The Best Bambino Alternative? Sea-Gull BiDisc

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If you are into the looks or the historical reference, there is a lot to like here. Well, there is enough to like here to justify the $150USD price tag. If not, then you are not short of options by the big Japanese brands. Cheers, Jody

[@jasoncousins8689]

300 movements each year? Wow they Swiss will never catch them! 😂

[@JustOneMoreWatch]

Did I miss a word????? Ahahah MILLION!

[@zulu6ix290]

One movement a day less holidays

[@markusthulin2204]

300 is not that bad. I’m 44 years old and haven’t made a single one :)

[@bubbaoriley7864]

@@JustOneMoreWatch Close enough

[@bagpiper]

@@JustOneMoreWatch Aye. And one word makes a *world* of difference.

[@JasonTheWatchGuy]

Sea-Gull are a brand I've always had to respect due to their desire to stay original. I reviewed the same one earlier in the year and I really enjoyed it, fantastic quality dress piece

[@BevanAgard]

Can't sleep and got the benefit of catching a JOMW vid as it dropped

[@jodiwilson7299]

I like it. Very reminiscent of my Stowa Antea 39 & 1919. The Bauhaus design. I wear mine on Milanese mesh & polished bracelet. This would suit a polished Milanese mesh.

[@iTzGODZiLLA]

I really love this little guy and it looks and feels great in person. Starts almost with a single shake but man its definitely the loudest rotor watch I own.

[@Texmotodad]

Very nice! The printing (in the macro) looks very good also. Thanks for showing us this one!

[@BroMorris0341]

It's a Chinese *NOMOS* ..... I dig it

[@mhj360]

Hit the nail on the head with the Bauhaus reference. Definite Nomos vibes from this one.

[@chrisr8112]

It’s a clever design which seems to hit both vintage and modern vibes, I do miss that beautiful hand winding movement, but overall it’s a yes from me.

[@ericfreutel8240]

Gorgeous watch. An absolute collectable. Wonderful review. Thank you.

[@ChapeauRouge921]

Bambino all the way for me. That cream one with the blue hands.

[@neilpiper9889]

I have the one with the grey circle and love it. Back wind hacking when the power reserve is down in the morning will stop the second hand. Sapphire crystal is way better than a Bambino or Seiko.

[@BenOwen152]

I love this watch! Don’t really care that it doesn’t hack for this style of watch (not syncing time and storming any beaches with this). I’d be tempted to get this if I didn’t already own the Sea-Gull Bauhaus copy you briefly showed in the review (which I also love! 8mm thin, hand wind only. Great dress watch). As I only wear a dress watch twice a year, I can’t really justify owning several, especially when I love the one I have. But this really is a beauty! Thanks Jodi!

[@lookatwrist]

Actually a nice looking watch. Reminds me of Nomos world time. But the color makes this more appealing.

[@EastDallasKicks]

2:34 Man I like these color combos. A shame a lot of these nice watches are either to wide or the lug to lug in this case is just too much for my wrist 😞

[@ryan_bitzer]

What size is your wrist?

[@EastDallasKicks]

@@ryan_bitzer My wrist across is 2.5 inches approximately

[@MrUpsetGamer]

This watch looks really nice coming from sea-gull. Great watch great review and I loved the new watch shot haha!

[@TimothyW8]

I see you putting that phD in to good use in this video Jody! I would love to watch a channel based on Chinese history if you ever made one.

[@Ian-dd5dm]

Particularly liked the section of the vid discussing the price point and what you get for your money, I think S-G have some cult watches but they're no bargains, top work as ever.

[@slewisau]

I bought one of these in the last sale. I really enjoy my two original Sea-Gull watches, the 51 re-issue and this one.

[@rayharrison6400]

Very pretty watch. The green looks very good. Like the vintage shoulders and case. The non hacking older movement adds to the vintage charm. The domed dial edge is a nice touch too. Not for me, but nice nonetheless

[@craig2100]

Nice share. I also see some Nomos influence with the second hand. I have two Sea-Gull watches, one hand wound and the other an automatic. They both perform well, and agree with you that it's nice for a brand to be proud from its origin. Cheers Mate

[@jesstotten5571]

I see a lot of Nomos influence, but it's still an original and attractive watch

[@paulkukula6541]

Love it. Good casual/dress watch. Thanks Jody.

[@holgermuller3597]

Nice vid as always, Jody, thanks for that. Very interesting watch, takes minimalism to the next level! And it´s an original 包豪斯-Style watch 😊 (for those who don't know : 包豪斯 is mandarin for Bauhaus 😁) Go on, Jody!

[@HaonProductions]

All I want out of life is an affordable Nomos alternative that's 36mm or less with reasonably sized lugs! I got one of the baby Escapement Times but not being automatic just doesn't scratch the itch for me.

