Kurono Tokyo Appreciation Post

I’ve noticed there is a growing amount of interest around Kurono Tokyo among the crunchers here.

It’s genuinely surprising how many I see being posted here since they still don’t make very many watches. I think this shows it’s a real “enthusiasts” brand.

Having worn the Kurono Tokyo ‘Azuki’ for a few months now, I can appreciate Hajime Asaoka’s vision and perhaps give some insight as to what the hype is all about.

Hajime Asaoka

First off, to understand the context of the brand Kurono Tokyo, you have to understand who Hajime Asaoka is.

I’ll keep this brief but he’s a self taught japanse watch maker who found his passion for watchmaking later in life. He didn’t start studying watch making until 2000, with his first prototype tourbillon being ready in 2009. He is know for hand producing art deco inspired haute horology pieces. Very exclusive, I’m talking 5 or maybe 10 being produced a year.

Recently, his brand caught caught the attention of the watch bros community when one of his pieces sold for HK$1,905,000 ($244k USD). This made it the most expensive Japanse independent watch ever sold at auction.

If you wanna know more about the buying process of getting a piece from Hajime Asaoka. Which I recommend because it helps you understand why Kurono Tokyo is so cool; please check out this article from Quill and Pad

https://quillandpad.com/2022/12/31/why-i-bought-it-hajime-asaoka-tsunami-reprise-4/

Kurono Tokyo

In his own words, Kurono Tokyo was created because:

“Personally, I wanted a good, reliable and reasonably price watch I can use as a daily wearer. 25 years ago, one could get such a watch at ¥200,000 – but it is very hard these days, and even less so from an independent watchmaker.”

This is an interesting move as this was only a few years after being accepted into the prestigious AHCI. Most watch makers would have simply increased production. However, he really wanted to do everything himself and is already producing at his limit.

So instead of sacrificing his craft, he creates a whole new brand. An admirable, decision.

Hajime designs them and is involved in the creation but all the other aspects are left to other artisans.

However, there was a problem in the first couple years of the brand, they were totally inaccessible at the retail price.

They were doing the traditional numbered release where the entire batch went live at once. What happened is the watches sold out in less than 2 minutes.

I personally experience this. I tried my best to get one of the chronographs. I had everything ready, started the order exactly when it went live and by the time I completed all the forms, 1 minute and 30 seconds had passed, which was too much and I missed my chance.

It’s was a little disheartening as it feels like this doesn’t match the stated ethos of creating quality watches that can be accessed at a fair prices.

However, it seems as though they felt the same way. As when they released the Azuki annual calendar to commemorate their second(maybe third?) anniversary, they changed their ordering system.

Now, there are two separate order windows that go in 20-minute increments across different time zones. ALL orders placed in that time frame would be fulfilled. Also, the windows are announced weeks in advance. This ensures everyone who really wants one can get one.

This decision really spoke to me as it represented a commitment to their enthusiast and stated values. At the time this was announced, I was also traveling to Japan for the first time and wanted to pick up a watch to commemorate the trip. So you can guess what happened next…

From an interview I watched him do and the subsequent releases this order model seems to be the main one moving forward; reserving numbered limited releases to in-store purchases only, such as with their Urushi dial release

Every release they try and do one unique aspect. With my Azuki, it’s a sandwich enamel dial.

With the Gran Urushi, they created the first curved urushi dial. Both of these process are difficult to do(Urushi much more so than enamel) and has a high rejection rate. In the case of the Urushi dials, the dials were so delicate to make, they could only find one maker willing to do it and they would not do the printing on the dial.

Anyways, the point I’m trying to make here is that it’s such a young company but there is already this rabbit hole of cool things you can go down.

What excites me

What excites me most about this brand is their follow through.

Many brands say that it’s their mission to make accessible, quality pieces but when it comes time to make a hard decision, they make one that pushes them further away from their stated mission. So far Kurono Tokyo has stayed true to their mission.

I think this is also the first watch I’ve had where my wearing experience matches the designers stated intention.

When I first received this watch I was a little unsure, as I’m not a huge fan of vintage inspired design. A lot of the times I feel like you’re getting a watered down version of the real thing.

However, this is not watered down at all it’s got its own flavor but still reminds you of distant experiences. The art deco design language Hajime Asaoka has cultivated is classic while still having its own identity.

Almost all their releases excite me and I can see myself creating a whole Kurono collection.

Anyways, I think I’ve rambled enough 🙃😃

I hope I’ve communicated some of my excitement for this brand and captured some of the Kurono magic.

Cheers everyone 🍻🇯🇵