Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Kurono Tokyo Calendrier “Small Batch Release” in Saxe Blue
A highly limited batch of the triple calendar with a Saxe blue dial.
Hajime Asaoka, the celebrated Japanese master watchmaker, is renowned for his bespoke, high-end handmade watches. Aware that his pieces are beyond the reach of most mortals, Asaoka created Kurono Tokyo, a small independent brand that offers more accessible watches with Seiko or Miyota movements, imbued with a strong Japanese spirit. However, Kurono’s success means its watches fly off the shelf in minutes, as with the Tokyo Grand Jubilee Calendar, a triple calendar watch with a salmon-pink dial that sold out instantly when it launched in 2025. The good news is that Asaoka had another colour up his sleeve for the dial and is unveiling a new edition of the calendar watch with a lovely Saxe blue dial; the not-so-good news is that it is a “Small Batch Release” (SBR), meaning lower-than-usual production quantities.
With a portfolio ranging from chronographs and divers to three-handers and artisanal pieces with urushi dials, the Grand Jubilee Calendar of 2025 marked the founder’s 60th birthday. An evolution of the Calendrier Type 1, the Jubilee triple calendar edition featured a salmon-pink dial with vertical guilloché-style decoration in the centre and was powered by a Miyota automatic.
The motivation behind the new Calendrier SBR is twofold: it takes advantage of unallocated movements and components, and secondly, it responds to a personal penchant. As Asaoka admits, “I could never quite get the Saxe blue out of my mind. So, purely as a personal passion project, I decided to revisit the idea.” Sharing the same layout and movement as the anniversary triple calendar, the SBR flaunts a light blue dial and reveals a couple of distinguishing features.
The 38mm stainless steel case is relatively thin at 11.5mm (10mm without the box-shaped sapphire crystal) and has an elegant, polished finish, but the new SBR’s crown is flat and lacks the cabochon found on the anniversary edition. Borrowing the hand-guilloché employed on Asaoka’s high-end tourbillon creations, the matte blue dial features vertical guilloché-inspired lines that have been stamped across the centre of the dial. The two recessed sub-dials for the days of the week and months, the stepped date window at 6 o’clock and the wide chapter ring feature a smooth, contrasting surface.
Another tweak appears on the peripheral chapter ring, which now features applied Arabic indices. Unlike applied indices produced by stamping, the intricate shape of these gleaming chrome indices was created using electroforming. To obtain the desired shade of Saxe blue, countless samples were submitted. Similar to the icy blue Shiraai tone of the Jubilee Sensu, the difference here is the higher gloss finish on the Saxe blue dial to offset the radiant indices. The highly polished hour and minute hands are domed and slightly bent at the tips.
The Calendrier SBR is powered by a Miyota 9122 automatic with a 4Hz frequency and a 40-hour power reserve. The watch is paired with an elegant black calfskin strap and a steel pin buckle.
Retailing for USD 2,380 (excl. VAT), the watch can be purchased online at kuronotokyo.com on Thursday, 24 September at 11:00 P.M. JST. The number of watches to be produced is not indicated (very few), and only one purchase is permitted per customer. A Kurono Tokyo account is required (registration is free). The watch will be previewed from 16-24 September at the brand’s salons in Aoyama and Shanghai.