[@adammordo]

Love this! I would love to see and maybe try out more watches like this one. Any chance we can get a video listing down your top picks for non-homage, original design, Aliexpress watches?

[@jonburingrud6127]

I see this one as having a sector dial, which is definitly a plus, and a very attractive one as well.

[@MikeSmith-er1qs]

Jody, great point about the Bambino alternative. Nice enough looking watch, but there are certainly alternatives out there.

[@jonahhekmatyar]

5:06, wow 300! That's a lot.

[@JustOneMoreWatch]

Ah! OK, I think I missed a word.....

[@ryan_bitzer]

Now that's a Sea(hyphen)Gull watch I'd love to own! But I definitely agree with you that the movement looks too basic even with the decoration. I'd love it even more if they added some perlage underneath the Geneva stripes on the rotor!

[@zosothezephead837]

One of these days I might see someone wearing their automatic with the dial facing their wrist 😀

[@handsomewong2469]

Beautiful watch! I love the jade green!

[@Nachtgedicht]

Good looking watch. Very much inspired buy the Nomos Autobahn though I think.

[@Mikey___]

Great video, I would have loved that small seconds hand to match the coloured ring on the dial, that would have been ace

[@LambentOrt]

That's the best Seagull design so far!

[@wowwoawubbzy]

Bought this watch after watching your Aliexpress recommendations. Love the dial but the strap was pretty bad and felt cheap.

[@davidkimrasmussen]

Nice video. Will definately check out the 51 reisue too. Have been looking for a vintage style watch. Should you ever review the hamilton intramatic (not the chrono) I will be looking out for that 😁

[@rubencangelosi193]

Thanks for your video. For me this watch looks like a copy of an old Fero watch from early 70's, almost exactly the sale, but the Fero with a more interesting case and curved glass.

[@BrianHartman]

I have to agree with you on the movement, Jody. If they're going to charge $150 for the watch, it needs a small seconds hand that hacks.

[@evanspivack2714]

Very nice watch...thank you for bringing it to my attention. I'm not terribly bothered by the movement, as long as it is accurate and holds up well. Also, I'm not generally a Bauhaus fan, but I am attracted to the looks of this Bauhaus -inspired watch. I would, however, change the handset to something with a bit more bulk and I'd definitely add some antireflective coating. Make it a 38mm with shorter lug-to-lug and it would be perfect. Even as is, this looks like a fantastic summer watch. Definitely one I'll consider! Thanks again!

[@dunderhay9169]

I like it, good review 👍 . I have figured out an answer to the between two holes strap problem.

[@kiwilonewolf]

I bought this exact watch during the June sale and agree the strap is wonderful and the watch is really attractive and well made. I have a couple of moans and niggles though! Personally I would have preferred slightly larger (wider) hands, especially the second hand. Also, mine has very noticeable rotor wobble, due no doubt to the lightweight case. But for the price I think it's great, even if it's like a Nomos Club Campus mated with a Longines tuxedo...

[@ingwentsai3929]

How is it now? I just bought one, on the way now

[@harryalexander734]

I remember your very first video with the white background, Casio watch and a pair of hands that didn’t talk. ❤️😃

[@ronnytm]

Your mention of talking hands had me excited for a potential interview.

[@tylerfeagan438]

Instantly reminded me of the nomos neomatik, which I like the style of. So this price is way more up my alley. 🙂

[@dude28405]

I really like it I have an 8 1/2 inch wrist 39 mm watchers 38 mm whatever it is just seems small on my wrist but I really like the looks of it is a sharp looking watch

[@ThemysteriousMrP]

Very pretty. I’d pay another $50 for a slightly more complex case and case finishing: The dial and style would be a great addition to a collection. Maybe just a tad more bezel and a tad less glass? Nice review MR M

[@steffenbaden-baden1274]

Pretty watch for that price. I don’t like the bold SEA-GULL on the Dial, would prefer a smaller one with the red star 😅

[@bubbaoriley7864]

Finally a Sea-Gull watch with a decent vegtan strap.

[@hernantesler-mabe2400]

Inspired by ancient Chinese discs ...and Nomos. Handsome little watch either way.

[@mr22guy]

Ah, get over your hyphen self. I'm just hyfin' kidding! Another great video.

[@Adam-lw5mr]

Have you seen William wood watches? They make their straps out of recycled fire hoses and their case backs are styled like fire alarms. Seems like a unique brand that might be worth a look

[@rava2107]

I've looked at this watch for well over a year now and I am still holding out for a better movement in the back of it.

[@vanlos9063]

I actually bought this because it reminded me of the Nomos Autobahn.

