Peony & XJS

Sometimes when searching for watches, I come across brands I’ve never heard of. One example is this Peony with an attractive dial pattern and an interesting faceted (on the underside) crystal.



It’s not uncommon for VCM brands to be named for flowers, and as the peony holds some cultural significance in China it has been used by more than one factory with its pinyin name, Mudan. I thought it might be an English language example from one of these factories, but AFAIK none of them produced watches with 19 jewel movements.



Of course the marks on the watch’s movement could help to determine its origin.



However, it and the crown are unsigned. A search for Peony brand watches provided a few examples with Swiss movements, which may or may not be the same brand. Maybe it’s a misconception, but when I see a mysterious combination of English and Chinese (and possibly Swiss) in a watch I immediately think of Hong Kong, and a watch company in HK might have been involved somehow.



When I saw this XJS watch I didn’t know whether it was a brand name or a commemorative of some kind. I think the numbers on the dial interested me enough to buy it.



The caseback and crown bear the signatures of Wuhan Watch Factory.







The 17 ZUAN on the movement is the same as marks seen on movements in other Wuhan-made watches, but unlike them there is no code under the balance. It appears that the watch was manufactured by Wuhan Watch Factory, but is XJS a brand name or something else, maybe the name of a separate company that commissioned its production?

I didn’t know, but as has happened before when I’ve bought a previously-unheard-of watch, other examples appeared for sale shortly after. I have since seen enough of them to conclude that XJS was indeed a Wuhan Watch factory brand name. I bought another.



Yes, they came with holographic dials too. This one is midsized and is probably better suited for a kid. The back and movement are similar to my other XJS, but the crown is unsigned, not unexpectedly for one of its colour.