Inside the Mercer Watch Co. Lexington is the Chinese-made Sea-Gull ST1901 mechanical chronograph. Chinese-made movements have long been the stuff of horror stories in the watch world, but the Chinese industry and Sea-Gull in particular have made impressive strides. This particular movement, the Sea-Gull ST1901, is one of the best of the bunch, and it’s really the only option out there for an aggressively-priced mechanical chronograph movement.

Featuring a column wheel and at least some light Côtes de Genève on the balance and chronograph bridges along with blued screw throughout, it’s certainly a handsome piece for the price and features a far more impressive pedigree than most Chinese movements. Essentially the ST1901 is a near-exact reproduction of the old Swiss Venus 175, right down to the manufacturing tooling.

That tooling, however, did make itself known through the display back of our tester courtesy of a few visible marks, which we’ve seen in other examples of this caliber. While the components may be manufactured in China, each ST1901 in the Lexington line is assembled, tested, and regulated here in New Jersey. Mercer offers the Lexington on either a brown or black leather perforated rally strap, depending on dial color. The leather is excellent here, plushly padded and natural lined. Contrast stitching ups the sport factor and plays well with the white of the dial. A rather aggressive 20-to-16mm taper sheds a sizable amount of visual weight as well, keeping the focus on the dial and case. While there’s not a world of choice from the factory, it’s easy to imagine a classic design like the Lexington working on almost any leather, or even a nylon strap for a more laid- back vibe. Whatever the strap may be, the Lexington wears exceedingly well. At an appropriately vintage 39 millimeter diameter, it feels compact and manageable on even my 6.75 inch wrist, while the long lugs and 13.5 millimeter thickness ensures bold wrist presence.

Overall, the impression the Mercer Watch Co. Lexington gives is enthusiasm. The people at Mercer clearly love what they do, and that passion shines through in the final product. Not only is the Lexington a handsome, classical design in its own right, the fact that this company manages to produce a decorated, manually wound chronograph for just over $500 is beyond impressive. If you’re looking to expand into hand-crankers, this is a great place to start. Mercer Watch Co.