The "Soul" of a Watchmaker (a/ka/ my Masahiro Kikuno timepiece finally arrives)

Jan 05, 2015,16:32 PM
 

Hello all.


I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and 2015 is off to a good start.  For me personally, my year began quite well indeed as my (relatively) long awaited timepiece from Masahiro Kikuno made its way from Japan to the United States and safely onto my wrist.

I first learned of Mr. Kikuno's work reading Ken's wonderful post a few years back introducing the Purists to a talented new watchmaker plying his craft in a country where true independent horology seems to have just recently taken hold.  As an admirer of those able to create watches with their own 2 hands, often imbuing the resulting timepieces with traces of the watchmaker's personality and/or culture, I took particular interest in what I saw of the early work coming out of Mr. Kikuno's workshop.  His work, at least to my eye, was his and his alone.  I was also drawn to the fact that he created virtually the entire timepiece using traditional tools and machinery - even in the scans online one could see the character in his timepieces.

But, as I tend to gravitate towards time-only watches with few or no complications, Mr, Kikuno's "Paper Crane", while fascinating both visually and intellectually, was a timepiece to be admired from afar.  As luck would have it, however, soon thereafter Ken introduced us to a simple watch which was then still in the prototype stage.  This led to an intrepid e-mail to Mr. Kikuno to see what might be possible, which in turn led to an initial response from Mr. Kikuno's trusted assistant Kenny (who proved invaluable in translating my requests and Mr. Kikuno's responses, and more generally in pushing the project forward).  I learned I could customize the dial (bronze within the small seconds register), crown (18k gold rather than stainless steel), the chapter ring applied markers, and various other aspects of the watch.  I was sold......

My order was placed towards the end of 2013, and I was told the watch would be ready towards the end of 2014.  Throughout the year communication was excellent with updates and scans coming in on a regular basis.  One of the more interesting updates along the way was a note suggesting that Mr. Kikuno had ceased taking any further new orders for his time-only bronze watch, as each one simply took too long to create and he had other exciting projects calling to him.  Apparently I had gotten in just under the wire.  Lucky!

A couple of weeks ago I received the wonderful news - this time from Goro, another wonderful assistant to Mr. Kikuno - letting me know that my timepiece was complete and would soon be on its way.  I was also told that my Kikuno timepiece is, at least for the time being, the only example of one of his timepieces within the United States and, if my understanding is correct, anywhere outside of Japan.  That will undoubtedly change as Mr. Kikuno continues to gain much deserved notoriety, but the next examples to arrive on this side of the pond will be other models.  I believe the total run for his time-only watch ended up around 8 watches.

My first impressions???  I could not be happier with the timepiece.  Mr. Kikuno's workmanship and attention to detail are evident throughout the watch.  The manually-blue'd hands are bold, striking and perfect against the backdrop of the patterned dial.  The shape of the case is also a bit different, and works quite well with the feel of the watch.  And what can I say about the dial?  I simply can't stop staring at it.  The center portion of the dial, I'm told, took at least a week to complete by itself.  I truly feel fortunate to be able to marvel at this timepiece (and, of course, wear it).

So, without further delay, here are various scans showing the creation of the case from a single block of bronze, the creation of various movement components and, of course, the countless hours that go into creating, hammering, refining and ultimately finishing the mesmerizing "Mokume-Gane" dial.

Hope you enjoy.




































Here are some scans showing all of the painstaking steps that go into creating the Mokume-Gane dial using traditional methods:






































































And. finally, all of this hard work yields......


































Hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my journey.

I understand Mr. Kikuno has something new he will be unveiling at or around the time of Basel - I can't wait to see what it is.  In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy the one on my wrist.

Darren


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Bravo!

 
 By: matthewking : January 5th, 2015-18:26
Excellent post, I really enjoyed the journey. Thank you for sharing. Kikuno-sensei is leading the Independents here in Japan, and I too can't wait to see what he has in store next. Cheers, Matt

Thanks Matt.

 
 By: Darren : January 6th, 2015-09:33
I'm sure his next offering is going to be something special. He has a style and focus on "old world" craftsmanship that is rather unique. Eagerly awaiting his next announcement..... Darren

Appreciate the kind words Alex.

 
 By: Darren : January 6th, 2015-09:37
Unusual indeed. When I first laid eyes on his simple prototype I wasn't quite sure what I was looking at. Dress watch? Sport watch? Casual / everyday timepiece? I ultimately decided it was all of them and none of them at the same time. The movement starte... 

This is the kind of moments we like to enjoy.

 
 By: Mark in Paris : January 6th, 2015-07:02
Congratulations for your choice and thanks a lot for sharing the pictures taken during the crafting proccess. Wear it in the best of health Darren. Cheers, Mark

Thanks Mark.

