The Kurono Tokyo Calendrier Type I

While Japanese master watchmaker and AHCI member Hajime Asaoka is known for creating some of the most coveted high-end watches available, he’s also the driving force behind the much more accessible but no less interesting Kurono Tokyo brand. What started as a more budget-friendly project besides the handmade watches under his own name, has turned into a coveted and highly desirable run of limited edition watches. The watches under the Kurono Tokyo brand are all designed by Hajime Asaoka himself but use off-the-shelf mechanical movements. The latest novelty takes the brand and its designs in a new direction, as we introduce you to the Kurono Tokyo Calendrier Type 1.

As we’ve seen with the refined White Chronograph II “Shiro” and the colourful Art Deco collection by Kurono Tokyo, the brand is all about compact dimensions and refined yet captivating designs. And while the Calendrier Type I is a slight departure from the usual, the Kurono Tokyo, or rather Hajime Asaoka DNA is very much there. The idea for the Calendrier Type I comes from a conversation with a friend, who asked Hajime Asako what he would take with him to live on an isolated island. His answer was, expectedly, a watch.

That conversation kickstarted the Calendrier Type I which comes in a 38mm mirror-polished stainless steel case. At a height of just 11.5mm (10mm without the box-shaped sapphire crystal), it remains true to the compact style of previous Kurono Tokyo watches. The biggest change here is the coin-edge bezel, a classic design element in the industry. The caseband extends into nicely shaped and tapered lugs. Next to the crown, there’s a corrector for the movement, which adjusts the month.

The khaki green dial is slightly domed and made up of two parts. The recessed subdials have a circular pattern, and surrounding the outer edge of the dial is a white printed minute track. The hour indices are printed and raised, to enhance the 3D effect of the domed dial. The left subdial is for the day of the week, with the right one showing the month and the window at the bottom revealing the exact date. Leaf-shaped and polished hands indicate the hours and minutes, with the slender seconds hand having a bend towards the tip.

Hidden under the solid caseback is the Miyota 9122 automatic movement, a variation of the 9100 series of movements. This uses 26 jewels, runs at a frequency of 28,800vph and offers 50 hours of running time when fully wound. It indicates the hours, minutes, central seconds, date, day of the week and month.

The Kurono Tokyo Calendrier Type I is worn on a black 20mm wide leather strap with a stainless steel pin buckle. The watch is limited but there’s no word on how many pieces will be made. Japanese residents can order the watch on August 11th 2022 from 10 AM Japan time, with the rest of the world being able to do so on August 11th 2022 from 3 PM London Time. The price is JPY 243,000 which equates to roughly EUR 1,745 / USD 1,786 / GBP 1,461 at the time of publication.

For more information, please visit KuronoTokyo.com