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Results for Kurono Tokyo

35 articles · 7 videos found · page 2 of 2

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The New 34mm Kurono Tokyo Calligra Sold Out In A Flash - Here’s What You Need To Know Fratello
Kurono Tokyo Calligra Sold Out Feb 24, 2024

The New 34mm Kurono Tokyo Calligra Sold Out In A Flash - Here’s What You Need To Know

Hajime Asaoka’s signature style is early mid-century with a touch of Art Deco, and he chose the studied charm of a 34mm case for his premier (and accessible) release of 2024. We first saw this size from Kurono Tokyo in 2022 with four fresh two-tone releases. Now, by introducing the Calligra, Hajime Asaoka has committed. […] Visit The New 34mm Kurono Tokyo Calligra Sold Out In A Flash - Here’s What You Need To Know to read the full article.

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Introducing - The Kurono 34mm Calligra Special Project is Asaoka’s Vision of Breguet Numerals Monochrome
Kurono Tokyo Feb 20, 2024

Introducing - The Kurono 34mm Calligra Special Project is Asaoka’s Vision of Breguet Numerals

The brainchild of Japanese independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka, known for his high-end tourbillons or chronographs, Kurono Tokyo is the man’s vision of a more accessible brand. Still driven by an almost obsessive attention to detail, which somehow explains the low availability of these watches, Asaoka is here focussing on design more than watchmaking. Following the […]

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A new Kurono Chronograph Shows How the Brand Develops New Refinements with Each Release Worn & Wound
Kurono Tokyo could nearly break Nov 14, 2023

A new Kurono Chronograph Shows How the Brand Develops New Refinements with Each Release

There was a time not too long ago when news of a new watch from Kurono Tokyo could nearly break the internet. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but as the brand was building up a head of steam, it felt like loads of hype accompanied every new announcement. This was the peak of pandemic era watch speculation, and Kurono was in the middle of it. Over time, the frenzy has cooled and Kurono announcements are no longer the object of such intense scrutiny. I get the sense that Hajime Asaoka and his team are just fine with that – this is a brand that has instituted layers of “anti flipping” safeguards to their ordering process, after all. But a curious thing is happening: as the hysteria for Kurono’s limited editions has waned, the watches themselves seem to be getting better. Not just in terms of their aesthetics (that’s a matter of opinion, of course) but in the way they’re made and their ergonomics. It would be incredibly easy for Kurono to just keep cranking out new colorways, but every new release is indicative of subtle refinements to the brand’s approach, applying new techniques with every watch.  Their latest, the Chronograph 3 “Hisui”, is a great example of the way the brand has made little changes and continues to experiment while still hewing close to what has become a distinct house style. Kurono’s chronographs have evolved into colorful “sector” designs over the years, and this example has what I think is a very appealing mint green colorway that...

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A New Complication for Kurono Tokyo: Introducing the GMT 1, with the Miyota 9075 Movement Worn & Wound
Kurono Tokyo Introducing Sep 4, 2023

A New Complication for Kurono Tokyo: Introducing the GMT 1, with the Miyota 9075 Movement

We probably should have seen this one coming: the new watch from Kurono Tokyo, the affordable offshoot of Hajime Asaoka’s eponymous and very high end independent brand, is a GMT equipped with the new Miyota 9075 movement. This is a new complication for Kurono, and it makes sense that the brand waited to launch a GMT until an affordable, Japanese made, caliber with local jumping hours became available. The new watch, dubbed simply the Kurono GMT 1, feels very much of a piece with other recent Kurono releases, simply extending Asaoka’s Art Deco infused design codes with some new functionality.  The conceit of this watch, according to Asaoka, is that a GMT is a complication highly desired by those traveling the world for business purposes, but watches that are equipped with this feature often find themselves in the sport category. While I think any serious watch lover can probably poke a few holes in that theory, it led Asaoka to create an apologetically not a traditional sports watch. Like all Kurono watches, this is an aesthetic object first and foremost, with design flourishes that exist simply to look good, rather than serve any specific functional purpose. The watch was also designed with conservative “business” fashion in mind, which from Asaoka’s perspective hasn’t changed a whole lot through the years, which lends the GMT 1 a traditional look that, while not vintage inspired, wouldn’t look out of place in the 1950s or 60s.  The dial features multiple s...

