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Thread: More VCMs

  1. #31
    Calendar watches made by Chongqing Clock and Watch Company have been a mystery to me for a long time. They’re not easy to find, and most of the ones I’ve seen have movements imported from other factories. Back in 2012 I bought one, a Shancheng, with an interesting 18 Zuan marking on the dial – an unusual number for a tongji. I doubted the movement’s origin, but since then I became convinced that the movement was probably made in Chongqing. Much about it remained a mystery, though.



    I found another in better condition with a movement clearly marked ZCQ, Chongqing’s tongji code. I hoped it could answer some questions.



    There are some differences between this one and my other example. The hands are different, the date is black, not red, and there is no date magnifier. It’s possible the crystal is a replacement because it’s in excellent condition.

    The calendar function was of particular interest. Me in 2012:

    The seller said that the calendar mechanism is unique and posted a link to a thread in another forum.I don’t completely understand the translation, however. The date is adjusted by moving the hands between 10 PM and 12, but unlike other watches the date does not advance at 12, but at 10. When the watch runs, the date changes every 24 hours at 12 as it should.
    I tried with my new example. Same thing; the date advances when the hands are turned back to 10. I noticed immediately, however, that the change was instantaneous, not gradual as with most tongji calendar mechanisms. As I was playing with it, I accidentally turned the minute hand past 9. The date jumped again. I kept turning back. It jumped again and again and again – a very unique way to set the date. The calendar will advance by turning the hands backward no matter where I start.

    Immediately I took out the watch I already had. It behaves in the same way. The instantaneous date change is more subtle, however. Why didn’t the date advance at 12 when I tested it before? It’s possible I started at 12 noon. How did I not notice all of this in a watch I’ve owned for years?

    I later remembered that I’ve seen this method to advance the date in 1990s double calendar automatic tongji watches with movements made in Liaoning. Maybe it isn’t so unique after all. With the Liaoning movements, the crown doesn’t need to be turned backward as far as with the Chongqing movements.

    Probably the most common Shancheng caseback and crown.





    Unusually,the ZCQ movement does not have a date code. My other has the code 8612, suggesting December 1986.



    Why the dials say 18 Zuan and the movements 17 remains a mystery to me.
    My collection of Vintage Chinese Mechanicals can be seen at myvcms.com

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  3. #32
    MultiModerator Martin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by saskwatch View Post


    Why the dials say 18 Zuan and the movements 17 remains a mystery to me.
    Could it be an added 'module' for the date function, requiring an extra jewel, on top op the standard 17 Zuan movement?

  4. #33
    Quote Originally Posted by Martin View Post
    Could it be an added 'module' for the date function, requiring an extra jewel, on top op the standard 17 Zuan movement?
    I think it's possible, but I don't have enough technical knowledge to give a properly-informed opinion. The only other 18-jewel tongji watch I've seen was made by Wuhan Watch Factory. It's also a calendar model.



    It has quick-set date. At least I think it does; the calendar function doesn't work.
    My collection of Vintage Chinese Mechanicals can be seen at myvcms.com

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  6. #34
    Meihualu pocket watches were made in Jilin. They were unique because they featured an oversized tongji and a centre second hand. Better quality movements were handpicked for military and railway use. This railway version, my second, is a nice example.



    On the back is the China Rail logo, two characters (I don’t know what they mean), and a number.



    I didn’t open it for a movement photo, but this time I thought to “borrow” the seller’s.




    Under normal circumstances I wouldn’t give this Zuan Shi a second look because the dial isn’t clean enough.



    When I saw the back, however...



    I’d never heard of a railway Zuan Shi before. I don’t know what the two large characters mean, but the smaller text spells the name of the factory, Shanghai No. 4.





    The movement’s date code is SM1-84-1 – January 1984.
    My collection of Vintage Chinese Mechanicals can be seen at myvcms.com

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  8. #35
    Cultural Revolution era watches are my favourites. The history, including the rapid expansion of the Chinese watch industry and the introduction of the tongji, fascinates me. Perhaps more importantly, I like the design aesthetics.

