Also from Tianjin: Zhufeng & Milan

It appears that Tianjin Clock & Watch Factory introduced ZhuFeng (Everest) brand watches to replace its Weixing brand. They were grade 2 models, but as I and others have observed they are very well-made. This Zhufeng with a honeycomb pattern on its dial is no exception.



The extraordinary ZhuFeng caseback was inspired by an almost 2000-year-old Eastern Han dynasty bronze statue of a horse that galloped so fast that it stepped on a flying swallow.



As expected, the crown is not signed. The movement’s ZTZA code reveals that it was made at Tianjin Clock & Watch Factory.



In the days before the existence of mushroom brands, substandard movements were often cased at the factory and sold for a lower price with a different brand name. TC&WF had two grade 3 brand names which were probably used for this purpose – YingChun and Milan. It appears that they were produced simultaneously for a time, because a document WUS moderator soviet posted there lists both of them as having been sold in January 1983. Milan watches sold for RMB 5 less than their YingChun counterparts.

I already have a YingChun. Now a Milan has been added to the collection.



Milan is not named for the city in Italy, but for a flower, Aglaia odorata, known in English as Chinese rice flower or Chinese perfume plant. While this one’s dial, hands and caseback appear to be identical to soviet’s and AlbertaTime’s excellent examples, it has a different case. As soviet mentioned, the logo looks like both the flower and the first character of its name (米兰).



Its crown is unsigned too. Unlike some grade 3 examples from other factories, there aren’t any marks to indicate that the movement is of a lower grade.