A Forgotten Workhorse from China’s Mechanical Watch Golden Age

This piece marks the next project watch from my bulk lot — a vintage Shanghai Fang Zhen ref. 7120-1045, produced from around 1973 onward, during the height of China’s mechanical watch production era. Like many watches from this period, it arrived tired, unassuming, and easy to overlook. But beneath the aged dial and worn case was a movement that represents one of Shanghai Watch Factory’s most important and successful designs.

After a semi-restoration, this watch is looking better — clean, reliable, and quietly proud of where it came from. It still needs a bit more work on the crystal and needs a new crown.

First Impressions – Simple, Purpose-Built Design

The Fang Zhen 7120-1045 follows a design language that’s very typical of Shanghai watches from the early to mid-1970s:

• White dial
• Applied rectangular hour markers with dot lumes
• Slim stick hands with lume
• No date, no complications — just time
• Subtle “Fang Zhen” branding
• “Shanghai” script prominently on the dial

Watch Condition

• Not running
• Missing crown
• Dirty and scratched up case
• Dusty dial
• Scratched up crystal
• Dirty movement
• Puff of air on the balance shows life which is a good sign.
• Rusted stem
• Rust on the cannon pinion ring
• Broken latch on the top jewel stone
• Fingerprint residue marks on the movement

Rusted stem and missing crown.

Some rust on the cannon pinion.

Dial dirty and the lumes are dead.

Fingerprint markes on the case and the top latch other piece on the jewel is broken.

Dating the Model – When Was the Shanghai 7120 Made?

The Shanghai 7120 model was introduced around 1973, making it one of the earliest Shanghai watches to use the SS7 / 7120 19-jewel standard movement — a significant step forward in quality for Chinese watchmaking.

This movement marked an important moment:

• It was among Shanghai’s first high-quality standardized mechanical movements
• It helped establish Shanghai watches as better finished and more reliable than many other domestic brands
• As a result, Shanghai watches were often priced slightly higher than comparable Chinese brands

Production of the 7120 continued throughout the 1970s, and it became one of the most common vintage Chinese watches as a result.

Despite their original prestige, surviving examples in China today can still be found at relatively low prices — often cited at RMB 20–40 for average examples — though well-preserved or correctly restored pieces are becoming more desirable internationally.

What These Watches Cost in the 1970s (and Why That Matters)

While they may seem inexpensive today, Shanghai 7120 watches were far from cheap when new.

In the 1970s:

• A Shanghai watch cost 3–4 months’ salary for a young worker
• Buying one required not just money, but also:
  • a watch coupon
  • and an “industrial product ticket”

This puts the watch into proper historical perspective — it wasn’t an impulse buy. Owning one represented status, stability, and achievement, which is part of why these watches carry such cultural weight today.

The Movement – Fang Zhen / SS7 Calibre 7120

Inside this restored watch is the Shanghai SS7 / Fang Zhen 7120, a 19-jewel manual-wind movement that earned Shanghai its strong reputation during the 1970s.

Key traits:

• Robust, simple architecture
• Designed for mass production with consistent quality
• Easy to service and regulate
• Built to last decades — as proven by surviving examples today

This movement is one of the reasons Shanghai became the benchmark Chinese watch brand of its era.

Cleaning and Regulation

• Used a temporary crown
• Disassembled the movement
• Inspection of the parts and pivots on the wheels
• Checking the balance wheel
• Mainspring looks healthy
• Peg wood cleaned the jewels
• Pre-cleaning in isopropyl alcohol before putting it in the ultrasonic machine
• Used autosol this time to polish the crystal
• Used shellite(lighter fluid) to briefly clean the dial with a light brush
• Assembly, lubricating and regulation.

Healthy looking balance wheel and hairspring

Prewash with isopropyl alchohol

Into the basket case for ultrasonic cleaning

Some buffing and polishing with Autosol

Assembly and adding lubrication

Final Thoughts – A Watch That Represents Its Era

The Shanghai Fang Zhen 7120-1045 is more than just another vintage mechanical watch.

It represents:

• A pivotal moment in Chinese watchmaking
• A time when owning a watch meant something
• Practical engineering done well

Restoring this piece from a bulk lot back into a reliable, wearable watch is exactly why these projects matter. It preserves not just a mechanism, but a story.

Collectors value them because they offer:

• A genuine connection to China’s industrial and social history
• One of the first high-quality standardized Chinese movements
• Huge variation potential for collectors
• Strong historical value relative to price

Well-restored, original examples are increasingly appreciated outside China — especially among collectors interested in non-Swiss mechanical history.

More restorations from the lot coming soon.

Next: Polish the crystal, case and find a replacement crown