The Sea-Gull 1963 military chronograph has become one of the most iconic and collectible Chinese mechanical watches, and for good reason. But I also think it deserves to be seen as one of the most iconic 20th century military watches from anywhere in the world - it's up there with the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Rolex Submariner, Vostok Amphibia and Omega Speedmaster in terms of its importance to the military it was designed for. Simply put, the 1963 was a landmark tool watch and a design classic.The problem for collectors nowadays is that so few of the original Sea-Gull 1963 were ever made - there were only a handful of prototypes, and later only 1700 production models (some sources say only 1400). Fortunately, reissues of the 1963 began to emerge within the last decade. There are now a variety of versions available from different sellers, both reputable and shady, with a variety of different specs - 38mm or 42mm cases; or acrylic, mineral or sapphire crystals. Choosing a legitimate, original and historically accurate reissue is a difficult exercise, however, especially for a beginner. One need only look at other threads to see how much confusion is out there.The good news is that the Sea-Gull 1963 reissue is now stocked by what I consider to be the most trusted online source for genuine Sea-Gull watches, www.seagullwatchstore.com . As I mentioned in my review of the Sea-Gull designer series tourbillon , they have recently negotiated a deal with the Tianjin Sea-Gull Watch Company to offer steep discounts on Sea-Gull 1963 and D304 chronograph watches, exclusively to foreign markets. The 1963 reissue is currently on sale for a competitive US$350.Firstly, a little history . The Chinese government first commissioned a chronograph watch for pilots in the People's Liberation Army Air Force in 1961. The development contract was awarded to the Tianjin Sea-Gull Watch Company, and was code-named Project 304. Sea-Gull based their first chronograph movement, the ST19, on the Swiss-made Venus 175 movement. Whereas the Swiss movement had 17 jewels, the Chinese movement used 19, 21, 22 or even 23 jewels. A number of prototypes were made, and the watch was finally certified for military use and put into production in 1965. Fewer than 2000 prototype and production models were ever made.There are two main reissues of the Project 304 military watch - one based on the 1963 prototype, and the other based on the D304 production model. This review is of the Sea-Gull 1963 FKJB reissue. The FKJB stands for Fu Ke Jun Biao (复刻军表 in Chinese), which in English translates to Military Watch Reissue.The FKJB is among the most historically accurate of all the Sea-Gull 1963 reissues. The original watch came in a 37mm brass case plated in nickel; the FKJB comes in a similarly sized 38mm case. The key difference is that the FKJB's case has been upgraded to much more durable 316L premium stainless steel, while retaining the original shape and finish. And, importantly, the size is right - while the 40mm and 42mm reissues may appeal to today's tastes, they're simply not accurate. The FKJB is the real deal.The case is nicely finished to Sea-Gull's typically high standard. It's entirely mirror-polished, which is a point of difference for a military watch - most field and pilot's watches these days tend to have blasted or brushed finishes. The two chronograph pushers and the large, hand-winding crown are also nicely finished. Water resistance is adequate at 30m.The FKJB stands an impressive 11mm tall (without the crystal) or about 13.5mm tall with the bubble-domed acrylic crystal - another historically accurate touch. While mineral and sapphire crystals are more in line with modern tastes, they lack the vintage charm of domed acrylic, which really stands out and makes the dial pop. Acrylic is also very shatter-resistant, and while it scratches more easily than mineral or sapphire, it's also much easier to buff any scratches out. I also love the way the domed crystal distorts the hands and dial when viewed from very acute angles.The simple case back is the only part of the case with any finishing or ornamentation - it is brushed with concentric circles, and engraved with minimal text and the Red Star of the People's Liberation Army. It's nicely done.The dial and hands are the real stars of the show. The dial is a gorgeous finely-speckled champagne colour that constantly shifts and changes with each movement of the wrist - it can be silver, beige or gold, depending on the angle and intensity of the light. The dial colour beautifully contrasts and complements the applied gold-tone Arabic numerals and indices, as well as the gold rimmed Red Star below 12 o'clock. The chronograph seconds are marked out in fine black printed indices around the edge of the dial. There are two subdials - one at 9 o'clock, which is the small seconds dial, and another at 3 o'clock, which marks elapsed minutes on the chronograph, up to half an hour.The hands are simply stunning. The heat-treated blue hour and minute hands are the perfect lengths for at-a-glance legibility, and they reflect light wonderfully. The subdials also have blue hands, with attractive spade counterweights. They all contrast nicely with the red chronograph second hand, which sits at 12 o'clock when not in use, and gracefully traces the edge of the dial when in use.The ST1901 movement is a joy to use. Hand-winding on the big crown is easy, smooth and responsive, with just the right amount of give when it is fully wound. The movement is true to its 40 hour reserve rating, and keeps good time, within 15 seconds a day. The top pusher at 2 o'clock starts and stops the chrono. It has just the right amount of give to remind you this is a mechanical chrono, and its action is instantaneous. The bottom pusher at 4 o'clock is a similar story - it instantly snaps the chrono second hand back to place with just the right amount of pressure. This is a well-made movement, and you can really feel that you're using a mechanical chrono. It helps that, in quiet settings, you can hear the watch ticking away.The FKJB has 18mm lugs and comes on a Nato-style one-piece nylon strap in a fetching military-beige colour. It's a high quality strap that suits the watch perfectly.On the wrist, the FKJB is the perfect size. It's not so large that it won't fit smaller wrists, like mine, but it's also not too small. It's functional, toolish and undeniably masculine. And it looks great.The bubble-domed crystal gives the watch real presence, but it doesn't look out of proportion. The only potential drawback is that it could be hard to fit under shirtsleeves - but that shouldn't be an issue, because this is a watch to be worn casually.Or is it? I tried it on a nice brown leather strap to see if it would work as an office watch.I'll leave it for you to judge whether it works. But if you ask me, it's pure class.On a two-piece strap, it fits even more snugly on the wrist than on the stock Nato.And check out how the dial changes colour in different light.There are plenty of other strap options over at this thread , but honestly, you can't really go wrong with the stock strap.If you've been thinking about getting a Sea-Gull 1963, I can't recommend the FKJB from www.seagullwatchstore.com enough. You can be assured it's genuine, and it's among the most historically accurate. Put simply, it's a great watch. I've scarcely taken it off since I got it. It's that good.