Hajime Asaoka is perhaps one of the most highly regarded living Japanese independent watchmakers today. Unlike most, Asaoka didn’t come from a traditional watchmaking background and his knowledge of the craft was entirely self-taught. His first prototypal timepiece was the Project T tourbillon, which was also the first-ever tourbillon that was completely Japanese-made. Since then, his creations are also known to be extremely exclusive and limited on top of their exquisiteness, given that every piece is hand-built in his humble workshop in Bunkyo, Tokyo.

As a fine art and design major who graduated from the esteemed Tokyo University of the Arts, the principles for aesthetics as well as an unyielding determination to pursue balance in beauty have been ingrained in him. He was accepted into the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) back in 2015, an international association for the elites of independent watchmaking – its members include notable names such as François-Paul Journe, Philippe Dufour and Kari Voutilainen.

Although Asaoka has yet to win any accolades, his watchmaking abilities have been acknowledged, as his creations have been shortlisted for the GPHG awards several times since 2020. Even with all the recognition from the horology industry and community, Hajime Asaoka still very much considers himself a product designer today and this sense is naturally reflected in his creations.

In 2018, Hajime Asaoka founded Chrono Tokyo, which was later renamed Kurono Tokyo in the following year after. The subsidiary brand allows Asaoka to continue crafting reliable, chic and fun wristwatches that he can wear every day. In addition to that, these timepieces opened up opportunities to a broader audience of enthusiasts and collectors, complete with prices that are considerably more accessible than Asaoka’s namesake creations.

The affordability aspect has always been in Asaoka’s mind, right from when he received his first mechanical watch. During his junior high school years, Asaoka was gifted a Citizen automatic chronograph by his father, which was an unusual choice as the quartz movement was all the craze then. Because quartz movements were significantly more in demand and popular during the era, Asaoka’s first timepiece had a rather reasonable price point.

Recently, Asaoka has unveiled the latest iterations of the Kurono Tokyo 34mm watch. The model was first conceptualized back in 2022 as a response to Asaoka’s desire to create something that is both waterproof and robust enough for everyday use, hence the compact case size. Aesthetic-wise, the model featured a vintage mood and Art Deco-inspired design.

“This project was the first model of the year because it felt the freshest.”

“This project was the first model of the year because it felt the freshest,” said Asaoka. On the topic of freshness, the new watches do feature a refreshing new look that sets them apart from its forebearers. So far, all 34mm models are classified under the brand’s Special Project series and are coded with sans serif-styled numerals. Whereas, the new models boast a completely new look that utilizes the Calligra type face. “I decided right from the beginning that the hour makers will adopt Breguet-style numerals,” said Asaoka, elaborating on the reason behind this decision was partly due to the difficulties of integrating Arabic numerals onto a circular pattern.

The Calligra font was chosen at the end as it boasted a similar appearance to the style used for Breguet numerals. For Asaoka, it was fundamental for the blueprint to be hand-drawn, just like how Breguet hour markers were produced throughout history. The Kurono Tokyo founder recalled on his calligraphy and lettering training during his art school years for this and underwent copious versions of prototyping before he was satisfied with the final design we see today. “The dial is new this time. The project started in July last year, and I spent almost 7 months just on the dials alone,” said Asaoka.

The new Kurono Tokyo 34mm “Calligra” arrives in three variations crafted and designed with today’s watch enthusiasts in mind. Stark Black and Silver White are presented in a color palette that befits their names, with the former boasting an all-black dial with white decor, while the latter dons a shimmery inner dial set against a white base with black lettering.

“The dial is new this time. The project started in July last year, and I spent almost 7 months just on the dials alone.”

Aside from the newly integrated Calligra-style numerals, the rest of the dial design remains synonymous with its predecessors. This includes the blued syringe-shaped handset, railroad tracks, cursive logo and simple black leather straps. “The look of the first model we released in 2022 was already perfect. Instead of changing it, I decided to add another dial on top based on the same exterior. We announced the second edition back in 2023, and now we’re finally welcoming its third edition this year,” said Hajime Asaoka.

Among the three, one’s eyes may naturally gravitate towards the Dark MOP colorway, which stars an eye-catching mother-of-pearl inner dial that’s reminiscent of a stormy ocean scene from a distance. “I have always been interested in MOP (mother-of-pearl) as a material. Black MOP has a large variation in color, and so for this Dark MOP, I purposely used white pearl oyster with a black plate to create a deep hue,” he explained.

Due to the material’s nature, a different construction was employed for this particular variant. “Since the dial is composed of thinly sliced MOP, only the Dark MOP has a flat dial instead of a cylinder dial,” said the Kurono Tokyo founder, highlighting another obvious disparity between the three colorways. But from a technical standpoint, the trio of watches is mechanically the same as they’re all powered by the automatic Miyota 90s5 movement.

The 34mm “Calligra” series will retail for $1,170 USD, with each variant limited to only 188 examples. Starting February 23, 11 p.m. JST or 9 a.m. EST, the new watches will be open for global pre-order via Kurono Tokyo’s official website and are estimated to be dispatched in mid-March.