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AlbertaTime in
China #12
Tianjin Sea-Gull Watch Factory Tour
Visit to: Sea-Gull Watch Group Marketing Ltd., Tianjin
(Oct 17-18/2011)
The very first thing I have to say about this post is a big THANK YOU to the folks at the
Sea-Gull Watch Group Marketing Ltd., Tianjin
(天津海鸥手表集团销售有限公司)
who allowed me to take this very special tour.
The treatment I was provided by Sea-Gull
Watch Group
left me grateful and honoured. SGWG went to quite a bit of trouble for me. and it would be very wrong not to acknowledge their efforts on my behalf and my very sincere gratitude for their many kindnesses and considerable hospitality. I especially want to personally thank US Sea-Gull's Kevin Ma for making these arrangements for me.
With that said, here's my day at the new production, marketing and administration facility in the new
Airport Economic Area of Tianjin:
Right off the bat I was shocked at the physical scale of the new facility, and as my description of the tour events unfold, I think you'll understand why it's so large.
The facility is so large, in fact, that I couldn't fit the entire width of the place in my camera from the front gate area, so here's a left to right (or: stage right to stage left) view of the front:
...which connects to...
...which connects to...
(That was my guide, LiHuan (Brian Li) walking ahead of me...and a closer view of the center area, with the huge central concourse, including the large polished center area that you can see in the photo with LiHuan....
And this is the building on the
left side of the central concourse...
This preliminary architectural
drawing will indicate the layout and size of the facility...
So...back to the central
concourse...
As we walked through the large central concourse (here's a look back and up)...
...the first thing I was shown was the very large cafeteria area where lunch is provided for all the employees...
My tour was after the lunch period, so no employees except for the cafeteria staff who keep the place almost clinically spotless after food service.
We returned to concourse area which is so large and architecturally imposing it's almost shocking...
...with these signs noting events for staff and company news...
We walked through the first part of the concourse and I saw this green, grassy walking area, to the right...
...but we proceeded out of the covered area through to the second (open) concourse area by walking under these glass walkways...
...and then right through the concourse towards the blue buses.
...but there aren't just blue buses...
There's red buses, too.
Why, you ask? Because there are over 40 Sea-Gull buses used by SGWG to provide transportation to and from work for the over 2000 employees that company has working at this facility. They arrive before the start of the work day at 8:00, and then take the employees home after day end at 4:00 PM. >:(
To the right of the blue buses is this building (I'm not sure what it's for...)
...and if you turn right after leaving the final concourse under-pass (under more walkways), you see this face of the facility, which houses the clock and complete watch manufacturing areas.
Here's a small, partial look at the clock manufacturing section:
...and some posters showing the kinds of clocks being built.
I was then guided back to the first part of the central concourse...
...to enter the Sea-Gull Watch Group Museum!
Here's the entry...which shows past history on the right (stage left) and the history of the new facility (one year old) on the left.
Above that section is this recreation of an ancient Chinese astronomic chart:
As you leave that area, you see this wall showing all of Tianjin's past brand names:
...and these photos of the earliest days at the Tianjin Watch Factory:
Also, this wall display of ancient Chinese horological history...
...early 1900s Tianjin built clocks...
...and the watch that started it all in 1955 (I don't know what it's called)...
...this display of ST1, ST2, ST2a watches (and my camera just wasn't capable of fabulous closeups for the watches in the display cases)...and, by the way, there absolutely was a Dongfeng with "to serve the people" but they weren't common and the print was very fine, not coarse like today's attempts at reproductions.
These machines are from the very earliest days at Tianjin...
...and above them, a wall display noting that SGWG created the first Chinese built watch to win an international gold award.
The next display is Tianjin clocks from the 50s, 60s and 70s...
...and this display of what
WUS's Jon/Saskwatch very nicely documented as "the old three", a bicycle, a sewing machine and a watch (check the link to learn the story)...
More old machinery...
...and three posters describing goals of the SGWG:
And a poster describing the opening day of thsi new facility. If you look at the top left (stage right) there's a gray-scale view of the facility which might help my photos make more sense...
If I recall correctly, when I saw this fully working display tourbillon, it's about 8" high and beautifully detailed...
...and, sorry, my camera just doesn't do justice for this close-up...
Poaters describing the building of high-complication watches...
...and photos of some of the finished products...
The folks in the store did offer to let me hold some of the pieces, but since it's bad enough to drool on the display cases let alone the watches themselves, and I hadn't brought along my mother to sell, I declined,
At this point, we returned to the clock building area and went upstairs to where the assembly area of fully finished Sea-Gull branded watches...but first you have to walk past these beautiful fish.
Okay...I don't know what all these people are doing individually, but I'd welcome anyone who does know t provide some insights. For me, this was plain and simply a visit to something like a shrine for Chinese Mechanical Watch lovers.
The production and assembly area is completely sealed, positive-pressured and sterile. Al these photos consequently were taken through a glass windows that surround the entire area (and even with that, we'd placed our shoes in haz-mat covers/slippers before we entered even the surround).
...and a small look at the service/repair area:
This was followed by a trip down some hallways and into another building, during which I walke through this grassy central area ..
...to the marketing/admin section of the complex, which contains these cubicles (naturally)...
...and this sign that my guide
(and Sea-Gull executive) Li Huan (Brian Li) is pointing to which contains the complete name of the division (translation, anyone?)?
...and this marketing/admin library and small meeting area with this and another larer conference table...
 .
At this point, it was my high honour to have a short but thoroughly enjoyable meeting with the very friendly and very knowledgeable (yet equally down-to-earth) Mr. Wang Jian, the General Manager of Sea-Gull Watch Group Marketing, Ltd., Tianjin. :-*
Following this meeting, I was pleased to accompany my guide Mr. Huan
Li, with Mr. Shang Kun
(another Sea-Gull executive) and Mr. Wang...
...who very kindly drove me downtown so I could go on a photo shooting spree in downtown Tianjin.
I did that too, today...but that's for tomorrow's post because I'll be doing some more shooting on that subject tomorrow as well.
So there ya go...that's how my incredible day went.
Here's my last look at the facility...
...although I was also kindly invited to return to the facility should I ever return to Tianjin.
Again: my most sincere and many, many thanks to everyone at SGWG, to those I met today personally, to those I already know, and to the very many SGWG workers who support the enterprise with their considerable skills and dedication.
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