# Chinese Made Limit Watch



## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Arrived this morning from Bridlington, a NOS 17 jewel watch for Â£5, thanks Roy









*Limit 17 Jewels, Manual wind*


















* `ZLT` 17 Jewel Chinese Standard Movement*










I wonder which factory made it?









The crown.










And finally a group shot of my Chinese 17 Zuan(jewel) watches









[attachmentid=5637]


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## raketakat (Sep 24, 2003)

I knew you'd get the back off Mac, so I didn't have to bother







.

My two crowns are different - one is plain and the other has a "Mitsubishi" mark







.

They look very "Zuan Shi" ( Diamond ) to me







.

Thanks for the speedy delivery Roy  .


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## Bladerunner (Jun 4, 2006)

Well done,

At Â£5, can you go wrong?










I think you have well there!


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

raketakat said:


> I knew you'd get the back off Mac, so I didn't have to bother
> 
> 
> 
> ...





















> My two crowns are different - one is plain and the other has a "Mitsubishi" mark
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Strange











Bladerunner said:


> Well done,
> 
> At Â£5, can you go wrong?
> 
> ...


Our Roy is famous for his bargains


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## Chascomm (Sep 9, 2005)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> *Limit 17 Jewels, Manual wind*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Interesting. Everything about it suggests a watch made for the Chinese domestic market, except for the English inscriptions on the dial.

I can't find a brand name beginning with 'J' from a factory beginning with 'T'. If it is a bought-in movement (less common under the old Ministry for Light Industry system) then I'm stuck.

Otherwise coud that 'ZTL' actually be a poorly stamped "ZJL'? If so, then I'd say Jilin Watch Factory, with the crown designed for their Jinlu (golden deer?) or Jixing (lucky star) brands.

I'm just guessing.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Chascomm said:


> Interesting. Everything about it suggests a watch made for the Chinese domestic market, except for the English inscriptions on the dial.
> 
> I can't find a brand name beginning with 'J' from a factory beginning with 'T'. If it is a bought-in movement (less common under the old Ministry for Light Industry system) then I'm stuck.
> 
> ...


Thanks Micheal









Would these extra photos help any?









The backs edging is different to my other Chiniese watches.










A close up of the movement number....










BTW do you have any idea of a possible age for the watch?


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## raketakat (Sep 24, 2003)

Limit still supplies cheap watches to Argos etc.

They live in Wigston, Leicestershire Mac. Maybe you can pop over there  .

They don't seem to have a website







.


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## Chascomm (Sep 9, 2005)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> The backs edging is different to my other Chiniese watches.


 That's a typical Chinese caseback of 1970s vintage. Looks identical (apart from the writing) to the Shuangling that I'm wearing now. All I can say from that is that it is probably not from Tianjin.



> A close up of the movement number....


I'm still inclined to think that is a mis-stamped 'J' (maybe I'm just being stubborn)



> BTW do you have any idea of a possible age for the watch?


If you can get a shot of the inscription under the balance, then we might be able to make something of it.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Chascomm said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
> 
> 
> > The backs edging is different to my other Chiniese watches.
> ...


Here goes, as you can see the inscription reads.. *J912*

[attachmentid=5639]

BTW I`ve just realised it has the same type back as my `Friendship` watch


















raketakat said:


> Limit still supplies cheap watches to Argos etc.
> 
> They live in Wigston, Leicestershire Mac. Maybe you can pop over there  .
> 
> ...


I didn`t know that Ian, under what company name?









I`ve done a quick local search and can`t find any mention of them









So in Leicester we`ve had Services, Aviation Sekonda (although of course all these were linked







) now Limit, seems to be a hot bed of watchmaking/distribution around here, I wonder what other watch companies are lurking in innocuous looking buildings locally


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## raketakat (Sep 24, 2003)

It's like "Little Switzerland" Mac







.

I've just had a look at the address and it's ( surprise, surprise







 ) Alexander House, Chartwell Drive, which is where Time Products (UK) (AKA Sekonda) hang out.

What a tangled web we weave







.


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## Chascomm (Sep 9, 2005)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> Chascomm said:
> 
> 
> > I'm still inclined to think that is a mis-stamped 'J' (maybe I'm just being stubborn)
> ...


OK, I'm going to take a punt.

Made in Jilin in February 1991 ...which is waaay later than I expected, but would explain the excellent condition of the dial.

The Jilin watch factory closed a few years ago (1998 I think). They were a typical Ministry of Light Industry outfit that failed to make the jump to a market economy. A few of the lesser factories have managed to eke out a humble existance producing 'standard' watches for the domestic market, but really it's a dead-end, what with quartz sweeping the market (which is why Fiyta is now China's biggest domestic brand). All the big players in mechanical watchmaking have had to introduce the 'complicated' models we see today in order to survive. Of course that requires a lot of capital.

The Jilin factory is best known for their Meihualu brand, which did not use the ZJL standard movement. The calibre HJ1A looked just like the standard movement but was much bigger; pocket-watch sized. Most Meihualu were pocket-watches (some used for the national railways I think), but they did a short run of oversized wristwatches. It's ironic to think that such a watch would be very fashionable today, but the factory did not survive long enough to sell it to fashionable foreigners.


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Thanks Micheal, informative as ever, it`s interesting to get some insight into the background of what I consider to be a very nice watch









BTW I like the sound of that oversized `Meihualu`, unfortunately they sound as rare as hens teeth so not much chance of finding one


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## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

FWIW

my two Limits, which arrived today, and for which many thanks to RLT Watches, together with my current daily wear for annoying colleagues. As in 'What the Hell is that?'



I do like my Pobedas...


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

chris l said:


> FWIW
> 
> my two Limits, which arrived today, and for which many thanks to RLT Watches, together with my current daily wear for annoying colleagues. As in 'What the Hell is that?'
> 
> ...


I also like my Popedas, but I love that one









Nice Limits too, simple but elegant IMHO


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## Chascomm (Sep 9, 2005)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> Thanks Micheal, informative as ever, it`s interesting to get some insight into the background of what I consider to be a very nice watch
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have it from a reliable source that those watches are much sought after even in China.

For comparison with the Limit, here is a shot of the back of a Jilin watch intended for the Chinese market:


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

Chascomm said:


> mach 0.0013137 said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks Micheal, informative as ever, it`s interesting to get some insight into the background of what I consider to be a very nice watch
> ...


 Chinese case backs are really cool


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## raketakat (Sep 24, 2003)

raketakat said:


> It's like "Little Switzerland" Mac
> 
> 
> 
> ...


BTW Mac







. Did you know that Time Products ( UK ) own the "Woodford" brand also  ?


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

raketakat said:


> raketakat said:
> 
> 
> > It's like "Little Switzerland" Mac
> ...


No









I hope they never try to buy out our favourite watch maker









I really rather not see cheap Chinese made RLT`s in Argos


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## raketakat (Sep 24, 2003)

mach 0.0013137 said:


> I really rather not see cheap Chinese made RLT`s in Argos


You would deny Roy his pension







. I hope he doesn't read this







.


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