After decades of Japanese watches being a relatively niche thing for any collectors outside of Japan (a Seiko dominated, budget-friendly quartz market), the rest of what the country has to offer is finally opening up to us. In Japan, as in Switzerland, there is a deep culture of craftsmanship and abiding love of the search for perfection. Match that with a refreshingly different design language to the one we're used to in Europe, and the rise of Japanese watches is pretty inevitable.
”Japanese watch companies play an outsize role in the industry, and companies like Seiko and Citizen supply many of the movements for interesting and unusual watches produced worldwide,” says well-known watch collector Mark Cho of Drake’s and The Armoury. We only have a glance at any cool microbrand sporting a Seiko or Citizen Miyota caliber to prove it. “Given the country's emphasis on craft and aesthetics, it is no surprise that Grand Seiko is becoming a real competitor to Rolex, and small, artisanal producers such as Naoya Hida and Masa's Pastime are ushering in a new era of handmade watches. I am particularly impressed by their deep understanding of proportions in design. It is a subtle sense but incredibly important to the final product," adds Cho.
With a Grand Seiko flagship shouldering up to French greats like Louis Vuitton in Place Vêndome in Paris, now's a good time to add a far eastern flavour to your watch collection.
Seiko Prospex ‘Clearwater’ Blue Marinemaster SJE099J1
Reviving a cult-classic name like the Marinemaster is always risky, but Seiko has a way of future-proofing its past. Sporting a raffish steel bracelet, there's three options all with deep ocean vibes –the delicately sky blue striated dial with a cheeky date window at 4:30 being our pick. ln a more ergonomic 39.5mm case, it reminds us how much we love dive watches for their tough-as-nails cachet as much as anything. £2,990. At seikoboutique.co.uk
Kikuchi Nakagawa Murakumo
If Hajime Asaoka is Japan’s very own genuis watchmaking equivilant to Switzerland's Akrivia then perhaps Kikuchi Nakagawa is closer to the chic simplicity of Vacheron Constantin. With a small portfolio of mirror-polished classicism, a 3-4 year wait for its bespoke masterpieces is worth every agonising month. The Murakumo is 36.8mm of perfection, with a Patek-esque dial and the best biz-hand set. Hands down. Around £15,280. At kikuchi-nakagawa.com
Citizen Tsuyosa Automatic
It's 2023, we're still all about smooth integrated bracelets, and Citizen's NJ0150 is a killer option. Its cheekily Rolex-like bracelet has almost singlehandedly opened up new avenues for its big-value in-house production. With a one-for-all aesthetic that balances a near-perfect sports-40mm case with intricate detail, the flush-crowned NJ0150 is available for a mere £299. At jurawatches.co.uk
Orient Bambino
Along with Citizen, Orient represents the authentically in-house dream with genuine affordability. There are plenty of good reasons for its Bambino being one the best entry tickets to mechanical watches, full stop – and now coloured dials are here to entice us even more. It's the generous serving of salmon pink with a soft suede strap, for us. £287,99. At orientwatch.co.uk
The classic Casio
Star power doesn’t come cheaper than a 35mm digital Casio with that rich ‘80s vibe, as proven by Gerard Piqué. Not content to take Shakira’s diss track lying down ("you traded a Rolex for a Casio, ouch"), he arrived at a press conference wearing a beat-up slim Casio, driving a Twingo. But with Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski rocking a gold digital version with a tux at the Ballon d’Or last year, Casio’s digital cool is beyond irony. A mere £60 will get you in on the budget-cool action, but lest we forget Casio is Japanese loud and proud. At jurawatches.co.uk
The classic G-Shock
With G-Shock being such a big part of the watch retail fabric since its '90s heyday, the intensely Japanese take on Big Brawn is as charming and indestructible as ever. These days Casio’s G-Shock line has a great mix of functional tools, metal masterpieces, and tempting collaborations. But we have a soft spot for its cheeky twist on the octagonal, and put our chips on a rather suave blue version of the Casioak for a mere £99.90. At jurawatches.co.uk
Kurono Chronograph 3 ‘Hisui’
Kurono Tokyo is the boutique brand of sensei Hajime Asaoka, whose unique haute horlogerie requires a second mortgage – and for good reason. Each of Kurono Tokyo's limited releases are imbued with a similar degree of Art Deco design language though, and crucially are temptingly placed in the accessible mid-priced tier. This month, the order window opened for its freshest release yet, the Chronograph 3 ‘Hisui.’ £2,770. At kuronotokyo.com
Seiko SLA067J1
Back to where we began, Seiko divers are tough as nails and have a deserved image of affordable greatness. The black-cased limited SLA067J1 is a stealthy remake of the Japanese legend 62MAS, with a decidedly contemporary twist. While we can see its sixties roots in the pared-down proportions of the tool-like case, its 41.3mm size says 2023 like its enigmatic dial. Textured patterns sweep across the dark dial while turquoise lume will make it pop in the darker hours. A top-tier Seiko diver with a Grand Seiko-sourced 8L35 movement for £2,700 in menacing black. At seikoboutique.co.uk
Grand Seiko SBGY007 Omiwatari
Grand Seiko – very much viewed as a winning alternative to the Swiss big boys – takes poetic understatement to new levels with the small-cased elegance of the SBGY007. A mirror-polished cushion case envelops the ultra-precise hybrid Spring Drive caliber 9R31, but the dial is the MVP here. A deep blur seconds hand glides smoothly AF across what looks like a frozen wintertime Lake Suwa. £7,800. At goldsmiths.co.uk
