Japanese watchmaker Hajime Asaoka announced last month that his company Precision Watch Tokyo signed a license agreement with Ricoh Corporation, which owns the Takano trademark.

Takano was a Japanese watch brand that existed from 1957 to 1962, and which ceased operations when the original factory was reportedly destroyed in a typhoon.

You can find vintage Takano watches but there do not appear to be many for sale on the secondary market, and it’s not a brand most people will likely recognize.

Nevertheless, Asaoka’s company Precision Watch Tokyo — which produces high-end namesake brand Hajime Asaoka, entry-level Kurono Tokyo, and midrange Otsuka Lote watches — intends to revive the brand in 2024 or 2025.

The watch concept model being previewed looks similar to Kurono Tokyo, with Asaoka’s signature hour and minute hands, however, the aesthetic is perhaps a bit more retro and dressy.

 

 

Photo by Takano.