When I bought a huge bulk lot of over 30+ mechanical watches and tools, most of the watches were in rough, questionable condition. I was mostly after the Swiss and Russian watches. The rest were Vintage mechanical Chinese watches, and my plan was simple:
Use them as practice pieces.
Learn disassembly, cleaning, oiling, and regulation without worrying about ruining anything valuable.
As I worked through the pile, there is couple of the same watch brand/model both in not good condition – Shanghai brand on the dial with text 21600, 17 Zuan, Zhongguou Zhizao. I didn’t expect much.
But after opening up the first Shanghai watch (1523-613), it just felt weird that it winds but nothing happens, I suspect a broken mainspring and assumption was right after I disassembled it. So I closed that one up.
And I decided to open up the other Shanghai watch. This is the restoration story of the Shanghai 1523-601.
First Impressions: A Watch That Looked Done for
The watch looked like a classic “project watch” thrown into a bulk lot:
- Scratched acrylic crystal
- Some patina on the dial
- Hands showing oxidation
- Grime inside the case
- And movement barely running
- The crown doesn’t match the case and likely a replacement.
My expectations were a bit higher as this one runs when shaken but a snowflake on the timegrapher. I thought this would just be a basic teardown-and-learn exercise.
But the more I handled it, the more I realized this was a bit of Chinese horological history — stuck inside a dirty case, waiting to be revived.
The Dial: Patina and Character
The dial features:
- A champagne dial with some patina/oxidation on the outer sides
- The classic cursive Shanghai logo
- 17 Zuan (jewels)
- Zhongguo Zhizao (Made in China)
- Tall baton markers typical of late-70s Shanghai design
Caseback Details: 1523 / 601
The caseback reads:
1523 601
This identifies:
- 1523 = the movement generation and indicates a higher bit movement rather than 18000 bph.
- 601 = case + dial variant
These watches typically date from the late 1970s to early 1980s, during Shanghai’s major expansion years.
A Quick History of the Shanghai Watch Factory
Founded in 1955, Shanghai Watch Factory quickly became China’s most important watch manufacturer.
By the 70s–80s, Shanghai was producing millions of watches per year and played a key role in developing China’s standardized movement families.
Why these watches matter:
- They were symbols of progress and pride
- Common gifts for weddings and graduations
- Worked as “everyday watches” for millions
- Solid, reliable, and affordable
- Part of China’s move into mass horological production
- Also watch a video saying these are the Rolex of China back in the days.
Even today, Shanghai watches carry nostalgia and cultural significance.
Inside the Watch: The Shanghai 1523 Movement
Once I opened the case, though a bit dirty from probably not being serviced for years.
- I found the finishing better than I expected on this movement.
- Beat rate is 21,600 which according some research mostly were 18,000bph
This places it in the upgraded generation of Shanghai movements known for better stability and smoother performance.
Movement Specs (Shanghai 1523 / 601) SS1-K:
- Hand-wound mechanical
- 17 jewels
- 21,600 bph
- ~40-hour power reserve
- Shock-protected balance
- Swiss-lever escapement
- Straightforward, durable architecture
The bridge layout is simple and quite forgiving — perfect for servicing and learning.
The Challenge: This One Did NOT Want to Run Properly
When I first serviced this Shanghai I used water+dishwasher on the ultrasonic cleaner, rinse in IPA, dry it up in drawing paper as I didn’t have watch paper, lubricate as I put the parts together.
- It ran erratically
- Timegrapher readings went wild on different positions (oiling problem?)
- Amplitude dipped randomly (endshake problem?)
- It refused to stay stable
It felt like the watch had a personality — and it wasn’t happy.
To fix it, I had to go deeper, took more notes and and changed my process this time used distilled water + cloud ammonia for the ultrasonic, rinse twice and rinse in Shellite(lighter fluid), used coffee filter to dry them up, lubricate as I put the parts back together making sure I use the right amount.
What I ended up doing:
- Fully stripped it down
- Cleaned every jewel and pivot properly with pegwood
- Distilled water + cloud ammonia + a drop of dishwashing soap and run it for the ultrasonic for 4 mins
- Rinse twice with distilled water
- Final rinse in Shellite(lighter fluid)
- Used silk free coffee filter to dry the parts
- Cleaned the pallet fork and escapement separately in lighter fluid
- Re-oiled using correct lubricants
- Checked wheel endshake
- Ensured the hairspring wasn’t touching anywhere
- Cleaned pallet stones and added roughly 40% oil only.
- Rebuilt and adjusted the movement slowly
Once rebuilt properly, the movement stabilized and ran beautifully on different positions— proving that these simple Chinese movements can perform surprisingly well when given a proper service.
This was a big learning moment as this was the first fully serviced a watch, the bit rate and amplitude can use a few more tweaks but I’m happy with these results.
Only thing left is to get a new watch crystal.
Final Thoughts: A Gem Hidden in a Bulk Lot
Shanghai watches may not be luxury, but they’re part of the foundation of Chinese horology — and they still have charm today.
What I thought would be “just a practice watch” turned out to be:
- Historically interesting
- Mechanically satisfying
- Educational
- And surprisingly fun to restore
The Shanghai 1523-601 is a reminder that value isn’t always measured in dollars. Sometimes the most meaningful watch projects come from the pieces you least expect.
Shanghai watches may not be luxury, but they’re part of the foundation of Chinese horology — and they still have charm today.
And now, after a proper service, this once-forgotten Shanghai is ticking confidently again — ready for its next chapter.