 
 By: Darren : January 6th, 2015-09:38
The journey was half the fun here. Although as Tom Petty so eloquently put it many years ago - "the waiting is the hardest part....." Darren

Absolutely outstanding

 
 By: William M aka Mr.Lume : January 6th, 2015-13:23
Very nice post & the pics show & tell us of his passion to horology.I have a buckle that's made of Mokume-Gane & the maker also showed me the arduous journey to make it, I can only imagine the painstaking time to do a dial. You have a 1 of a k... 

Thanks William. Here's another picture...

 
 By: Darren : January 6th, 2015-21:27
of the dial after lots and lots of hammering, heating, cooling, etc. ...  

Excellent!

 
 By: DonCorson : January 7th, 2015-01:24
That watch has a strong character, you can see that it was designed and made by a passionate person. If you have more pictures let us see them, I love to see that "dirty finger" work. Enjoy your new watch! Don

Thanks Don.

 
 By: Darren : January 9th, 2015-13:18
Very high compliment coming from you! I'll see if I can dig up some additional scans. The hand-made box is arriving separately, so at a minimum I'll be able to post pictures once I receive it. I'm guessing it will be quite nice. Darren

Congrats! Wonderful choice.....

 
 By: KIH : January 8th, 2015-23:09
Hi Darren, congratulations and wonderful report. I am glad you really like it and got it in time, fortunately. Masahiro is the watchmaker who aims to "surprise" the watchmakers in the past by using the same tool and making the watch by hand. He does get h... 

I owe you a debt of gratitude Ken....

 
 By: Darren : January 9th, 2015-13:23
for first introducing us to this wonderful watchmaker. Your "introductory" posts a couple of years ago are part of what make this online hangout so special, as it's unlikely I would have learned about Mr. Kikuno living half-way around the world. He and hi... 

Pleasure is all mine... it's my utmost pleasure...

 
 By: KIH : January 9th, 2015-15:37
... to serve this community - we are all watch lovers, and to see the happy faces/ wrists! Best, Ken

What a beauty!! These pictures really show this piece in a new light!

 
 By: Ancienne Le Brassus : January 9th, 2015-06:48
Wow! I'm blown away by this piece, I remember seeing the original pix posted by Ken and while I liked them, I wasn't attracted to it. But your pictures put the piece in a whole new light!! Really a beautiful watch!! Please post more as I'd love to see thi... 

Thanks for the kind words....

 
 By: Darren : January 9th, 2015-13:25
I too was not sure what to make of his time-only watch when I first saw it. I knew I was fascinated by it, and loved the workmanship. I was not previously familiar with Mokume-Gane, so a bit of research was in order to learn about the history of this proc... 

Awesome watch!

 
 By: takashi78 : January 9th, 2015-22:30
I had the pleasure to examine and see his watches up close when i was in Tokyo previously. Didnt know he was taking orders for the watch and now its stopped. The dial is truly something very special.

You're lucky to have gotten the opportunity....

 
 By: Darren : January 10th, 2015-11:24
to see his watches. I would love to have a look at other models, but for now, I'll have to enjoy scans of them online. While the simple watch run is complete, he is currently creating other models including, I understand, a new one that will be launched s... 

Thanks again for sharing

 
 By: Ancienne Le Brassus : January 12th, 2015-02:24
I feel it's a wonderful piece. The pictures you show really demonstrate its character! Must admit I've come to your post all weekend ;) Love the watch!!!! And very very glad that you're sharing here with us!! Thanks and I'll be patient and wait for your n... 

Just received the hand-made box and translated papers....

 
 By: Darren : January 10th, 2015-11:34
The box is fantastic as I would have expected. Beautifully crafted out of wood, polished to a deep shine and just the right size. The papers are particularly interesting, as Goro informs me that Mr. Kikuno had the instruction and background manual transla...  

Hand written message...

 
 By: KIH : January 11th, 2015-05:18
... he likes to make things by his hand as much as possible (well, the instruction manual was apparently too much for him to hand-write :-)) The one and only, just for you - what can be better than that? Wear in the good health for a long, long time, Darr... 

Finally, a few more scans of the timepiece itself.....

 
 By: Darren : January 10th, 2015-11:38
Hopefully some of these turn out at least reasonably well. Darren ...  

Unique and beautiful...

 
 By: Jacky : January 11th, 2015-05:15
Hi Darren, Thats a unique watch u have there...beautiful hands and dial. Must say the hand looks very solid. By the way, pardon me if I missed out but what is the material of case? Bronze ? Very cool looking color. Regards Jacky

Ah, great pics, and a great piece....

 
 By: KIH : January 11th, 2015-05:17
... Again, a HUGE congrats, Darren! Ken

Voila!! Great!!

 
 By: Ancienne Le Brassus : January 12th, 2015-02:27
Thanks! I didn't have to wait so long! ;) Didn't see you had posted these! Super cool! I think its very versatile.. looks like it would really rip with a light brown strap with blue stitching ;) bravo again!! Sebastian