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This is the first Sea-Gull I’ve reviewed – I’ve never actually seen one in the metal before. I’ve been looking forward to it, as they have a reputation for high quality at affordable prices – which is right up my street.

The Ocean Star is their very latest release – and I’m pleased to say that this is the first full review available of it, and I personally think it looks great. Right now it’ll cost you $350 / £260 – and for that you get a high beat movement, solid build quality and decent looks. Let’s see if it’s really worth the money.

The specs

The case

The case is on the larger side, at 44mm in diameter. However, the lugs are sensibly shaped and don’t protrude too much. Therefore, it sits pretty well on my 7.25″ wrist. The height isn’t too bad either, it’ll fit under a cuff pretty easily.

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The case is fully brushed bar the underside, the top shoulders of lugs and the top of the crown guards which are polished. This multi-faceted appearance of the case makes it look more luxurious than the price tag suggests.

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The bezel has good grip which is also polished, and the blue insert matches the dial. The action is a little stiff, but is useable. The markings are all very neat and tidy and the pip at 12 is applied perfectly.

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Sitting on top of the case is a flat sapphire crystal, raised higher than the bezel – so watch the edges. There is a cyclops date magnifier located at 3 which is straight and actually works pretty well.

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The screw-in crown has the Sea-Gull logo embossed on the end; unfortunately it doesn’t line up, although no watches do around this price range. It has decent grip and is easy to use – plus the thread feels good quality.

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The screw-in caseback has a central blue motif with the model name and a little depiction of an ocean and a star. Whilst this is a nice touch, my personal preference is that it should be in a nicer font – it’s a little too “Comic Sans”. This motif is set within a mottled ring, which in turn is surrounded by various engraved watch specifics.

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The case is surprisingly well engineered and finished for the price – it certainly looks and feels equivalent to a Swiss counterpart worth double.

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The dial

The dial is a deep flat blue, although at times it does seem to have a sunburst effect. The color is pleasing to the eye: a dark hue that looks quality.

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The craftsmanship of the applied elements is superb – the baton hour markers have a polished edging and lumed centre; double marker at 12 and all others single.

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In addition to this, there is a small applied star in the centre of the bottom half. Considering the size of it, the multi-faceted nature of it has really impressed me.

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However, I feel there’s one thing missing: an applied logo. Obviously this would cost more money, but I feel that it would take this watch onto another level and it’s a shame that it’s not there.

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The hour and minute hands are pitched sword shaped with an exaggerated tip and are constructed in the same fashion as the hour markers. The second hand is a straight stick with pleasantly shaped counterweight and tip, which is lumed.

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The date window under the cyclops has a refined polished border to it, to match the hour markers and hands. Within this is a white date wheel with black numerals, maintaining legibility – after all, this is a dive watch.

The printing across the dial is all accurate with no smudges or signs of poor manufacture. It’s interesting that they’ve included “China Made” at the foot of the dial – this is a brand that is not ashamed of its roots.

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Ali things considered, the case and the dial are both very well made and definitely perform better than the price of the watch suggests. 

The movement

The movement powering the Sea-Gull Ocean Star is, funnily enough, one of their own: the Sea-Gull ST2130. This is basically a clone of the ETA 2824-2, therefore it has all the usual specs that come along with that label. 

It’s high beat running at 28.8k bph (8 ticks per second), has a 40 hour per reserve, 26 jewels, a hacking seconds hand and hand winding plus automatic winding capabilities. 

Whilst you can’t see it on this watch due to the closed case back, the movement is pleasantly finished with pearlage on the bridges and rotor.

ST2130

There’s a wonderful breakdown here (image above was borrowed from this review): 

http://watchguy.co.uk/review-sea-gull-816-351/.

This is a guy who really knows his movements, and his opinion is that it’s a step above the usual Chinese movement, and that whilst there’s a couple things here and there, overall it’s well finished and put together. Good news then!

The bracelet

The general impression I have is that this is a solid, well made bracelet. The links are thick and well machined and finished – it’s oiled well and is smooth and comfortable on the wrist.

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Measuring 22mm wide at the lugs, reducing down to 20mm at the buckle, it’s sensibly sized and matches the weight of the case to ensure there’s no spinning or misaligned balance.

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The links have polished sides and edges with a brushed central bar – a nice variety of finishing which looks classy. Solid end links fit the case very well with very little wiggly or gap.

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The buckle is double locking – you need to flap over the top bar and depress the side buttons to open it. This has always proved to be super secure AC I don’t see this being any different.

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It has the Sea-Gull logo engraved at the top, which in my opinion could be a little deeper – it’s a little gentle and light. The buckle also has micro adjustment capabilities so you can get a perfect fit.

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I’ve found that the bracelet is very comfortable when on and definitely develops the overall weight and quality feel of the watch.

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The competition

I feel that the Sea-Gull Ocean Star is a real competitor for the Christopher Ward Trident 300. That watch will cost you a little more, at £300 – and is very similar in build quality and appearance. There’s a plus and minus on either side however; the CW is a mere quartz vs the decent high-beat automatic in the Sea-Gull, and the CW is Swiss Made vs Chinese Made for the Sea-Gull. Feel free to consider either, as they’re both great watches.