    Yongjiu (Forever) brand watches were made by Qiqihar Watch Factory, reputedly China’s northernmost.



    This one meets all of the criteria of what a Yongjiu “should” be. Plain caseback...



    ...unsigned crown...



    ...and what appears to be an SL1A movement, probably made in Liaoning. It appears unlikely that Qiqihar ever manufactured movements. The date code is 6902 – February 1969.




    A few years later, the tongji became the dominant movement used by the Chinese watch industry. Early versions appeal to me both because of their history and the fact that they appear to be the highest quality examples. Beijing was one of the first factories to produce them. Their first mass-produced watch containing the tongji was the SZB-1. Some collectors call SZB-1s Tiananmen watches because the brand name doesn’t appear on the dial.



    This is a typical example with one exception – the text on the lower part of the dial. Normally it looks more like this...



    ...although in more common white or silver-coloured dials the text is in black, and rarely in red. For example:



    Everything else about this watch is seen often with other SZB-1s. Sundial caseback...



    ...ZB crown...



    ...and a ZB-1 tongji.



    Beijing Watch Factory normally didn’t use date codes, but for a short time they signed their tongjis with the letter B followed by a two-digit number. The only numbers I’ve seen are 73 and 74, presumably indicating manufacture dates of 1973 and 1974. I’ve heard of Beijing movements signed with B72 too, but I haven’t seen one. This movement is signed B74, but up close the 4 doesn’t look much like a 4.
    My collection of Vintage Chinese Mechanicals can be seen at myvcms.com

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  10. #36
    I think I’ve mentioned a few (dozen) times that I like ZuanShi/Diamond brand SM1A-K watches. A couple more found their way here. The first is in a beaten-up chrome-plated case, but the textured dial is remarkable.



    The factory name, Shanghai Stopwatch Factory, appears on the caseback, indicating manufacture before the factory’s name change, which I believe occurred in the first half of 1978.







    The SM1A-K movement doesn’t have a date code. If the movement and dial have been together for the entire life of the watch, it suggests that the English language Diamond brand name was introduced no later than 1977.




    My other new SM1A-K is one of the I’m-buying-something-else-from-the-seller-and-there’s-no-added-shipping-cost watches I’ve bought often.



    The factory name on the caseback, Shanghai No. 4 Watch Factory, indicates that it was manufactured later than the Diamond. 152 is probably the most common batch number.







    The movement code is SM1-802: February 1980. It’s the same code as a 152 I’ve owned for a long time. The print on the dials is the same, but the other one has a textured dial and different indices. There must have been hundreds of dial variations over the time SM1A-Ks were manufactured.

    My collection of Vintage Chinese Mechanicals can be seen at myvcms.com

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  12. #37
    More rare brands.

    Zhaozhouqiao watches were named for a 1400-year-old stone bridge near Shijiazhuang, the city in which they were made.



    They’re difficult to find, and when they’re available for sale it’s usually at an exorbitant price. This Zhaozhouqiao, however, was relatively affordable. It isn’t as clean as AlbertaTime’s beautiful example.



    Everything about the watch appears to be historically “correct”, although I’m not sure about the crown. AlbertaTime said the crown on his is accurate, but he didn’t say whether it’s signed or not.







    The date code on the ZJS tongji is CB.


    ShanJuan brand watches were named for a well-known cave system near Yixing, the city in which they were made and one of many in Jiangsu which had a watch factory.



    This is the only ShanJuan I’ve ever seen for sale.





    A Shanghai crown, by far the most common replacement crown seen on VCMs. For all I know it might be “correct” with some of these small factory productions, but that could be just wishful thinking.



    I have no clue what movement “should” be found in a ShanJuan. The letters ZHQ, the tongji code of Hongqi Watch Factory in Xian, appear under the balance of this one. Unlike all of the other ZHQ movements I’ve seen, it doesn’t have a date code.

    My collection of Vintage Chinese Mechanicals can be seen at myvcms.com

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