Jason Lee
In Tokyo’s Asakusa district—an area that still preserves a strong sense of traditional craft inside one of the world’s most modern cities—Kiwame Tokyo frames itself as a microbrand shaped by that particular balance. In its own telling, Asakusa is a place where makers work with quiet focus, treating tradition as a discipline and paying attention to detail. It’s a useful lens for understanding Kiwame’s design instincts, which tend to emphasise restraint, texture, and small cues that reward a closer look over obvious signatures.
The brand’s founder, Masami Watanabe, comes to that position from the market-facing side of the industry. He began his career more than 30 years ago, introducing overseas luxury timepieces to Japan through domestic retail networks. In more recent years, he has focused on introducing respected international microbrands to Japan via official distribution, including Japan-exclusive collaborations. Over time, Watanabe says he became increasingly aware of how strongly independent brands can be shaped by local identity and founder-led vision, and that led to a question he puts plainly: Why does Japan, despite its watchmaking strength, have comparatively few microbrands of its own?
Kiwame’s stated response is “honest watchmaking”: removing unnecessary layers, costs, and “artificial luxury,” using machine processes when they don’t compromise quality, and rejecting the idea of manufacturing scarcity purely to justify higher pricing. Even the name is pitched as a statement of intent. “Kiwame (極め)” is described as taking something to its ultimate form—mastering it without compromise—while keeping the end result minimal enough to stay calm on the wrist.
That context leads into Kiwame Tokyo’s newest release: the Iwao (巌) series. “Iwao” is presented as a term associated with rugged, enduring rock, and the collection’s concept follows that meaning literally. The design centrepiece is what the brand calls an “expression of stone” on the dial: a textured central section inspired by natural rock surfaces, paired with a smoother satin-finished ring to create a deliberate contrast between roughness and calm. The series launches in two variants—Ginkai (銀灰) in silver and Sumi (墨) in black—both described as building on the practical foundations of a field watch while adding a more architectural, layered dial treatment.
The dial
In layout, the Iwao dials stay anchored in legibility. Kiwame alternates Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9 with diamond-cut bar indices, leaning on sharp facets to generate reflections as the watch moves. One of the stronger identity details appears at 12 o’clock: an arched applied logo plate, integrated into the dial’s three-dimensional build rather than sitting as a flat print.
Around the perimeter, Kiwame highlights the mechanics of depth. The brand specifies an angled minute track combined with an “exceptionally low-profile rehaut,” intended to make the dial appear unusually close to the sapphire crystal. There’s also a thin polished ring at the junction between the flat dial and sloped track, designed to catch light subtly and add a precision edge to the overall finishing story. It’s paired with a sapphire crystal that has an inner anti-reflective coating.
The hands continue the functional theme. Kiwame uses slender baton-style hour and minute hands filled with white luminous material that emits a clean blue glow in the dark, matched by an inverted triangle at 12 for quick orientation. The biggest visual difference between the two launch references is the seconds hand. On the silver Ginkai, it’s heat-blued to a deep steel-blue tone, a cooler accent against the lighter dial. On the black Sumi, the seconds hand is silver to match the primary hands, but it finishes with a deep red tip intended to recall the lacquered pillars of Asakusa’s Kaminarimon gate.
In both versions, Kiwame shapes the luminous seconds tip after the roofline of Kaminarimon (also known as the “Thunder Gate”), the iconic entrance to the ancient Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, which is one of Tokyo’s great landmarks. It’s an unusually specific reference that reinforces the brand’s “born in Asakusa” narrative.
The case
If the dial is the hook, the case aims to keep the watch wearable. The Iwao series uses a 316L stainless steel case measuring 38mm in diameter, 9.5mm thick, and 46mm lug-to-lug. The case features a push-down crown and offers 100 metres of water resistance. The case boasts an interplay of brushed and polished surfaces intended to harmonise with the dial’s “stone” theme.
The movement
Inside, Kiwame fits a regulated, Japan-made Miyota calibre 9039 automatic movement. One of Miyota’s more premium offerings, it’s a slim, reliable, true no-date movement which beats at 4 Hz and offers a 42-hour power reserve, hacking seconds and hand-winding.
The strap
The watch comes on an Italian genuine calf leather strap with quick-release spring bars, in a dark navy tone with contrast stitching.
Closing thoughts
The Iwao series doesn’t try to rewrite the field watch template so much as refine the way it presents itself up close. The familiar elements are all there—clear quarter numerals, an emphatic minute track, orientation-focused lume, and 100 metres of water resistance—but the identity comes from texture, layered construction, and small, well-contained references back to Asakusa.
Kiwame Tokyo Iwao pricing and availability
The Kiwame Tokyo Iwao series is available from December 25th, 2025, on the brand’s website. Price: US$690, JP¥92,400
Brand
Kiwame Tokyo
Model
Iwao
Case Dimensions
38mm (D) x 9.5mm (T) x 46mm (LTG)
Case Material
316L stainless steel
Water Resistance
100 meters
Crystal(s)
Sapphire front
Dial
Black or silver
Lug Width
20mm
Strap
Navy blue Italian genuine calf-skin leather
Movement
Miyota 9039, automatic
Power Reserve
42 hours
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds
Availability
From December 25th 2025
Price
US$690
JP¥92,400
AloJapan.com