1965438+In July 2005, Mr. Li Dongshan, a national industrialist, opened the first mechanical clock factory in China-Yantai Gem Clock Factory. 19 18 years, Bao Watch Factory produced the first batch of mechanical pendulum clocks. From the end of 1920s to the beginning of 1930s, Yantai successively set up clock factories such as Yongkang, Yongye and Ciye, producing mechanical pendulum clocks of brands such as Bao, Yong, Sheng and Ye, and successively developed the first single-bell, double-bell alarm clock, 15-day mechanical pendulum clock and balance wall clock with hairspring in China. It has been sold to major commercial ports in Northeast China, North China, East China, South China and Southwest China, and won awards at the National Domestic Products Exhibition. In the mid-1930s, Yantai clock industry reached its peak, with an annual output of 654.38+600,000. According to the newspaper report of that year, "people in society also use salt to buy goods." At that time, the news spread all over the country, and commodity sales were booming day by day, reaching Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces and cities in the north and Annan, Myanmar, Singapore and Nanyang Islands in the south. You can sell it anywhere with convenient transportation. "

Yantai clocks and watches have been branded with strong patriotism and national spirit since their birth. It is this that attracts the attention of patriots. 1933, the overseas Chinese company in Singapore, which is responsible for supporting domestic products, came to Yantai to order watches and clocks, and Yantai watches and clocks became famous in Southeast Asian countries. 1In May, 934, General Feng Yuxiang, who was forced to withdraw from the anti-Japanese battlefield, stayed in Yantai to visit Yongkang Bell Factory. When he saw a set of products made by his compatriots that could compete with foreign clocks and watches, he improvised a poem praising Yantai clocks and watches: "Who said that domestic products are not as good as foreign products?" I also bought four pendulum clocks of different styles for my own use.

Since the early 1930s, more than a dozen Yantai clock makers have successively set up watch factories in Tianjin, Qingdao, Shenyang, Dandong, Shanghai, Beijing and other places independently or in cooperation with others, and spread the technology of making mechanical clocks to various places. These watch factories laid the foundation for the formation of the new China watch industry.

After the founding of New China, with the support of the Party and the government, the watch industry in Yantai has been revitalized. After the transformation of socialist industry and commerce, Yantai Watch Factory, a public-private partnership, was merged and established. 1960 65438+ 10, in order to meet the needs of product export, Zhong Factory began to use the trademark "Polaris". 1962, the watch factory was transformed into a state-owned Yantai watch factory. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, despite the influence of the "Cultural Revolution", Polaris people continued to develop new products with the spirit of continuous innovation, filling one blank after another in the development history of the watch industry in New China. Among them, the astronomical quartz clock was developed by the State Seismological Bureau for earthquake monitoring, but it actually became the first batch of quartz clocks independently developed and put into production in China, and the successful development of the ship clock changed the history of China's military and civil ships relying on imports.

1June, 975 Yantai watch industry was adjusted and expanded, and a factory specializing in the production of wooden clocks, alarm clocks and watches was established. Later, factories and research institutes of clock components and clock materials were built, forming a complete clock production system. Polaris has become one of the main production bases of China watch industry.

After the reform and opening up, in order to meet the increasingly prosperous market demand, "Polaris" expanded its production scale, dispersed some parts production to more than 30 township enterprises in rural areas of Jiaodong, liberated forces to actively develop and put into production new products and new colors, and a number of new products with domestic initiative and leading level came out one after another. Enterprises vigorously carry out technological innovation activities, improve technology and implement total quality management, thus promoting the stable improvement of product quality. 1979 in the evaluation of national product quality award, Polaris mechanical clock won the highest silver award in watch category. 1980 "Polaris" trademark was awarded the "National Famous Trademark" certificate by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. 1983, "Polaris" mechanical clock won the national silver award for quality products again. 1986, the enterprise won the national quality management award.