Review of my Kurono Tokyo Toki

Hey Crunchers,

In a previous post about my Toki, someone asked for a more in-depth review, so here we go.

I have always really liked the look and design language of Kurono pieces. In my opinion, the three polished rings just inside the minute track are absolutely stunning. I love how original and yet also familiar the dial appears. This to me is a sign of brilliant design and is why I ultimately pulled the trigger when I had the chance to pick one up at a great price.

I was slightly worried about how I would feel when I had the watch in the metal because it's impossible to try one on before hand. On this point, I am of two minds. On the one hand, the watch is truly gorgeous in person. The polishing of the case, the applied dial furniture, the sunburst salmon/blood orange dial and it's many iterations all impress even more in person. However, perhaps due to its demure lugs, the watch wears even smaller than it's 37mm width would suggest. I hate to admit that I got caught up in the latest WIS dogma that 'smaller is better'. While I don't like anything over 42mm, I've definitely found that anything under 38mm does not work for me. I mean, it makes sense. I'm 191cm or 6'3" which is well above average in height and, despite my 17cm wrists, I have large hands. It only stands to reason that 39-40mm will look better on me than 36 or 37mm. This is of course fully subjective, but just be ready for this piece to fit like a 36mm Date Just and act accordingly.

I would also note that the dial colour can be polarizing. I think it looks great on my brown skin, but my wife didn't like how it look on her milky skin at all.

Moving on to the other aspects, the zaratzu case polishing, as previously stated, is top notch. You can really see a distortion-free reflection of yourself, which is pretty amazing.

However, there were two primary let downs. One, the EOM strap isn't anything to write home about. Plain pebbled black calf with grey stitching and no padding. I do find the buckle to be very beautiful and rather substantial. On the topic of straps, I have to say that even for someone like me that has a great sense for design and pairing, it is very challenging to find a strap that pairs well with the dial. I've tried many colours (and looked at strap finders online) and come to the conclusion that medium to light grey and olive green work best in my eyes. I also like it on the Milanese mesh, which I think, really lets the dial shine.

Finally, it should be mentioned that the movement is nothing special but you know that going in. Expect Seiko but certainly not METAS performance.

In conclusion, the Toki a beautiful and unique piece that I love to look at but rarely wear. Had I had the chance to try it on in person, I'm not sure I would have pulled the trigger to be honest. That said, I'm still happy to own it as I plan to give it to my daughter when she is old enough to appreciate it. Something tells me she will love the dial, the size will be perfect and it will complement her skin beautifully 😍