"Back in the days, Wang Xietang was born before Yan and flew into the homes of ordinary people." These lines from the Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi, written over 1,000 years ago, seem to echo the transformation of China's watch industry over the past 50 years. This year marks the 55th anniversary of the birth of the first domestically made Chinese watch. If we rewind 50 years, what did a "Shanghai" brand watch mean?
In the 1960s, the best car in China was the "Red Flag," and the best domestic watch was the "Shanghai." Everyone was proud to wear a Shanghai-branded watch: a child would admire the watch on his father’s wrist, a young man would feel more confident with one on his arm, and even women used it as a subtle gauge of a person’s status. There was a popular saying at the time—without a Shanghai watch, no girl would marry you.
The "Roundhead" Shanghai watch became the standard for measuring quality of life in Chinese families. At a price of 120 yuan, it took an average worker a full year to save up for one, and even then, it was often in short supply. Premier Zhou Enlai himself owned a Shanghai watch, which he wore until his death in 1976. Afterward, it was preserved by the Chinese People’s Military Museum.
Back then, when resources were scarce, the Shanghai watch was a luxury item. Today, however, this once-proud Chinese brand has faded into memory. High-end consumers now favor foreign brands, while younger generations opt for smartphones instead of watches. The watch, once a symbol of status and wealth, is now seen as optional.
A friend once told me about growing up in the late 1950s. He recalled an old doctor wearing a yellow-colored watch, which caused quite a stir among patients. In those days, nurses and doctors all wore double-ringed horseshoe watches, and checking someone’s pulse meant looking at their wrist.
Buying a watch in the 1950s was a dream. Before the founding of the People's Republic, China had no watchmaking industry. Only a few repair shops existed, and watches were mostly imported from foreign traders like Hengdali in Shanghai. By the 1920s and 1930s, some factories in Shandong and Shanghai could only produce clocks, not watches. After the founding of the country, the state controlled imports through Beijing and distributed them nationwide. Private merchants couldn’t buy them, making watches rare and difficult to obtain.
To solve this issue, on July 9, 1955, Shanghai began trial production of a domestic watch based on an imported model. Technicians and factory workers worked together, using makeshift tools and materials like parasols and bicycle bars to build the core components. By the end of 1955, they produced 18 “Sirka†long three-needle, waterproof watches, ending China’s reliance on foreign-made timepieces.
In September 1956, the second batch of 100 watches were branded “Oriental Red†and “Peace.†However, due to inconsistencies in parts, only 12 passed quality checks. Despite this, the project continued, and by 1957, the first set of technology documents for watch production was developed. By 1958, the A581 mechanical watch was officially produced under the “Shanghai Card†brand.
On the day of its test sale, the Shanghai Tri-Department Store was packed with eager buyers. The first batch of 100 watches sold out instantly, and over 1,000 people lined up for pre-sales. Just 57 days after the Shanghai Watch Factory opened, the Beijing Watch Factory followed, producing its own version of the watch, though in much smaller quantities.
Wang Shuqin, who grew up in the 1950s, remembers that a Beijing or Shanghai watch cost 120 yuan, while her monthly salary was just 30 yuan. Wearing a watch was a sign of status, and many saved for years to afford one.
By the 1980s, quartz and electronic watches flooded the market, pushing domestic mechanical watches into decline. Many factories closed, and thousands of workers lost their jobs. Today, the Shanghai brand struggles to compete, with annual sales far below their peak. Yet, efforts are being made to revive the legacy.
Brands like Fiyta and Seagull are trying to re-enter the high-end market, but the challenge remains: building a global brand requires more than just craftsmanship—it needs storytelling, branding, and marketing. As one industry expert noted, creating a luxury watch brand takes time, patience, and a deep cultural heritage. For China’s watch industry, the road to becoming a global icon is still long, but the story is worth telling.
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