KURONO Tokyo – THE COMPLICATIONS SERIES Anniversary Calendrier ‘Azuki’ 38mm 2023
OVERVIEW
The Kurono Anniversary Calendrier ‘Azuki’ is a triple calendar complication that achieved finalist recognition at the GPHG Awards 2022. It will be the final edition of the Calendrier Type I model which will be discontinued after this run. As a complete calendar, 'Azuki' is one of our most complicated models from a horological perspective.
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INSPIRATION
Hajime Asaoka wanted to achieve a color that harked back to cars of the past, where maroon was a popular standard color. In Japan, that car color is more commonly designated as 'azuki' (tr: 'red bean') hence the nickname for the watch.
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"I think the last Japanese car to have a maroon color was the Datsun 240Z. I don't know if this color was exported, but in Japan, the Datsun 240Z was associated with maroon. I personally like the maroon color very much. However, it is a very difficult color to paint on a watch face. For a deep maroon color, it is necessary to add a dye to the pigment. This requires a thicker coating of paint. This is no problem for a car body, but very difficult for a watch face."
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"This is why you hardly ever see a (deep) maroon watch face."
"This time, as usual, I mixed the maroon myself and gave it to the dial maker as a color sample. The coating was quite thick. I wondered if the dial maker would be able to finish the color the way I wanted. After a while, the dial maker sent me the sample. The person in charge of the project said that he had gone through a lot of trouble, but the finished dial was superb. The sample I sent was painted on a white plastic plate, but by using a reddish "phosphor bronze" material for the dial itself, they were able to achieve a deep color tone while reducing the coating film. Of course, great care was also taken in the color mixing of the paint itself." ~ Hajime Asaoka
Dial
Azuki's dial enhances the "beauty of symmetry" that is a component of the Art Deco style. The cylinder dial is designed to curve from the center to the outer edge of the dial, and two dial layers are pressed together to create a three -dimensional effect.
The numerals themselves - this time colored in off-white for this anniversary - are also purposefully printed in a raised format. To achieve its unique deep-maroon color, the dial is made from phosphor-bronze for the first time.
Case
The case is made of forged 316L stainless steel. It is newly designed to fit the coin-edged bezel, but keeps the iconic Kurono case DNA. The case sides are mirror -finished. The mirror finish is free from distortion, so much so that exterior reflections are beautifully portrayed.
Also, when viewed from the side, the mirror finish and the coin-edge bezel can be seen to stand out in their respective finishes. Water resistance has been increased to 5 ATM. The case-back is finished with a circular lettering design, as seen on vintage watches.
Sapphire crystal
The scratch-resistant box sapphire crystal is raised like the acrylic glass of a vintage watch.
Designed for the Calendrier 'Type I', its shape is 0.15 mm higher than that of an ordinary sapphire box crystal.
Unique Hand-bent Hands
The combination of high- polish leaf hands for the hour and minute hands with modern hands is a typical Kurono design. The hour and minute hands are curved at both ends, and are paired with a counterweighted second hand that is very thin. The tips of the second and minute hands are bent by hand.
Movement
Miyota 9122 - a Japan-made movement - is used. It is a rare movement with "center seconds and full calendar," which is uncommon in current Swiss-made mass-produced ebauches.
Leveraging a Japanese movement allows for the Kurono Calendrier 'Type I' to be fully Japan made.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Model: The COMPLICATIONS Anniversary Calendrier ‘Azuki’
Case
Movement
Power reserve 40 hours
Dial
Strap
❌ AVAILABILITY ⚠️ SOLD OUT
It will be available for purchase on Friday, 26 May 2023, and there will be 2 order windows.
Deliveries start from End June through August 2023.
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Press release - 2023
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