I often try to arrive in Geneva early enough to visit a few watch brands before Watches and Wonders begins. This year, Minase was one of them. Stepping outside the wristwatch canon, its new pocket watches caught my eye. These are heirlooms in the making, produced strictly to order in stainless steel or 18kt gold. Their manufacture brings together disciplines rarely seen in contemporary horology — lacquer art, swordsmithing, and mirror polishing — into a single object.
Minase watches are designed to celebrate Japanese craftsmanship and nature, a sensibility for beauty, and the belief that greatness resides in the finest details. If you focus first on the 12-sided case, you can admire the finishing achieved through Sallaz polishing, its crisp geometry catching the light with subtle brilliance. But the real narrative sits beneath the crystal. Each dial is made using the traditional Wajima maki-e technique, a painstaking process by craftsman Junichi Hakose, in which lacquer is applied, then dusted with gold, silver, and pigment before curing. Months of work result in two distinct compositions.
The Asagimadara dial story centres on the migratory butterfly that travels vast distances across Asia. Here, it becomes a study of the connections between places, seasons, and people, and a bridge between Japan and the world. The wing pattern is realised through the rankaku technique, where fragments of quail eggshell are set into the lacquer, lending a quiet, tactile luminosity. Small geometric windows punctuate the scene, echoing distant city lights.
The alternative Phoenix dial is a more assertive design. The mythic bird is rendered with near-microscopic detail to depict its story of renewal and endurance. The final gesture is the eye, painted last — a traditional act that completes the piece.
The production of the bow and caseback enables further storytelling. These are forged by swordsmith Ishida Kunihisa from tamahagane, the high-carbon steel used in samurai swords, which develops a deep black patina over time, shaped by oxidation and handling. That means it will not remain static; it will age with its owner.
An Akita cedarwood presentation box, a hand-lacquered wooden stand made by a local artisan manufacturer, and braided cords traditionally crafted in Tokyo add versatility and complete the set. Display your Minase treasure as an objet d’art, or wear it around your neck. The more you handle it, the more you nurture its patina, its richest tone emerging between 50 and 100 years into the future. The finishing touches are the work of time.
