Hajime Asaoka has created yet another attractive chronograph, accompanied by jaw-dropping photographs to showcase it.
The Vermilion Chronograph “SHU:朱” is presented in a fully polished 316L stainless steel case that measures a conservative 38 mm x 13.5 mm (46.8 mm lug-to-lug), with a double-domed sapphire crystal that follows the curvature of the fixed bezel.
A 40 mm to 42 mm diameter option might be a good idea as well, and I think this one might be a tad small for my 7″ wrist, but case size aside, this watch shows why details matter, and simplicity is king.
With a dial featuring a classic dual-counter design, sunken black snailed counters trimmed with metal rings, juxtaposed against a rich eye-popping, orange-red-hued backdrop, punctuated with distinctive spherical indices, and bent leaf-shaped hands, with a date symmetrically displayed at 6 — the dial represents near design perfection.
Asaoka, the always clever marketer, has included a creator’s story: “At Kurono Tokyo, we conduct ultraviolet exposure tests during the development stage. Here’s how we do it: we take a prototype dial and stick it to the south-facing window of my atelier. Half of the dial is covered with black tape. It then stays exposed to sunlight—about 40 days in summer and 60 days in winter. This is equivalent to more than 10 years of exposure under normal use. At the end of the test, the black tape is removed, and we check whether there is any difference in color. I had long wanted to create a chronograph with a vivid orange dial, but most paints (pigments) failed this test. Only two pigments passed: ‘selenium red’ and ‘vermilion.’ These were the vivid orange colors I had finally found that would not fade.”
Not to diss Japanese watchmaking, but the main problem with this debut is that the chronograph is powered by an outsourced, Seiko caliber NE86 chronograph. It’s a 4Hz, 34-jewel bi-directional (Magic lever winding automatic), with a column-wheel and vertical clutch actuated chronograph mechanism, and a 45-hour power reserve. All good, but it’s not super precise at a rated -15/+25 seconds per day, and it’s often found in more pedestrian timepieces.
Apart from the movement choice and price relative to that manufacturing decision, it comes in about $500 higher than a similar chronograph Kurono offered last year (likely reflecting the 15% tariff rate to import it to the US), with the same movement (that movement required a manual removal of the date, whereas this did not).
At $4,072, it’s undoubtedly pricey, considering you can probably find a far more accurate pre-owned Omega Speedmaster in that same price range — but it sure is attractive.
Photos by Kurono.