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Kurono Tokyo Closes Out the Calendrier I Series with the Maroon Dialed “Azuki” Anniversary Edition Worn & Wound
Kurono Tokyo Closes Out May 25, 2023

Kurono Tokyo Closes Out the Calendrier I Series with the Maroon Dialed “Azuki” Anniversary Edition

The latest from Kurono Tokyo is a new version of their Calendrier Type I, a reference that was a finalist in the 2022 GPHG awards. A triple calendar is an old school complication, so it makes sense for a brand like Kurono to experiment on this platform, with their design language so deeply rooted in Art Deco principles and mid 20th century ideas around size and style. The new Calendrier is a Kurono anniversary model, thus it will be sold as a “time limited” edition, meaning prospective owners will have specific windows during which they can make a purchase, and Kurono will fill every order placed in these windows. Kurono has also announced that this will be the final version of the Calendrier Type I, so if this is a reference you’ve been hunting, we’re approaching your last chance to snag one directly from the brand.  Kurono has dubbed this model the Anniversary Calendrier “Azuki,” a name derived from the maroon color of the dial. Azuki means “red bean” in Japanese, and in Japan is a color commonly associated with cars. Maroon was once a common standard vehicle color, so this watch is subtly auto inspired and a throwback in more ways than one.  According to the brand, achieving this particular tone of maroon was a significant challenge. To get the color right, Kurono used phosphor-bronze rather than the typical brass for the dial material, which allows them to get the proper shade of red during the finishing process. Kurono notes that phosphor-bronze is m...

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Kurono Tokyo Goes Small with Four New Limited Edition Watches Worn & Wound
Kurono Tokyo Goes Small Mar 13, 2023

Kurono Tokyo Goes Small with Four New Limited Edition Watches

This is one for the “better late than never” file. Last week, Kurono Tokyo launched their latest collection of watches, a series of four sector dials that quickly sold out after being made available on Friday morning. These watches, sized at just 34mm, are part of the “Special Projects” series that Kurono has undertaken, which seem to be personal labors of love from watchmaker Hajime Asaoka. On the webpage where these watches were announced, he writes about his own preference for 34mm watches, and not being sure of their mass appeal. When Kurono last experimented with a 34mm case size, the watches quickly sold out at a pop-up event, and that inspired Asaoka to make another run, in a new batch of colors. The near immediate sell out of this new collection would indicate to most observers that he’s onto something.  I’m a big fan of Kurono and enjoy that they produce watches in a more traditional size. It just seems to suit Asaoka’s design sensibilities – it’s tough to imagine the Toki, for example, being nearly as appealing in a 40mm case. That said, 34mm is a little small for me, but I have a big wrist, and the 37mm cases that Kurono favors are at the low end of my sweet spot. That means that a lot of people with “average” sized wrists will probably find 34mm to be a nice fit if they’re going for a more classic and subtle look. Kurono cases are always designed in such a way as to maximize comfort and wearability, which I think can largely neutralize ...

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One (very satisfied) owner’s review of the Kurono Grand Akane Time+Tide
Kurono Tokyo watches Jul 3, 2021

One (very satisfied) owner’s review of the Kurono Grand Akane

What haven’t I already said about my  love for Kurono Tokyo watches. At this stage in my collecting journey, the watches I own already tick a lot of functional boxes, so the main driver of my current purchase decisions is dial aesthetic. If I were to buy yet another diver with a black dial, it … ContinuedThe post One (very satisfied) owner’s review of the Kurono Grand Akane appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

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