SJX Watches
Kikuchi Nakagawa Introduces the Ichimonji
Founded by a pair of Japanese watchmakers, Kikuchi Nakagawa got its start in 2018 with the launch of the Murakumo, a time-only wristwatch inspired by the Patek Philippe Calatrava ref. 96 of the 1930s. Now the duo once again look to Swiss watchmaking of the same period for the Ichimonji. Kikuchi Nakagawa’s newest watch sticks to the elegantly focused formula that defined the Murakumo – a black-polished steel case, along with hand-made hands, and a Vaucher movement. The emphasis is recreating the vintage aesthetic as well as honing the case finishing to the highest level. Initial thoughts The appeal of the Ichimonji is very much like that of its predecessor. It looks and feels like a vintage watch, but not quite, because it is clearly finished to a far higher level, a quality that is discernible in how the surfaces catch the light. Design wise the watch faithfully recreates the sensation of a vintage watch, but elevates it to another level of refinement thanks to a keen attention to detail. Take for instance the hour numerals for five and seven, which have been replaced with dots in order to avoid cutaway numerals. And the external finishing of the watch is similarly elevated. In fact, there is likely no other watch in this price segment with a similarly finished case. The case is polished by hand as a movement component would be, as are the hands. While the baton-shaped hands appear similar at a glance, but are actually three dimensional and hand finished to create br...
