Kurono Tokyo Brings The Calendrier Back In Saxe Blue

Hajime Asaoka builds a handful of watches a year under his own name at prices that rule out almost everyone. Actually, there are probably a lot of people who would want to get one of his watches, but good luck getting on that waitlist. However, with the popularity he enjoys, it's easy to see why he also runs Kurono Tokyo, a much more affordable brand that still has a lot of his charm within it, but at a much lower price. Still, they are incredibly hard to get, selling out in seconds. Now, Kurono Tokyo is bringing bak its Calendrier, this time with a Saxe blue dial. It arrives as a Small Batch Release, meaning the numbers are even smaller than usual and Kurono is not saying how small.

The case measures 38mm wide and 11.5mm thick, withe case being just 10mm without the crystal. That case is also made out of 316L steel that's fully polished and you get a flat crown on the side. Water resistance is 50 meters, but that will do here.

What's new is the dial. Well, the color of it. You get a glossy light blue finish that's paired with familiar details like the vertical lines that run through the centre in imitation of the hand guilloché on Asaoka's tourbillons. But at this price, these are not hand-cut but stamped, instead. The two smooth sub-dials for day and month have a smooth finish and are recessed and at 6 o'clock is a date window. Surrounding the entire dial is a simple train track marking system, paired with applied chrome Arabic numerals. The hour and minute hands are domed, polished, and bent slightly at the tips.

Inside is the Miyota calibre 9122, automatic, running at 4Hz with a 40-hour power reserve and driving the full triple calendar. It's a fine movement and works here as a money-saving device (despite the very steep price you would otherwise pay for a Miyota 9-series). The strap is black calfskin, 20mm tapering to 16mm, on a steel pin buckle.

The watch goes on sale on Thursday, 24 September, from 11:00 P.M. JST and while we don't know how limited they will be, Kurono will sell one per customer. If you happen to be near the Kurono Aoyama and Shanghai stores between the 16th and 24th of September, you'll be able see one up close. Price is set at $2,380 excluding VAT. See more on the Kurono Tokyo website.