RED STAR 1963 Bullhead Chronograph Mechanical Watch - Vintage-Inspired Boldness with Surprising Ergonomics, A Review (plus Video)

My first purchase on AliExpress. I have heard a lot about Chinese made watches found on the website with really incredible prices. I decide to check it out for myself by registering my account on the platform. Then it dawned on me - why not try getting a vintage looking watch that I adore - a bullhead chronograph.

In the collection I have the following bullheads: 

Omega Seamaster Bullhead Chronograph; Citizen Promaster TSUNO Chronograph; Seiko 5 Sports SSA171J1; Seiko Prospex Landmaster Titanium SBEJ003; Seiko Prospex Landmaster Spring Drive SBDB005; Laco 1925 Squad Atacama Ninja;

and Hamilton Khaki Aviation Takeoff Automatic Chronograph.

 

The ST1901 powered bullhead chronograph from Red Star fit the bill and I started searching for it. I found one with a sub-RM1,000 listing from a active seller on the platform. I swiftly ordered and waited patiently for the watch to arrive. For more on the first-time experience, I have dedicated a section on this towards the end of this review.

I recently got a ST1901 powered Chinese watch. The 

Seagull 1963 Aviation Chronograph Pilot Mechanical Watch uses the same movement. In the Red Star, the movement has been realigned so that the crown and pushers are now at the top side of the watch instead of the right side of the casing.

Seagull 1963 Aviation Chronograph Pilot Mechanical Watch International Edition ST1901 - A Near-Perfect Watch for its Price, with Overall Appeal and Historical Significance, A Review (plus Video)

The first watch to join the collection in 2025. The Seagull 1963 Aviation Chronograph Pilot has been said to be a watch that any watch collector should consider adding. The history behind the watch is inspiring especially if one considers going into the watch making business from scratch.

 

Despite having been a collector for many years, I did not get a chance to pursue this model until now. While going through Amazon, I happened to find the page by Seagull and on it is an offering for the Seagull 1963 Aviation Chronograph Pilot Mechanical Watch International Edition ST1901.

 

To be honest, I would not have gotten my hands on an original but a reissued modernized timepiece by the same factory is possible and would be awesome. The offer was very enticing. Coupled with a few coupons that I have with Amazon, I was able to get the watch at an unbelievable price after discount.

 

I quickly put in an order on 3 February 2025 and exactly two weeks later, I got the watch via courier.

SEIKO Prospex Fieldmaster LOWERCASE SBEP001 "Digi Tuna" (similar to SBEP003, SBEP005, SBEP007 & SBEP009) - A Good Start by Seiko to Make a New Niche for Itself, A Review (plus Video)

Seiko is synonymous with the tuna-styled dive watches. It has become a genre on itself and a lot of people (especially professional divers) can vouch for their reliability and effectiveness to handle the extreme of situations. There have never been a fully digital Tuna before but this year, Seiko decided to spring five models under the new SBEP nomenclature.

Made in collaboration with the Japanese design consultants LOWERCASE, Seiko is able to bring something fresh and exciting to an otherwise  bland tuna styling that have not gone through much changes for decades. Lead by Mr. Yuki Kajiwara, creative director of LOWERCASE, the SBEP series amalgamate two important considerations by professional users - damage proof construction (the Tuna casing) and clear visual (digital display). This is not a breakthrough in concept though. There are other brands that already fulfilled this market space, for example Casio Protrek Frogman, but for Seikonstas, this is the first for Seiko.

The SBEP001 is also classified as a Fieldmaster. This nomenclature signifies the watch has been geared specifically for land explorers and adventurers. The ability to withstand 200 meters of water pressure also points to its flexibility to be used for recreational diving as well.

Since this is the first of the SBEP series, I decided to get the SBEP001 to grace the collection.

Seiko Spirit Chronograph Giugiaro Design 'Ripley Aliens' Limited Edition SCED041 - Cute and Quirky Timepiece that Speaks Volume, A Review (plus Video)

Designed by the Italian designer, Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Seiko Giugiaro 7A28-7000 is an asymmetric chronograph first seen in the movie Aliens. In fact, this watch was one of the first of the collaboration between the two powerhouses using the 7A28 movement. This caliber is famous as being the first analogue quartz chronograph movement in the world. The year was 1983. It was only in 1986 with the release of the movie 'Aliens' did the watch became insanely famous.

