| Industry | Watch |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1955 |
| Headquarters | Tianjin, People's Republic of China |
| Products | Mechanical watches, mechanical watch parts, precision machinery |
| Owner(s) | state-owned |
| Employees | 3000 (2011) |
| Website | www.tjseagull.com |
Tianjin Seagull Watch Group (Chinese: 天津海鸥) is a watchmaking company located in Tianjin, China. Founded in 1955, it is the world's largest manufacturer of mechanical watch movements, producing one quarter of total global production by volume.[1]
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The company was originally formed as Tianjin Watch Factory in January 1955 with four craftsmen on order of the PRC government. In 1990, the Tianjin Watch Factory was awarded the status of a national company, and in 1992, the Tianjin Seagull Corporation was founded. That same year, the decision was made to discontinue the production of mechanical watches in favor of quartz watches; five years later it came to a complete reversal of this decision. It has since produced exclusively mechanical movements and watches.
In 2000, Tianjin Seagull Watch Group went public, and in 2003 a representative office in Hong Kong was opened. In 2010, the company moved to new production and administration facilities near Tianjin Airport.[2]
Seagull is known for its expertise in the manufacture of tourbillons and chronograph movements.
The following brand names were used for watches produced by Tianjin Seagull.[3]
| Year | Brand Name |
|---|---|
| 1955-1958 | WuXing |
| 1958-1966 | WuYi |
| 1966-1974 | Dong Feng (East Wind) |
| 1974-present | Sea-Gull |