick works with the vintage Chinese backs.
Do you have any idea why this system seems to have fallen out of favor? Normally I'd assume that it was because it is costlier to machine, but I'm not so sure in this case.
Do you have any idea why this system seems to have fallen out of favor? Normally I'd assume that it was because it is costlier to machine, but I'm not so sure in this case.
If I had to guess, I'd say it's because the notch system allows two or three post openers to open many sizes of watch case. With the faceted (or circle and protrusions) wrench system, you need a different wrench for every size and facet or notch number variant case back.