Shandong Liaocheng Zhong Tai Watch Company
History
Liaocheng Watch Factory was founded in 1966, when Yantai Clock Factory moved its 6th parts factory to Liaocheng , Shandong province. The new factory was named 烟台钟表厂聊城分厂 and produced wall and alarm clocks, as well as clocks for the Navy. It began to manufacture watches in 1969, releasing its first trial watch, Xiangyang brand (not to be confused with the brand of the same name from Shanghai ), in 1970.
Full production of watches with the Standard movement began in 1975, and the factory’s name was changed to Liaocheng Watch Factory at about the same time. The Standard movement watches were given the brand name Taishan , named after nearby Mount Tai . Liaocheng's version of the standard movement sometimes has the Taishan logo inscribed on the train bridge or under the balance. ZLC sometimes can be seen on the train bridge alternatively. A two-letter date code system appears to follow the pattern established by Shanghai Watch Factory , but the start year is unknown.
Liaocheng also produced a smaller movement, designated KLC , to be used in women's watches.
After a period of success, it faced the same difficulties as other Chinese watch factories in the 1980s and 1990s. It went bankrupt but was revived as the privatised Shandong Liaocheng Zhong Tai Watch Company in 2004. the company now works in close partnership with PTS Resources , Hong Kong in the manufacture of mechanical wristwatch movements.
This company pioneered the distinctive Chinese style of open-heart movement with the ML-7101 , favoured by Million Smart Enterprises for many of their early OEM watches for international brands. It remains one of the world’s most popular open-heart movements. This success was followed up by the more visually-striking F and M series of open-hearts. Shandong Liaocheng Zhong Tai Watch Company also manufactures skeleton and dual-mainspring movements.
Brand Names
No corporate website exists at this time.
