Today we’re looking into, arguably, the most admirable parts of the Seagull 1963. Obviously, we’re talking about the dial. The first thing that comes to mind when taking a closer look at the dials of the Seagull 1963 Chrono are the very unique colour combinations. On top of that, you may know these watches because of their elegance and the ease of reading the time on them. There’s no-nonsense that could distract the wearer of the watch being displayed on the dial. This makes perfect sense if you take into consideration that this timepiece was originally produced for air force personnel and not purely for aesthetics. However, a broad range of colour variations of the dial has been issued, each having its own unique specifics and backstory to its original production. In this blog, we’ll outline our 3 most favourite versions of the seagull 1963 dials.
#1. Original Seagull 1963 Air Force Watch Dial
Before we get into any of the unique dials which have been applied to reissued versions of the original Seagull 1963 Air Force Watch, let’s talk about the dial of the reissued versions of the original Project 304 Air Force Watch. The dial itself gives off somewhat of a champagne hue, which is complimented by the gold applied hour markers. This makes the red and blue painted hands, which are completely different shades, really catch your attention. The red second hand looks somewhat like a sore thumb, completely capturing your attention as it sweeps while using the chronograph function. The blue subdials act as somewhat of a buffer for the otherwise unruly red hands, balancing the overall aesthetics of the timepiece.
Overall, with the red and blue seconds hands, champagne tinted dial, and gold applied indices, the dial is very unique in its kind and stands apart from every other watch in many watch enthusiast’s collections. I would recommend this dial for those who fell in love with the colour combinations it comes with and who admire the story behind Seagull 1963 watches and want a timepiece that’s as close to the original Project 304 Air Force Watch as possible.
#2. Green Dial (Swan Neck Movement)
The first unique dial we’re going to look into is that of the Green Seagull 1963 Chronograph with its characteristic acrylic green dial. This watch is one of the more popular reissued versions of the original Chinese Air Force Chronograph, also known as Project 304, carried out by the Tianjin Watch Factory. This Seagull 1963 dial also comes with the ‘upgraded’ Swan Neck Movement, meaning it’s able to regulate the pace by adjusting the length of spring – the shorter length of spring, the faster harmonic motion of balance wheel, thus speeding up the pace; the longer length of spring makes the balance wheel’s motion slower, thus slowing down the pace.
Overall, I would recommend this type of dial design to those who have a keen interest in vintage-looking and incomparable timepieces. It’s a timepiece that really stands out. The acrylic green colour it comes with makes this watch give off a very calm vibe and is a perfect addition to every vintage watch collection!
#3. Panda Dial (White Panda Edition)
Now, let’s take a look at one of the most renowned types of Seagull 1963 Dials: the panda dial. But what makes a panda dial into a panda dial? Basically, every version of the Seagull 1963 that comes with subdials in a different colour than the main dials, is called a panda dial. If you’re an attentive reader, you have probably noticed that, according to this definition, the Seagull 1963 Chrono with acrylic green dials is technically also a ‘panda’. However, due to its other salient features, it’s not often referred to as one.
Okay, so now you know there’s a wide variety of Seagull 1963 Panda’s available. For now, we just want to focus on one of these versions; the version of which the dial actually looks like a panda! It’s not only the literal Panda look that makes this watch, with its white dials and black subdials, stand out. The producers of this Seagull 1963 Panda not only strived towards creating a Panda- and more modern-looking watch but also towards adding additional features in terms of functionality. But how did they manage to do so? Well, for starters, they’ve added luminescence to the applied indices, as well as an outer ring of tachymeter markers. This addition to the timepiece gives you the ability to tell the time in an exceedingly accurate way, as compared to the Seagull 1963 Air Force Watch.
On top of that, It has also received a black-white face-lift for a modern look. But don’t worry! The original characteristics of the Seagull 1963 have not been omitted by the producers of this timepiece. The iconic Communist Red Star and, the 21 Zuan writing (Mandarin Pinyin for 21 jewels) and of course, the Tianjin Watch Factory signature in Mandarin Characters are all there. If you’re looking for a timepiece that’s somewhat more modern than the original or reissued versions of the Seagull 1963 Air Force Watch, but don’t want to miss out on the true vintage aesthetics and characteristics, I would highly recommend adding the Seagull 1963 Panda to your collection!
Final Thoughts
I hope this article has given you a broader view as to which versions of Seagull 1963 dials there are available and which versions would suit what you’re looking for in a timepiece best. Have you enjoyed reading this article, but not found your perfect dial yet? Don’t worry! Feel free to browse around our site for a little longer. We have written articles about and broadcasted almost all of the versions of Seagull 1963 Chrono dials on the market. Do you still have any questions regarding Seagull 1963 or watches in general? Feel free to contact us at contact@seagull1963.com