When Japan inspires Swiss watches
GALLERY
July 2024
Urushi combination techniques, enamel miniaturisations of heritage artworks, architectural theory, comic influences, origami, engraving and motifs from (…)
Urushi: rise and shine
July 2024
For 9,000 years, the durable urushi lacquer – a natural sap from the urushi tree – has been used in Japan. It is an exquisite and challenging material that (…)
Otsuka Lotec: a retro touch
July 2024
With 1950s engineering design cues, Jiro Katayama and his Otsuka Lotec brand, which makes around 180 pieces per year, have recently started receiving global (…)
Hajime Asaoka: a multifaceted contribution to Japanese watchmaking
July 2024
Hajime Asaoka is arguably the most famous among the growing number of independent Japanese watchmakers. Alongside an extremely individual and subjective (…)
Japanese ephemeral papers
July 2024
In Japan, it is often said that the packaging is more important than what’s inside. In a gift – or simply with the food one brings home from the market – (…)
Daizoh Makihara: horological delicacies
July 2024
This former cook made a radical career change in the mid 2000s. In a process that is the horological equivalent of slow cooking, he makes one watch per year (…)
Knot: the Japanese champion of customisation
July 2024
Knot watches range from solar- and quartz-powered fashion-oriented models to premium automatic timepieces incorporating Japanese artisanship, including (…)
Masahiro Kikuno: time is anything but linear
July 2024
Masahiro Kikuno made his mark on the horological map with the Wadokei, back in 2011. Since then, he has produced no more than one or two watches a year, (…)
Minase: windows on rare crafts
July 2024
The growing Japanese brand specialises in unique case-in-case designs, Sallaz polishing and the inclusion of artisanal crafts.
Casio: calculating time
July 2024
Exactly 50 years ago, in 1974, Casio, the leading name in calculators, launched the Casiotron – a completely novel concept of time measurement not as gears (…)
Citizen: en route for the next 100 years
July 2024
In 1924 the Shokosha Institute brought out its first entirely Japanese-made pocket watch and named it Citizen. A century later, Citizen is a heavyweight in (…)
Iconic japanese calibres
July 2024
Our thanks to Hirota Masayuki (Chronos Japan) for this selection.
