ひとり。。isn’t Japanese

As cliche as it sounds, we seldom see uncompromising aspects where a sturdy tool watch with extravagant refinement could come at an affordable price, but there are genuinely some. However, in recent times, many that claim to be evidently don’t seem to be gaining access and handling the watches. Few have successfully conveyed this vision on the flip-side, as nascent Hitori ひとり Watch Co. has with their exemplary watches.

Hitori Watch Co. or, “ひとり”  sets out to be an independent brand that brings timepieces like few others – at a pre-eminently excellent price point for a painstakingly well-executed mechanical watch. Not only that, but through the influence of Japanese culture, and most importantly, their traditional modus operandi. The philosophy in watchmaking displayed by this indie brand is all about value proposition, and it shows notably in both the mechanical and aesthetics sides of things. That said, Hitori builds a unique experience for their own community.   

Ahhh!!! ..yada yada yada… 😵‍💫🥱🤥

I forced myself to read the entire write up.  I endured the tortured English and odd writing style.  
Somehow I’d gotten on Gnomons radar for emails, browsing some JDM seiko most likely.  But the saturation bombing of Hitori emails has driven me off the edge and now I can’t stand them.  

the 62 MAS Hitori 

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Every 2 sentences of ad copy they emphatically re-state how Japanese ‘Hitori watch’ is.  The fact Hitori is written in Kanji [it’s not Kanji, it’s hiragana] is apparently evidence.  And the wave on the back proves it!  (Yes, this is asserted as well) .  I’m quite sure they don’t employ a single Japanese, judging by all the mistakes they make in pretending to be Japanese.

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So, If you’re ever feeling like you really hate yourself, or you’d like to test your ability to withstand inhuman mental torment: read the full several pages on the Hitori watch company.  Welcome to absurdist hell.  

Reply
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But if these guys don't make this crap, who will? 

Are we to die watchless and bare?

However will we tell the time?

The world will crumble, and there won't even be a timestamp to mark the moment of its downfall. 

🙁

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CitizenKale

But if these guys don't make this crap, who will? 

Are we to die watchless and bare?

However will we tell the time?

The world will crumble, and there won't even be a timestamp to mark the moment of its downfall. 

🙁

Hmmm, not quite sure how to respond to that.  😕

For what it's worth, I'm not on a campaign against cheap watches.  My own watch budget is quite sad and really non existent these days.   

I was never under any illusions my $95 buck Chinese 'sort of looks like a Rolex' Pagani came from Switzerland or Japan.  These watches are 400 bucks and just as Chinese as any Ali express brand, but pretending hard not to be.

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Fieldwalker

Hmmm, not quite sure how to respond to that.  😕

For what it's worth, I'm not on a campaign against cheap watches.  My own watch budget is quite sad and really non existent these days.   

I was never under any illusions my $95 buck Chinese 'sort of looks like a Rolex' Pagani came from Switzerland or Japan.  These watches are 400 bucks and just as Chinese as any Ali express brand, but pretending hard not to be.

Don't worry about it. I'm not even sure if my comment had a point. My entire collection is under 500 bucks total when you combine all of them. 

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Hey do you know where they’re made? And by whom?

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Hey Bek!

Well, they have no website, and I can find no address in Japan, or anywhere else. I expect it’s a big factory in Shenzhen or another industrial Chinese city.

They only exist on the Gnomon website and dials are often exactly the same as Ali express models or like the many micros who get a Chinese factory to pump out their watches, but never mention any of it in the adverts. But not mentioning isn’t as bad as lying

I’ve got nothing against inexpensive watches, but this one tries too hard to be something it’s not. - Endeth Rant 🤐

And - welcome to WatchCrunch!

Let’s see that lovely antique (I think?) Hi beat GS on WRUW! 😉

I see on your profile you dig GS, you can read my current conundrum regarding my slightly too gorgeous GS here:

https://www.watchcrunch.com/Fieldwalker/posts/the-tale-of-genji-no-i-mean-ginza-188952

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I understand your rant, I do. The reviews of the last few days made me pay attention to the brand, and I too tortured myself reading several pages of repetitive badly construed English on Gnomon.

