# Saxon Watch



## dombox40

Did not know where to post this piece its not Russian or swiss or Japanese but I know it comes from the old GDR, which was a puppet state of the old USSR. Its quite a good watch keeps good time and lasts for about 48hrs on a full wind, I assume its a chinese movement I think the 17 Zuan gives it away. Anyway i was wondering if aybody else has one or knows anything about the maker.


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## pg tips

I've got a saxon somewhere, All I know is the same as you they were east German.


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## Chascomm

Saxon was certainly a brand applied to export Ruhla watches in the 1980s, however also in the 1980s, there were very cheap digital watches being made in Hong Kong with the same brand. An example was cited in Max Cutmore's 'Watches 1850-1980'. So who actually owned the Saxon brand is anybody's guess. It must be remembered that Ruhla also sold movements and complete watches to foreign companies.

Your particular watch has a definite Hong Kong flavour to it, particularly the design and composition of the case. I seriously doubt it has ever seen East Germany. The movement is from the People's Republic of China, probably from one of the lower-grade factories as it lacks any identification marks. In the late 1980s/early 1990s, when your watch was probably made, the Chinese Standard Movement was being made in maybe 3 dozen factories across China. And I mean 'made' as in from raw metal to complete watch.

After the Swiss pin-lever movement supply dried up in the early 1980s, the Hong Kong companies switched initially to Soviet movements (of much higher grade than the Swiss they replaced). As trade with the Mainland picked up, the watchmakers found the Standard movement could be had for next to nothing. It's an excellent design, but the menufacturing tolerances fro mone factory to another can vary enormously.

Here's more information than you'll ever want on the subject:

http://www.tractionink.com/watch_wiki/inde...andard_Movement


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## mel

Chas, thanks for posting this - obne learns (or should learn) something new each day! 

Just in the throwaway tagline at the bottom of the wiki is the line about the "pseudo-Russian Slava Sidovsky" which is yet another confirmation of what we've all been suspecting about the so-called "Slava" watches on the bay and elsewhere - by co-incidence I'm wearing one of mine at this moment, hand wind 17 jewel display back, I've just taken it of and checked and it does indeed look a bit like the "Standard Movemnet" through the glass back :yes:

OTOH, the Slava has the balance located where the "17 jewel" signature is on the photo above, and the rest is sort of "inverted" as it where. Mind you it is a day date unit - maybe that affects placing.


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## Chascomm

mel said:


> Chas, thanks for posting this - obne learns (or should learn) something new each day!
> 
> Just in the throwaway tagline at the bottom of the wiki is the line about the "pseudo-Russian Slava Sidovsky" which is yet another confirmation of what we've all been suspecting about the so-called "Slava" watches on the bay and elsewhere - by co-incidence I'm wearing one of mine at this moment, hand wind 17 jewel display back, I've just taken it of and checked and it does indeed look a bit like the "Standard Movemnet" through the glass back :yes:
> 
> OTOH, the Slava has the balance located where the "17 jewel" signature is on the photo above, and the rest is sort of "inverted" as it where. Mind you it is a day date unit - maybe that affects placing.


Balance just off 6 o'clock? It could be the Hangzhou Xihu. They've been seen in Slava Sozvezdie as well. would this be a slightly smaller movement, say about 20mm?

We've got an entry on Hangzhou, too:

http://www.tractionink.com/watch_wiki/inde...u_Watch_Company


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## andy s

dombox40 said:


> Did not know where to post this piece its not Russian or swiss or Japanese but I know it comes from the old GDR, which was a puppet state of the old USSR. Its quite a good watch keeps good time and lasts for about 48hrs on a full wind, I assume its a chinese movement I think the 17 Zuan gives it away. Anyway i was wondering if aybody else has one or knows anything about the maker.


Hi dombox i have seen the same movement in a sea gull watch marked 17 zuan shanghai


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## dombox40

Well thanks for all the replies plenty to consider there and a lot of information to digest.


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## JonW

Best on Denim & Leather? groan...


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