Borna Bošnjak
Hajime Asaoka treats himself to a 60th birthday present with the new Grand Jubilee Calendar in elegant salmon.
The vertically striped dial is adorned with black-coated indices and the brand’s signature hands.
Online orders open at 23:00 JST on the 17th of October, though the brand hasn’t announced how limited the release will be. Pricing is set at US$2,380.
The best way to truly experience something is to live with it, which is exactly what Hajime Asaoka does with watches from his Kurono Tokyo brand. Yes, he has a line of eponymous, ultra high-end pieces, but he chooses to wear the affordable brand most often. Makes sense, really. As a result, the new Grand Jubilee Calendar is not only quite special because it’s the watch he chose to commemorate his 60th birthday, but also because it’s been improved in subtle ways that make it that much better. Other than the clear switch-up in dial colour, it’s a collection of small details that add up to make a big difference. But before we run through them, beware – this watch will be produced in limited quantities and available for online orders starting on the 17th of October. So if you’re keen, get your trigger finger ready.
This is the third iteration of Kurono’s triple calendar watch, but the first with this new-style dial. Even though there is now more stuff scattered across it, the Grand Jubilee Calendar manages the double-register layout with more elegance, and without looking too cluttered. If you’re familiar with its predecessors, you’ll immediately notice that the coin edge bezel is gone, replaced by a concave number that reduces the visual bulk of the overall package. As this is a watch commemorating Asaoka himself, it’s only fitting for it to use a vertical guilloché pattern that’s representative of his haute horlogerie pieces, though do note this is just a stamped pattern.
Intersecting this central portion are two sub-dials for the day and month, with a third, teeny tiny aperture for the date sitting at 6 o’clock. The date window was something that Asaoka spent some effort pondering over, as, in his own words, “Previously, the date disc rotated deep beneath the surface, making it difficult to read. While it featured a beautifully polished dial, but in order to achieve that gloss, the month and day displays had to be attached separately from the back of the dial, which in turn made the dial considerably thick.”
How did he solve the issue? Who better to explain than the man himself: “With this new Grand Jubilee Calendar, I’ve created a circular recess around the date window itself, and then opened the date window inside that recess. This approach effectively makes the dial look thinner.” The final new touches are the black-coated hands and indices that match the onyx cabochon in the crown and offer great contrast against the black backdrop.
We’ve already covered the bezel change, but the lugs have also been re-profiled into a slightly different, thinner shape, contributing to the overall shift to a dressier design. At 38mm across and 11.5mm thick, the proportions are just right for what most would expect from a complicated, dressy watch, with the dome of the box sapphire crystal accounting for 1.5mm of that thickness. Marking the fact that this is one of Kurono’s limited, “Grand Series” pieces, the caseback is special, too. Surrounded by engravings of its origins and creators, the Grand Jubilee Calendar gets a very trick-looking caseback medallion harking back to those of vintage Grand and King Seikos. It’s solid gold, and engraved with Japanese characters for the Kurono Tokyo brand, as well as Hajime Asaoka’s hanko – a personal stamp that’s used in place of a signature in Japan.
Hidden from view by that lovely caseback is the Miyota 9022, an automatic, triple calendar movement that’s part of the brand’s excellent 9000 movement series. While its on-paper specs won’t blow you away – a 4Hz beat rate and 40 hour power reserve are pretty middle-of-the-road – its price-to-performance ratio is second to none, offering complication at a fraction of the price of anything you’ll find coming from Switzerland.
Kurono Tokyo Grand Jubilee Calendar pricing and availability
The Kurono Grand Jubilee Calendar will be available starting 23:00 JST on the 17th of October in limited quantities via the Kurono Tokyo website, though the brand doesn’t specify how limited it will be. Price: US$2,380
Brand
Kurono Tokyo
Model
Grand Jubilee Calendar
Case Dimensions
38mm (D) x 11.5mm (T)
Case Material
Stainless steel
Water Resistance
50 metres
Crystal(s)
Box dome sapphire front
Dial
Salmon guilloché
Lug Width
20mm
Strap
Calf leather, 16mm steel pin buckle
Movement
Miyota 9022, automatic
Power Reserve
40 hours
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds, month, day, date
Availability
Limited production, available from 23:00 JST on the 17th of October
Price
US$2,380
AloJapan.com