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Final comments

Whilst I’ve been wearing the Sea-Gull Ocean Star, I’ve been really impressed by it. A couple of my work colleagues have worn it too, and agree. It’s also good getting to see it on someone else to get an outsider’s perspective – and I must say, it looks pretty awesome from afar. It gives the impression of a high quality timepiece, thanks to the variety of brushed and polished finishes and the general high quality fit and finish.

I personally think the design is excellent too – it’s a pleasure to look at with a number of eye catching elements. 

I’m struggling to find any fault with it; the only thing that springs to mind is an applied logo, but that’s an improvement that’s not necessarily required. 

For £260, the Sea-Gull Ocean Star is a stunning timepiece that looks and feels excellent quality. Highly recommended.

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15 comments

  1. Paul simon

    I agree its a lovely looking watch. Pity about the cyclops, and the comic sans, otherwise Sea-gull can hold their head up with this.

  2. bobski WUS

    I really like the watch and have been looking for reviews and videos, so thanks!

    One thing: Dive watch review and not a mention of lume? How does it perform?

    Also would loved this to have been a touch thinner, I think a 200m case at 13mm is very strandard! Anyway I am being picky. Very nice peice.

    On a side note I really like your site, reviews and pics. Videos are hugely helpful to get a feel of the watch when one cannot be handled, so keep up the good work!

  3. gjs

    42 mm would have been a sweet size. The cyclops is easily removed, would like to see a rubber strap
    option. Own a couple of Seagull watches, impressed with their quality. Great review.

  4. orfeas

    Nice watch and it would be greater if it wouldn’t be a homage to CW Trident and with a touch of Omega Constelation on the dial. Those Chinese are unable to do a design from their own. It’s in their DNA to copy all the time…

    1. gsj

      I think the Chinese do design their own watches, however those designs wouldn’t sell in the west. To sell watches to the west they have to copy what sells in the west. I think the design is quite good, taking different design cues from other brands, but who doesn’t do that? It’s really quite well proportioned compared to many other brands.

      1. Hans van Santen

        Interesting comment; are Western designs which sell very good in China, purely China-(cultural) orientated?
        The fact is: Sea-Gull is developing itself towards a serious manufacturer of quality-watches. And that is what sells in the West and the rest of the world.

  5. Matajsz Janos

    The review is great , the watch looks great too. Please, when you mention de price of the watch share an actual link where we can buy it for that price…

  6. Hans van Santen

    Thanks for the review; I’ve just received the watch and I’m indeed impressed with the price/quality so far. In time we will be able to tell the lasting quality of the watch.
    But I think Sea-gull has done a fine job.

  7. Dennis A Houle

    Not my cup of tea, a watch that is an entry divers for the newbe.

  8. Hans van Santen

    almost 6 months later;
    the watch performs very well, timekeeping is perfect and is within the higher range of brands. My EBEL has an better performance, but is certified.
    The watch performs well in salt water (5- 10 meters depht) and is watertight.

    Concluding so far:

    Seagull has made a fine watch for a fair price wich performs very good in daily use.

  9. michael m wilkerson

    just bought one,,the quality is outstanding,,,very happy..

  10. Hans van Santen

    19 of august 2018

    The watch is on my wrist almost every day for 16 months, including swimming and diving. It keeps very good time, in a monthly range that is more than acceptable, and the watch is still in pristine condition. One remark: the blue substance on the back came loose; it proved to be a rubber-like substance which can be easily removed. Without it the back looks even better!

    Final comment sofar: Seagull has done a fine job!

  11. Grizzlymambo

    The pip appears not to be protected by glass? I notice a lot of watches out of China nowadays have just “exposed lume pips” where a slight scrape will damage the lume. Whereas the cheap Seiko divers have always had their pips protected by glass. I am disappointed how many watches nowadays have exposed lume pips.

    Also, the bracelet pins are “split pins” which are the weakest type of pins.

  12. Hans van Santen

    Helas; the watch is performing well, but, Seagull does not supply spareparts. So, a watch repair is not possible in European regions. So, my advise is: don’t buy Chinese watches in countries with no representatives!!

  13. Bevin

    I’ve just ordered one of these in blue from the official SEA-GULL website at AliExpress. Haven’t received it yet.
    Hoping it won’t be too big for my under 7″ circumference wrist. Believe it will be okay because my wrist is wider than the 50MM lug to lug dimension of the watch, and therefore the lugs should not overhang my wrist.
    Also, hoping that the specimen I receive will not have any misaligned bezels or chapter rings. Always a possibility in mass produced watches no matter where they are made, even Switzerland and Japan.
    Mechanically speaking, the high beat movement speaks for itself.
    Cosmetically speaking, the deep shade of blue used in this diver is as good as any used in its rivals, and better than most. In terms of composition, the watch face is one of the best designed watch faces around. The proportions of the various elements that make up the watch face, with width of the bezel, the dimensions of the hour and minute markers, the shapes of the hour and minute hands, etc., are just right.
    Many expensive European and Japanese diver faces come in paler blues that lack the richness and dignity conveyed by darker blue shades.

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