When it was announced in 2016 of the reissue, I was initially interested. However, the urge waned as I was more interested in mechanical watches (On hindsight, I didn't realised that I was turning into a typical 'mechanical watch snob' - everything not mechanical considered trash. Fortunately, I saw the light to the correct path for a horologist). 

The Seiko Giugiaro 'Ripley Aliens' reissues are all limited edition pieces. Due to the indecisiveness, I missed out a lot of the models on sale. I thought I would never get the chance to get one until I saw an offer by SeiyaJapan. The model reference was SCED041 and I quickly made the order. This is the second Giugiaro designed watch in the collection.

Parnis 60mm Brown Leather Crown Jumbo Pilot Auto SS Watch Reference PI58 – Cheap homage to the FL23883 standard, A Review (plus Video)

A few months ago in June 2016, I ordered two pilot watches from Parnis (www.parniswatch.net). Unfortunately, one of them, the Jumbo Pilot was not working (please refer to this link on the review of the other Parnis pilot watch; Parnis Black Dial Big Pilot Power Reserve Chronometer). After sending the watch back to Parnis, I received a new example which was working (more about the problems later).

This particular model conforms to the original specification of pilot watches under the German 'B-Uhr' Watch (or Observation watch) standard FL23883 of the WW2 era which calls for a watch that is 55 mm wide (excluding crown; with crown it would go to 60 mm) with a large crown. Under the A-dial format, it should also have a black dial with white Arabic numerals (all numerical markers filled with luminous material) and flame-blued sword hands also covered in luminous material. The designs also featured a unique triangle mark at the 12 o’clock position designed for ease of orientation in any condition. The movement must be capable of stopping the central seconds hand by pulling the crown. The watch should also come with a very long double-riveted leather strap.

Parnis Black dial Big Pilot Power Reserve Chronometer Watch Handmade Leather Strap (Product Code: NEW-304) – The quality and usability is commendable despite it being a cheap watch, A Review (and Video) - Updated (16 June 2016)

For the last couple of months I have been affected by the pilot watch bug. I love the size and the simplicity of a pilot watch. For a good timepiece under this genre, the price is rather high. So, I’ve decided to find a rather cheap alternative from Parnis, a Chinese brand. After going through its vast catalogue of watches, instead of just getting one, I’ve decided to get two.

For this review, I will be focusing on the Parnis Black dial Big Pilot Power Reserve Chronometer (Product Code: NEW-304).

This is a rather large with a case diameter of 47 mm (without crown). Its lug-to-lug length is approximately 55 mm while its thickness is 15.5 mm. The case is made out of brushed 316L stainless steel polished fixed bezel and a display case-back.

The large diamond shaped crown is located at 3 o’clock and is a screw-down. There is a image of a fish on the top of the crown. The black dial has two scales; the outer one is a minute scale with markers while the inner is an hour scale with Arabic numerals. There are two sub-dials located on a top-bottom alignment where the power reserve indicator (North) and seconds indicator (South) are housed.

Parnis 44mm White Dial Swan Neck Hand Winding Watch - My first Chinese watch, A Review

Bank in October 2011, I happened to find information about Parnis, a brand from China. I was surprised to see the price quoted on the watches. So, on 28 October 2011 I made an order for the Parnis 44mm White Dial Swan Neck Hand Winding watch. Priced at USD85 + USD20 for postage, I got the watch within a week. My first Chinese watch.

The watch did not come with a display box. It was just bubble-wrapped in a normal brown envelop.  I was apprehensive at first but after taking it out of the packaging, the watch looks much better than it look in photos. Most importantly, it still works after going through the post as it did.

Arbutus Propeller AR0055BB Automatic Watch - A Nice And Cheap Watch To Have With Many "Complications", A Review

The watch company Arbutus New York has a very interesting history. It started as a Western brand. After having spent almost thirty years studying and working as an apprentice in a watch factory in Shanghai, Albert Reed, along with his brother, founded the watch company, Arbutus, in the early 1980's. Mr Reed decided to name the company after his hometown in Canada. In New York, Reed and his brother imported all the watches mechanics, assembled and sold the timepieces in the U.S. In 1992, Mr Reed decided to retire.

The company Target Inc collaborated with Bomass Ltd to purchase Arbutus and start marketing Arbutus timepieces to Asian countries. In effect, Arbutus has become an Asian watch brand headquartered in Hong Kong.

I was first introduced to the brand back in December 2011 when I saw it on Bodying.my. I was intrigued by the number of complications as well as the low price point for the watch. I immediately made an order on 28 December 2011 for RM675.99 (all in).