Japanese watchmaker Hajime Asaoka has created an accessibly priced timepiece within his Kurono sub-brand that utilizes new old stock Citizen mechanical movements.
The Kurono Special Projects Réserve de Marche “Sensu NOS” is a compact dress watch, presented in a 38 mm x 11.2 mm (45.6 mm lug-to-lug) stainless steel case, with premium domed sapphire crystals, available with either a cream or light blue dial.
In 2022 Kurono purchased the entire balance stock of the discontinued premium 4Hz, 26-jewel automatic caliber 9134 from Citizen. Kurono redesignated the movement with caliber 9134PWT to reflect the company’s in-house timekeeping modifications, including removing the date function.
Featuring a fan-shaped power reserve complication with a guilloché-work the dials were designed with Hajime Asaoka’s “interpretation of the classical guilloché-dialed watch with an art-deco flair.” The company states that the curved dials are matched with curved hands (bent by hand) and a curved domed sapphire crystal and that the curved profile requires a thicker dial, thus making the guilloche patterns a “challenge” to create. However, despite a very long description of the dials and the processes, nothing was stated on the method of guilloché used, so with that in mind, and considering the price, it’s safe to assume the process was automated, not the hand-made manual guilloché-work you see on more expensive timepieces.
For cream dial variant, the hands have been blued, and for the blue dial, the hands are steel. “The ‘SENSU NOS’ in blue offers a window into Japanese heritage with its Kanji hour markers. These logographic characters form the core of the Japanese writing system and are artistically rendered in Hajime-sensei’s signature calligraphy style. Positioned at 3 o’clock, the Kurono Tokyo logo deviates from the conventional 12 o’clock placement,” according to Kurono. “With the ‘SENSU NOS’ in Cream, the Arabic numerals reflect an old-world charm and the rich history of mathematics. This classic style, characterized by its clean aesthetic and familiarity, enhances legibility.”
From the case size many enthusiasts prefer the unique dials, and the folding Japanese fan (扇子 : sensu) styled power reserve indicator that shows the automatic movement’s power levels (0-40-hours) as you charge the watch via wrist movements, Hajime Asaoka appears to have created another watch that’s visually appealing and that varies from Swiss aesthetics. Will the Citizen movement deter from the compelling timepiece, or will the few collectors care more about the unique design and modifications made by Asaoka?
Both versions have solid casebacks, are water-resistant to 50 meters, and are paired with 20mm/16mm black pebble grain calfskin leather straps made in Japan. The retail price is $2,150 and pre-orders open later this month.
Learn more at Kurono.
Photos by Kurono.