Same engine as a $300 Seagull. So what are you paying for
By Dave Kowalski, Chicago ยท
Fair question, and I asked it out loud in my kitchen until Renee told me to stop.
The Bicompax 001 runs the Seagull ST1901, the same hand-wound column-wheel chronograph you'll find in the Seagull 1963 that costs half as much. 40 hours of reserve, push-button chrono, open caseback. That movement is a legit piece of hardware for the money and I'll never knock it.
So the extra $300ish? You get sapphire instead of acrylic. You get a 38 mm case, 12.5 mm thick, that's cleaner and better finished. 50 m instead of 30. A white dial with a two-register layout that looks like it belongs on some guy's wrist at Monza in 1965. And honestly, quality control and a warranty from a company that answers email.
Gripes. 19 mm lugs, which is an annoying size when you go strap shopping (everything good is 18 or 20). And it's a chronograph you hand-wind, which is charming for about a month and then you forget and it's stopped on your dresser.
At $600 to $660 it's one of the better small vintage chronos going. If you just want the movement and don't care about the polish, get the Seagull and keep the change.