That said, their new release, Yoshino, does have design merit, and this is corroborated in several reviews also lauding the execution and finish by people far more experienced than I am. So, I'm happy to accept that it's not quite AliExpress crap and I know enough from reviews of those that to get good quality AliExpress one also needs to spend well more than 200USD, although there're frequent steep discounts. Of course I'd love to know which manufacturers are involved in Hitori and indeed who and what really is behind the brand. It's very clear that they stress a Japanese flavoured Asianness, but indeed it says nowhere they are Japanese. If the product is as good as the new reviews suggests, I'm OK with that. Why not be equally proudly not Japanese, after all?

At the price, I think the Yoshino could offer something impressive, although it's at the steeper end of what I'd like to pay for an NH35 powered watch. That then has to be compensated by execution. If they come up with a non-crazily-limited Yoshino encore, I may well consider it. Surely there is room for different colourways at least. But I also hold out hope for ditching the somewhat ugly subscript in the margins, a date at 6, and a flatter and smaller butterfly clasp. The date at 6 would have the additional bonus of differentiating their design further from GS and Citizen. Anyhow, perhaps they're pages of esoteric assertions were necessary to get the reviews in where a lower priced release on AliExpress would likely have put a hold on the fanfare.

Probably this discussion here is going to grow in the next few days. I'd be keen to hear from owners.

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Thanks for your comments 👍

You mention :

It's very clear that they stress a Japanese flavoured Asianness, but indeed it says nowhere they are Japanese. If the product is as good as the new reviews suggests, I'm OK with that. Why not be equally proudly not Japanese, after all?

And yet the new watch is called “Yoshino” - my fave coffee joint in Himeji. 😒.

Yes, I agree, it should be proudly not Japanese. But it comes off as more Japanese than Grand Seiko or Hajime Asaoka.

So please call it Shenzhen, or Beijing or Mao or Ming. Or even something neutral, like every other micro (sadly it’s almost all of them), that at least doesn’t try to obfuscate its origin.

I’m guessing watch is mostly for overseas sales, and with China currently pumping out disinformation on the tragic Lahaina fires and aiding Russian disinformation on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (to name 2 items of several hundred that are pure evil). Every company in China is beholden to the communist party that’s at the root of it. So suggest hard that your company is Japanese and trust that few westerners will notice.

If a company is shady and I don’t need to buy from them, I won’t. Even if product is fine. Of course, I can only be responsible for myself and we all can make our own call.

This post is is to help others who don’t recognize the subterfuge as clearly as a collector who has lived in Japan and speaks Japanese

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/us/politics/china-disinformation-ai.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

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Misgivings about China aside, it seems it could make a nice purchase as long as the assumption and motivation isn't that it's Japanese. Of course it's not the first time in history that Japanese culture has strong influence in China. I guess they don't like to ne reminded of that either. That said, is it even certain that it is Chinese instead? I guess not...

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benjaminnv

Misgivings about China aside, it seems it could make a nice purchase as long as the assumption and motivation isn't that it's Japanese. Of course it's not the first time in history that Japanese culture has strong influence in China. I guess they don't like to ne reminded of that either. That said, is it even certain that it is Chinese instead? I guess not...

What country would pretend to be another?

Look at the Google cached search of Hitori:

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Seems they used to straight up lie, but now on the website they just paraphrase constantly to just imply they are Japanese and write in a language that’s exclusively Japanese on the dial.

The subterfuge is not subtle! 😂

The Yoshino is a GS ‘homage’ ( ripoff) . A Mystery factory has now made an excellent copy of GSs cherry blossom dial.

And you’re really unsure which one? Perhaps a country known for swiping IP?

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I think the IP theft and pretending to be Japanese (writing their extremely Japanese name in hiragana, it couldn’t be any more obvious) is ethically dubious.

But I’m sure there are excellent ways to rationalize if you really want it, so go for it. 🤷‍♂