[@richarddsmarais3865]

I usually dont go for a watch less than 40mm ( I have an 8 1/4in wrist...) but with the dial taking most f the real estate, that one might be a viable option! Cheers

[@trungha6493]

The watch seems to be heavily "inspired" by the Nomos Autobahn. And it's pretty interesting to see Sea-Gull has some homage watches to Nomos, such as the Tangente and the Orion. Still a cool watch.

[@robedmunds7163]

Dial printing is very sharp, looks worth the price to me.

[@jamesblonde2271]

very well designed piece.

[@stevenwymor1398]

They likely used that movement because they wanted it for the sub-dial at 6. Sure, you could throw their ETA clone in there, but then it’s just a standard three hander without the sub-dial. Completely changes the look and design of the watch.

[@michaelhargis7036]

I'm a bit of a fanboy of Orient watches. I own a number of them and am crazy happy with all of them. However my fandom has been soured when I purchased my first Bambino. I would suggest to others that they pass on the Bambino. They leave a lot to be desired.

[@markiangooley]

I was raised in the middle of Illinois and the local reservoir had (presumably still has) seagulls. I guess we could have called them lake-gulls or reservoir-gulls…

[@lulul]

very beautiful watch.. it does feel very familiar for some reason, like i've seen something similar but i can't put my finger on where..

[@MrZanzibar123]

You had me at “carcass“!

[@KarlAdamsAudio]

Quite nice - I purchased another Sea-Gull with the ST17 movement & small-seconds, the 819.12.6075. Hand alignment was noticeably out (hour & minute crossed at around 8 minutes to 12) & the Sea-Gull Official Store refused to acknowledge there was any issue. Watch now sits in a drawer, as the sight of the thing just irks me now.

[@elgatto3133]

It's a pretty easy fix to do at home with a cheap set of hand levers and a cheap hand press, but that would irk me too.

[@richardlachcik5446]

nice thing about leather straps, if you wear it tight for a while, it will stretch

[@brianmsahin]

I like this one but it definitely loses a lot with no AR coating and would want hacking for the price. I do like Sea hyphen Gull, but would probably go for the Orient bambino range instead and get my friendly watchmaker to put a sapphire crystal in it for me! I admit to doing that with my old SKX, got a sapphire crystal from Ali Express and swapped it!

[@robertmorano2372]

This watch is currently $117 on aliexpress. If it dips even further with this upcoming sale, I'm going to have to snag one! Especially with the new 38mm bambino being $250 now. I think this watch is a lot more interesting as well.

[@stevendodds1066]

Hey Jody, talking of proudly Chinese watches, I am waiting to receive the Merkur salmon 38mm retro model - the one with the alpinist style numerals/markers. This is a bit of a looker I reckon and would look great under the macro. If you like I can send the watch onto you ‘unboxed’, for an unboxing and mini-review? The watch should be with me within 2 weeks. Cheers for all the great reviews, Steven

[@simonmajura]

As a Nomos Metro owner, I really like this Sea-Gull. The only thing that I can’t I see is how the Sea-Gull logo is a tad disproportionate, plastered across the top. At least for me own personal aesthetic.

[@bagpiper]

Great video. Nice watch but not my cuppa. I agree with the price comparison to the Bambino. In fact as a bench mark Sea-Gull has a bit of catching up to do.

[@murph8411]

I bought the green one a little while back as well but haven’t really worn it even though I think it’s pleasant enough.

[@gideonwilliams7755]

If you still have this, would you be interested in selling?

[@grogthegrolie]

My 2 favo(u)rite watches right now are the Seahyphengull BiDisc and the Red Star bullhead chrono (brown dial) with the Seahyphengull movement. Both JOMW AliExpress sale recommendations.

[@HonestWatchReviewsHWR]

BiDisc is probably a better name than what I called it in my review. I called it the 'Numbers' for obvious reasons 😉

[@AldoFelt]

Alot of value! looks nice!

[@JulesBrunoJjBaggy]

My family's jewelry shop sells gemstones in that donut shape. We make different necklaces out of them.

[@scottm9605]

Yeah I like this one too. Attractive, well priced, reliable and no damn date thank goodness!

[@rouju]

Beautiful without trying to be gaudy ha ha. Love the simplicity. If more Chinese watch do this simplicity approach, they would be big he he

[@nicks8026]

That is a very attractive, tastefully designed watch. I’d take it over a Bambino any day. The dial design is modern and clean and the printing looks really crisp in macro. The overall look recalls Nomos, even the long lugs. For me, the only obvious negative is that movement. At least hide it behind a piece of steel. Thanks for showing it to us.

[@JustOneMoreWatch]

Yeah, not the best looking movement in the world is it?

