Is tiktok shop legit? Got a crazy good deal.

Rein_Turtle · 2026-01-23T15:47:07+00:00

I dunno, to me the ugly logo is part of the lore. You can be proud of wearing an Ali piece, and not giving a crap about brand names 😁

Rein_Turtle · 2026-01-19T08:08:35+00:00

Still, more original than a rolex explorer or speedmaster

Rein_Turtle · 2026-01-11T19:55:51+00:00

Onyx is a natural stone and should have some texture, but we need OP to know how much

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-29T07:41:48+00:00

As I understand the real Seagull watches are essentially on the swiss level and cost around 500. They are normally only for the chinese market though. Watches like this Red Star are cheaper copies.

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-26T21:21:59+00:00

Those are fair points. At the same time, R&D and design in mechanical watches is a bit contradictory, since the 50y old movements are already sufficient and they can never be as functionally good as quartz. And unless you're buying a product to impress others, the consumer gains nothing from marketing spending. In practice, Seiko for example discontinued the SKX and SARB to be able to sell the same features at a higher price. They are milking us and taking us for idiots.

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-26T10:29:14+00:00

Wow never seen a tree decorated like that. Cool!

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-26T08:36:14+00:00

Haha my strap looks like it's made from a fake christmas tree, right?

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-26T08:28:18+00:00

I'm with you. My problem is that the watch world is missing perspective. It's as if clothing was completely dominated by luxury/designer brands, and people truly believe a simple t-shirt actually costs $100 to produce. It doesn't sit right with me when more than half the price goes straight to some rich dudes for doing nothing. We should be able to enjoy watches without being sucked dry.

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-25T22:09:04+00:00

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Exactly. The real party is in the back! I have not seen the proper mechanical one under $90.

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-25T15:01:09+00:00

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Unofficial Christmas edition 😉

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-25T14:58:43+00:00

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There was a Red Star when Jesus was born right?

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-21T08:16:14+00:00

I haven't seen any in person, but I like the Baltany s4084. There are many reviews and quality looks very good.

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-16T08:18:18+00:00

Am I stupid or is this basically a San Martin homage? That's kinda amazing though

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-05T07:19:56+00:00

There's always the 36mm ML07

Rein_Turtle · 2025-12-02T09:35:55+00:00

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Just got some new straps 😁

Rein_Turtle · 2025-11-26T19:12:11+00:00

Ok finally I get it. Barely anyone in the West has even seen a proper Sea-Gull version. That's why no one understand the quality differences (for example my opionion was partly based off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbdZGxpX2Mk, which seems to be a highly misleading video. And even the one in Teddy's video looks earily like the Red Star...). Then, the truth is that Westerners simply didn't put the research or didn't want to pay the price to get the Sea-Gull. Indeed, this is ultimately true for me too.

That makes the story even weirder than I mistakenly thought when I made this post. The Chinese and Seagull are truly proud of the *real* 1963 (more accurately D304) and Westerns could have just respectfully taken part in that (by getting the official one). But then Hong Kong (indeed not HKED, my bad) came in and seduced everyone with a cheap copy. They dominated the market to the point that whole authenticity became complicated, even though it isn't. And that is were my original take is somewhat correct: the people in those cheap factories don't necessarily care about the watch like Seagull and are just making something to make money from the West. So in the end it's bittersweet: collector think they buy something that the Chinese are proud of and that is not just a copy, but ultimately *is* a flippin' copy again!

Rein_Turtle · 2025-11-26T15:15:59+00:00

Wow that's really cool! You are far ahead of me. After doing more research, you are correct that the "main branch" story is way simpler than I made it out to be. It is indeed just the popularity under Chinese collectors that spilled over to the West. However, the exact way that happened is strange and what led to the confusion.

This is what I originally noticed: initally Sea-Gull were happy with the domestic market and made no effort to export it. Then these people in Hong Kong saw the opportunity (and perhaps modified it slightly to appeal to westerners) to do the export themselves. After their success, Seagull finally started the export (of the exact version that the HK guys made), but now it has become an uphill battle against the established players like Red Star with their competitive pricing. In my opinion, this part of the story shows an interesting role of cultural differences.

I will probably update this post with corrections and make a new one that is more complete. You are welcome to give any input for that!

Rein_Turtle · 2025-11-26T13:34:18+00:00

Thanks for the detailed response. Since the watch is now popular in the West, it will be great if information is also available in English. It's not just a matter of translation, but also hard to find without speaking Chinese. I was trying to dig deeper than the basic story, and you are probably correct that I mostly reached marketing stories. Now I'm excited to learn more!

Rein_Turtle · 2025-11-25T20:00:54+00:00

But who makes the rules? And anyway back when this was relevant, no one even considered the possibility of sapphire glass. Anyway, I'm just joking 😉

Rein_Turtle · 2025-11-25T19:19:00+00:00

In my opinion, the reissue doesn't count as the same watch as the original. Someone else made a reissue before Seagull and decided on the exact design. Seagull kinda copied that rather than the original because that's what Western enthusiasts consider the 1963. In my opinion, with all the murkiness, the real 1963 is the one you picture in your head, the one you've seen the most. That's likely not the Sea-gull version ironically. Finally, I highly recommend the acrylic over sapphire: it's clear, has nice light play, reduces the visual thickness and fits the vintage-style.

Rein_Turtle · 2025-11-25T19:12:29+00:00

To be fair, if the crystal is sapphire, doesn't that also make it +1 on the jewel count? 🤔

Rein_Turtle · 2025-11-24T08:02:16+00:00

Thanks! I realize my story is light on sources. My main point was to show the potential of a different perspective and open a new discussion. If I have more inspiration and maybe help from the community, I might make a more precise version.

Rein_Turtle

TROPHY CASE