Chinese watchmakers won't stop ticking
Updated: 2013-02-04 17:43
(Xinhua)
|
|||||||||
"Although our capacity is tops among Chinese watchmakers, it is not outstanding in comparison with Swiss brands," said Liu Ke, vice director of Sea-Gull's general management office.
Sea-Gull now operates 31 franchised stores across China, as well as sells watches in 12 southeast Asian countries and regions.
Chinese watches, though not as advanced as their Swiss counterparts, have seen some innovation in recent years. In 2006, Beijing Watch Factory Co Ltd, one of China's oldest watchmakers, produced its own tourbillion watch.
"Tourbillion" refers to a type of watch machinery that aims to counter the effects of gravity on the watch by allowing parts of the watch to be mounted inside a tiny rotating cage located inside the watch.
In 2010, Sea-Gull produced a watch that blends three types of watch technology, including tourbillion machinery.
"Crafting such watches is hard even for Swiss brands," said Lu Jun, Sea-Gull's director and general manager.
Chinese watches were symbols of trendiness in the 1960s and 1970s, when people would save their salaries for months to buy a new watch.
"If a young person could afford a watch, it would be similar to holding an iPhone 5 these days," said Miao Hongbo, general manager of the Beijing Watch Factory.
To fulfill market demand, watchmaking degrees were even offered at Tianjin University and Harbin Institute of Technology.
- Li Na on Time cover, makes influential 100 list
- FBI releases photos of 2 Boston bombings suspects
- World's wackiest hairstyles
- Sandstorms strike Northwest China
- Never-seen photos of Madonna on display
- H7N9 outbreak linked to waterfowl migration
- Dozens feared dead in Texas plant blast
- Venezuelan court rules out manual votes counting
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
American abroad |
Industry savior: Big boys' toys |
New commissioner
|
Liaoning: China's oceangoing giant |
TCM - Keeping healthy in Chinese way |
Poultry industry under pressure |
Today's Top News
Boston bombing suspect reported cornered on boat
7.0-magnitude quake hits Sichuan
Cross-talk artist helps to spread the word
'Green' awareness levels drop in Beijing
Palace Museum spruces up
First couple on Time's list of most influential
H7N9 flu transmission studied
Trading channels 'need to broaden'
US Weekly
Beyond Yao
|
Money power |