[@BryanO92]

Clearly inspired by Nomos, but for real, this is good design with a clear motif that is their own as far as I can tell. And how did they make mint and orange work together? Seriously, Sea-Gull gets it right a lot, but they do tend to float a lot of test balloons. I don't recall if you ever reviewed the Ocean Star, but it's another really fetching Sea-Gull and aside from lackluster lume I've heard no complaints.

[@statlerwaldorf7130]

Great review Jody. I agree, nice watch, but there are other micro brands out there that give you more bang for your buck. I've bought several Aragon watches for less with far better specs. But it was great to learn about another watch.

[@RogerSartet007]

Love its Nomos-like look. But 48 lug to lug is about 2 mm too much for a 39mm....imho.

[@WhateverYouWant3531]

Ever thought of reviewing merkur's salmon dialed watches? They're a Chinese brand and I can't find any good reviews of it online

[@scottlewis2372]

Lovely watch. I have to disagree with one of your nits, though, I think hacking would be silly on a small seconds watch. I'd be fine with a steel caseback, too, especially if it might save a few dollars.

[@sadteeto]

A domed sapphire and this watch will be perfect

[@PlugInRides]

The Sea-Gull ST16 series hacks, but the small seconds complication of all ST17 variants eliminates the hacking ability. Just to be clear, Miyota did not update all its 8 Series movements for hacking. The discontinued 821A, the rare 8204 used in automatic Promaster dive watches, and the premium 8315 are the only versions that hack.

[@murrayschindel1848]

The Miyota 8285 day/date movement also hacks.

[@PlugInRides]

@@murrayschindel1848 My point was that Citizen/Miyota didn't update most of the 8 Series to hack, especially not their bread and butter, 8215 and 8205. Also, the Miyota 8285 was discontinued on 15 October, 2019, so like the 821A, it's hacking feature (and I can't find documentation) was not long lived. Miyota has just brought back the 6T line of movements they discontinued at the same time, so they may eventually bring back the 8285 as well.

[@hrs.ai2018]

I might consider if they really put some jade on some where in tthat watch. Mightt be look cooler or perhaps unique

[@leo.f.v.andersson]

Kind of Nomos-like but very pretty. But… the rotor is signed isn’t it? … and only 300movements? Makes sea-gull movements very exclusive then ;)

[@SkysaxonDragonslayer]

Nice Nomos hommage….

[@davidstewart3868]

Interesting design, very Bauhaus minimalistic. For $150 I’ll get the Orient Bambino.

[@bobyoutube4037]

Morning Jody, sea-gull make dreadful birds, but the watches are better!

[@ae-ca602]

I noticed to things on the AE listing, 1- the pictures of the movement show a different movement and the roter has a logo. 2- the buckle that's in the picture looks a simple SS buckle. The buckle you showed on your watch looks a bit better. Wondering that they may have made these 2 subtle changes. Did anyone else noticed this?

[@kendalltull9854]

Brings to mind a Marlow watch model. 🤔

[@PlugInRides]

Why don't you get an ST2130 for $150? It's hard to find a mushroom brand with an ST21 at that price point, much less a Sea-Gull, that tend ask a premium for their watches. Display backs are dead common for undecorated NH3x movements, and Rodina had the same movement and display back on all their models. The ST17 is used in this watch because it is the small seconds movement for most Chinese mechanical watches of all stripes, and can command much higher prices. The Baltany "Dirty Dozen" also uses this movement, and sells for more. Sea-Gull does not offer small seconds variants in their ST21 or ST18 lines, and the only other ones they produce are too large for a 39mm case.

[@oceanzu6585]

I am a Chinese guy and seagull 's watch confuses me a lot for the fact that they do have the history of watch making but I never see one in person.my uncle still wears a Shanghai brand watch today but no seagull. My grandfather who used to be a chief engineer of a hydropower plan had bit more money to spend on watch has a orient watch and a casio wave ceptor. He use to show me how to use the radio atomic clock calibration function and keeps arguing with my father whether mechanical watch is better than quartz watch (I guess quartz was cool at that time). Anyway 😎 cool 👍 review. Iam bit shamed for the only "seagull" watch I have is a fake seagull 1963

[@d7r_tv]

Nice sector dial.

[@younusimam-thesalamproject6340]

I prefer non-hacking, i believe theres less wear and tear on the movement over time.

[@rosomak8244]

Damn. This is giving any Bauhaus crap a run for its money. Simplistic but still interesting design.

[@tomholloway7566]

Looks like there is an issue with the hairspring in the macro video of the caseback

[@jisezer]

Makes me want to save up for a couple years and just buy a Nomos!

[@jersaunders3538]

Nice looking watch, thank you.

[@Leonardo-jw4cw]

Is it safe to buy on joma shop? How can they do so much discount, are they legit?

[@TinBin-Craig]

i like the style of it .. i would like a bigger size... cheers