Some context about Seagull
Seagull is a watchmaking company, officially called Tianjin Seagull Watch Group. They are situated in Tianjin, China. It was established in 1955 and today accounts for a fourth of the volume of all mechanical watch movements produced worldwide. They are mainly known for their cheap pricepoints and good price/quality value movements.
The aesthetics
At 44mm in diameter, the case is a bit larger than average. The lugs, however, are appropriately formed and don’t stick out significantly. Still, a 42mm diameter case would feel more appropriate for average wrists. The case and bezel are entirely brushed and it gives a very luxurious look to it, something you might not expect at its price point. The polished bezel offers a strong grip, and the blue insert matches the dial.
The deep flat blue dial is definitely the show-stopper, with a deep shade that exudes luxury. The hour markers have a polished border and a lumed centre, with a double marker at 12 and a single marker on the other hours. These details have been finished with a great eye for detailing.
The minute and hour hands are made in the same way as the hour markers, with a pitched sword shape and an enlarged tip. The second hand is a straight stick with a lumed tip and a pleasingly formed counterweight.
This bracelet appears to be nicely crafted and sturdy in general. The links are substantial, well-finished, and well-machined; they feel smooth and cosy against the wrist.
Unfortunately, the Sea-Gull emblem imprinted on top of the screw-in crown does not line up with the rest of the watch, but no watches in this price range do either. Still, to perfectionistic eyes this could be a big downside from an aesthetics point of view.
The screw-in caseback has a funky, vintage-like sign to it. This almost feels like a separate logo of the Ocean star by itself, as it is completely different from the regular seagull logo we see on the dial.
It’s definitely a matter of personal opinion whether you like this font or not, personally we found it to have a fun vintage vibe to it and definitely loved the looks of it.
Overall, the aesthetics are much more luxurious and well-designed than a typical watch at this price point. Big shout out to Seagull for the eye for details on this one!
Specifications of the Seagull Ocean Diver
The Sea-Gull ST2130 movement, an ETA 2824-2 clone is what drives the Sea-Gull Ocean.
It has a high beat, runs at 28.8k bph (8 ticks per second), the wheels are far better produced and polished than its peers and the movement appears to be capable of handling the 28,8k bph! It has 40 hours of power reserve and 26 jewels in the movement.
The movement on this watch is nicely finished with pearlage on the bridges and rotor, sadly you can’t see it because of the closed case back, but whether you find this an advantage or not, is a matter of personal opinion ofcourse.
- Size: 44 mm in diameter, 13 mm in height, and 50 mm from lug to lug Weight: 178 g
- 22mm lug width
- sapphire crystal
- Movement: ST2130 Sea-Gull
- 200m water resistancer28.8k Beats per hour
Overall, it is clear that this movement is an improvement above the typical 21,600 bph Chinese movements.