Hajime Asaoka Revives Extinct Japanese Brand Takano and Presents the Chateau Nouvelle Chronometer

We’ve said it on multiple occasions but the world of watches isn’t limited to Switzerland, or to an extent, to Europe. There are fascinating watchmakers all over the globe, and Japan is one of the most prolific countries when it comes to independent watchmaking. One of them is Hajime Asaoka, not only the man behind his eponymous brand, capable of crafting highly complex watches, but also the man responsible for Kurono Tokyo. Asaoka has decided very recently to launch a third project, by reviving an old and extinct brand from Japan named Takano. And the first model to bear this name once again is this Chateau Nouvelle Chronometer, a watch with a few interesting features to be discovered. 

Takano… A short-lived Japanese brand

For over a century, Japan has been a highly prolific watchmaking hub, with brands such as Seiko and Citizen being some of the largest manufacturers in the world. Yet, long before the polarization of the market that we know now, there were dozens of smaller brands and ateliers manufacturing clocks, watches and components in Japan.

Founded by Takano Kotaro in Nagoya in 1899, Takano Clock Manufacturing started as a maker of clocks and a few years later, in 1913, a second company was founded, Takano Metal Manufacturing (or Takano Kinzokuhin Seisakusho), to produce metal table clocks. Following the death of the founder, companies were merged and started the production of instruments for military purposes. It’s only in 1957 that the Takano brand came to start the production of wristwatches. These watches were not yet powered by in-house movements made in Japan, but by outsourced calibres by Durowe, Germany – owner of the watch brand Laco. Takano also built a joint venture with American company Hamilton, to produce its watches under licence for the Japanese market.

In 1959, Takano finally moved to movement production and launched its first self-made movement, with a collection of watches bearing the name “Chateau” (with several collections such as Chateau Nouvel or Chateau Deluxe). All of these watches were powered by a relatively simple hand-wound movement that proved precise and reliable (calibre 521 and later 531, 533, 535 or 541, depending on the complications).

Unfortunately, business wasn’t good and Takano had to face competition from heavyweights such as Citizen and Seiko (already prominent companies back then). To make things even more complex, the Isewan typhoon (also known as Typhoon Vera) of September 1959 partially destroyed Takano’s operations and in 1961 the company became insolvent. Takano would later be absorbed by Ricoh and in August 1962, Takano became Ricoh Tokei Co. Ltd, later known as Ricoh Elemex Corp. The name Takano was sporadically used by Ricoh, for example in 1998 with a limited edition for the brand’s 60th anniversary, or 2018 for the brand’s 80th anniversary.

While still in the hands of Ricoh, Tokyo Watch Precision Co. (the main company owned by Hajime Asaoka, responsible for the production of several brands) managed to obtain a licence to use the brand name Takano… And here it comes back.

Hajime Asaoka

Behind the resurrection of Takano is a prominent name of the Japanese indie watchmaking scene, Hajime Asaoka. Born in 1965, he graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts, the man established Hajime Asaoka Design Office in 1992, “he began his career as a product designer. Having designed a watch, he taught himself watchmaking and started manufacturing watches in 2005. In 2009, he launched Japan’s first wristwatch with an in-house tourbillon movement, and in 2011, he began selling his own watches under the name Hajime Asaoka Tokyo Japan.” (source: AHCI) He is now one of the top watchmakers on the Island and he’s a member of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI).

With its company Tokyo Watch Precision Co., he is responsible for the production of his own watches, but also other brands. First is Kurono Tokyo, a more accessible take on his design, with watches powered by outsourced movements. Second, Asaoka also works together with Jiro Katayama, the man behind Otsuka Lotec, participating in the manufacturing process of his original watches. Finally, Tokyo Watch Precision Co. will now handle the production of Takano, which presents the first watch to bear this name once again.

The Takano Chateau Nouvelle Chronometer

Now able to use the name Takano, Hajime Asaoka presents the Chateau Nouvelle Chronometer, a classic dress watch that’s all about precision and refined design. Positioned above his other brand Kurono Tokyo, the watch surely presents similarities in the design, yet with some references to vintage Takano watches, such as the Viper-head logo, visible on the back.

The Takano Chateau Nouvelle Chronometer is an elegant model with a classic chronometer design, measuring a compact 37mm diameter. It features a box-shaped sapphire crystal for a retro feel and the steel case has been designed and finished with great care. The entire case is mirror-polished thanks to the Zaratsu technique, offering distortion-free surfaces. Classic, restrained, discreet… As you’d expect from a high-grade vintage chronometer watch.

The dial of this resurrected Takano watch will be available in black or white, with applied polished hour baton markers and dots, combined with a precision railroad minute track. Asaoka’s design is clearly visible on the hands, using his signature “skyscraper shape” (his vision of syringe hands), which are polished and bent to follow the curvature of the dial and the crystal.

Visible through the see-through back is the Takano calibre 90T. No need to say that the movement is easily recognizable as a Miyota ébauche. This Japan-made automatic movement beats at 4Hz and stores about 40h of power reserve. But what matters most isn’t the origin of the movement but what Asaoka does of this normally rather mundane base. The movement is adjusted to chronometer specifications by Tokyo Tokei Seimitsu and then chronometer-certified by the Observatoire de Besançon. Unlike the COSC, the French institute carries testing on finished watches. This Takano becomes the first Japanese watch to pass the rigorous Besançon test.

Soon to be available from the brand’s website, the Takano Chateau Nouvelle Chronometer will be released as a permanent, non-limited collection and priced at JPY 880,000 (approx. EUR 5,400 at the time of publication). Not really accessible… For more details, please visit takanowatch.jp.