The new Kurono Special Projects Réserve de Marche, a.k.a the Sensu NOS

The brainchild of Japanese independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka (also behind the return of Takano), Kurono Tokyo was defined as his vision of a more accessible take on his design language, with watches merging traditional Japanese cues and classic vintage flair. Recent introductions of the brand focused on compact, retro-inspired watches with a bit less of a Japanese vibe. For his latest creation, Asaoka brings back Nippon inspirations and details, as well as a complex, textured dial, a power reserve indication and in-house modified movements based on new-old-stock (NOS) calibres from Citizen. Nicknamed the Sensu NOS, here’s the new Kurono Special Projects Réserve de Marche. 

If you’re already familiar with Kurono Tokyo watches – which is probably the case for most of you, and if not you can see our previous coverage here – then the new Sensu NOS shouldn’t come as a surprise concerning the overall design and proportions. If classic in design, and close to previous creations of the brand (mostly from the Classic Series), the new Special Projects Réserve de Marche has a slightly larger case than before, which can be explained by the presence of multiple indications on the dial. The fully polished steel case is still reasonably compact at 38mm in diameter, with a thickness of 11.2mm. The length of 45.6mm will also ensure comfort and elegance, while the box-shaped sapphire crystal adds a touch of nostalgia.

Let’s talk about the real novelty here: the dial. For the first time in its relatively short existence (about five years), Kurono and Hajime Asaoka are exploring a classic look, the guilloché dial – of course, considering the price range, don’t expect classic guilloché done on a turning machine like Breguet, but a instead a stamped pattern obtained from an engraved mould. What sets this dial apart is the depth of the textures and the fact that the engraving of the stamp has been done on a convex blank. Moulded as a single piece, it includes deep recesses for the power reserve and the 24-hour sub-dial, and the pyramid pattern (Clou de Paris) in the centre of the dial gradually tilts toward the outside. The power reserve indicator mimics a folding Japanese fan (扇子 or sensu), and the dial also features circular guilloché graining at the periphery, a thin guilloché railway track, recessed minute markers and polished studs as hour markers.

Two iterations of the Special Projects Réserve de Marche Sensu NOS will be available, each with a slightly different personality. The cream version might be the most retro-oriented of the two, with its charming and warm colour, its blued steel hands and classic Arabic numerals on the chapter ring. The blue edition has a far more Japanese touch, with its Kanji numerals, its logo printed at 3 o’clock in Japanese characters and polished steel hands for a more contemporary look. As often with Kurono, the hands are rather spectacular, with their stylised Dauphine shape and hand-bent profile to follow the curve of the dial and crystal.

Regarding the movement, the NOS in the name might give a hint. Referring to the concept of new-old-stock, these movements are a bit special – even if the origin is rather mundane. The story goes that in 2022, Kurono purchased the entire balance stock of the discontinued Premium Automatic Calibre 9134 from Citizen. Here renamed Calibre 9134PWT, these movements have undergone slight modifications by Kurono, first to improve timekeeping, but also to remove the date mechanism – as Hajime Asaoka wanted a classically clean dial to showcase as much of his guilloche design without the fussiness of a date indicator window. The movement has otherwise classic specs – 4Hz frequency, 40h power reserve, 24h indicator (to distinguish between AM and PM).

Worn on a textured calf leather strap (20/16mm) with a steel pin buckle, the Kurono Special Projects Réserve de Marche Sensu NOS is said to be released as a limited production, in the low hundreds per variant (Kurono prefers to remain silent about the number to avoid speculation). Considering the use of discontinued movements, the watch will not be repeated and is limited to one purchase per customer, irrespective of the variant. Pre-orders will start on Thursday, 10 October 2024, at 10PM Japan time, 3PM Europe time or 9AM New York time, at this page. It will be priced at USD 2,150, excluding VAT/Duties.