Review: the Debut Releases from Kiwame Tokyo

One of the most unexpected but delightful trends to emerge in watches over the last few years is the rise of the “Japanese Calatrava” style watch. Even if you haven’t heard this term thrown around, you probably know exactly the type of watch I’m talking about, as there have been several that have emerged relatively recently. The small dress watches made by Kurono Tokyo are an obvious example, and perhaps the genesis of it all. Brands like Kikuchi Nakagawa and Noaya Hida are also part of this conversation at the more luxurious end of the spectrum, and of course there are a variety of affordable watches that sit nicely in this category or are tangential to it, like Kuoe and Orient (which admittedly has been doing this for many, many years). 

I like this trend because it feels like a small segment of the watch world is pushing back on the dominant force in watches over the last decade: the vintage inspired sports watch. I’m no hater – I own a few vintage inspired sports watches and can appreciate the good ones, but they are so ubiquitous it’s tough to see them as anything but generic. The simple Calatrava style watches coming out of Japan are of course similarly generic, but are a welcome flip side to the sports watch coin, and I like the idea that someone entering the hobby now might find themselves down a rabbit hole of small dress watches as opposed to Submariner-style divers. I’d be very curious what that collector has in their watch box five or ten years from now, and how it compares to what those of us who came of age in the vintage inspired dive watch era choose to own. 

Kiwame Tokyo is a new brand whose debut releases, the Usuki and Kurotsuki, offer a new spin on this very old fashioned idea. With cream and black dials, respectively, these watches show a ton of promise for a new Japanese microbrand, a scene that has really come alive as of late. It just seems like there’s no end to the options coming from the enthusiast corner of the Japanese watch world. This, it’s important to point out, represents something of a change. While Japan-based microbrands have always existed, they did so in the shadow of Seiko, Citizen, and G-SHOCK. We’re on the cusp of a new era in Japanese enthusiast watch culture, where brands like Kurono Tokyo, Otsuka Lotec, and others are less inside-baseball and far more widely known in the larger, global, enthusiast watch collecting community. 

Kiwame is not there yet, but their debut series points to a brand that might be willing to inhabit the entry level space with refined, classically styled options that unapologetically appeal to collectors looking for affordable options that are still cool and offer little details that only an enthusiast focused brand is likely to nail. The sizing of these watches is truly in the Goldilocks zone for most wrists, with the case coming in at 38mm in diameter, 46mm lug to lug, and 9.5mm in height with a flat sapphire crystal. The multi tiered case has more visual height than actual height thanks to the way it’s constructed, so it feels very compact and comfortable on my wrist. 

Finishing is straightforward but completely adequate for a watch in this price range. While it features both brushed and polished surfaces, the brushed elements tend to take center stage, with the polished bits acting as more of an accent. The top of the bezel, most notably, is vertically brushed, with a polished bevel surrounding it. The large midcase has what I’d describe as a satin finish, splitting the difference between a high polish and a more textured brushing effect (although the tops of the lugs are polished, which seems fitting given the midcentury inspiration at work). The end result is a watch that I think leans more toward  the casual side of things, also evident in the case shape which has a sporty profile and sturdy lugs. 

The real charm of these watches is in the dials. I’m partial to the Usuki, which is a lovely shade of off white with applied Breguet numerals in black. The contrast is great and makes for easy legibility, and the thick numerals add a lot of depth to the dial, which is important because the case itself, though not thick, has a verticality to it. The syringe hands have a small amount of lume running through them, and there are small lumed markers at each hour as well (they glow blue at the cardinal positions, and green everywhere else). The lume is just OK, and I actually think Kiwame deserves some credit here for not going overboard on a crazy lume experience. That would be out of character for what is ultimately, and successfully, a rather sober watch.

The Kurotsuki has a glossy black dial and the same style of applied numerals, although here they’re brushed metal which makes a lot more sense against the more formal dial color. I love a nice black dial, but for me the slightly tan colored lume on the Kurotsuki feels a little jarring, whereas on the Usuki it’s a more natural match to the dial color itself. This is obviously just a matter of preference and if you don’t have an allergy to fauxtina this likely won’t even register, but it was just enough in my case to cause the picky part of brain to glitch a little when looking closely at the dial. 

It’s possible that the most important spec we’ll discuss with these new Kiwame watches is the movement, which is a simple but reliable Miyota 9039. This automatic movement is about as common as they come in watches under $1,000, and its workhorse utility, slim measurements, and overall cost are key to what makes these pieces successful. A thin automatic movement like the 9039 obviously provides Kiwame with a ton of flexibility and, presumably, allowed them to design precisely the case they wanted for their debut model. At the end of the day the thinness and wearability of these watches is as much a function of the movement as it is the team that designed the case itself. 

It also makes this watch incredibly easy to buy. The retail price is $650, a price that strikes me as more than fair in the current market. This year has largely been defined by price sensitivity in various contexts across the watchmaking spectrum, and more than at any other time that I can remember, it feels like every new watch that gets even a little bit of attention from the press or enthusiast circles is, eventually if not immediately, criticized for being too expensive. It’s hard to imagine that happening with these Kiwame releases. Is someone out there in the comments brave enough to suggest that this watch is a buy at $400 but not $650? 

I think for the asking price, these watches have style and personality to spare. That’s often what’s missing, I think, from vintage inspired watches below $1,000. It’s a race toward the most generic design possible. Kiwame’s design, while not breaking any ground necessarily, feels intentional, and like the start of something good from a brand with ideas. The branding is minimal and subtle, the points of inspiration are clear, and it’s hard to find a bad decision that was made in how this watch was ultimately executed. It’s not perfect, but I get the sense that Kiwame didn’t have to make too many compromises in their ultimate vision to get this watch to $650, and that’s a rare feeling to come away with. 

It’s worth noting that these watches are currently sold out through the Kiwame website as they were a limited edition of 99 pieces each. It stands to reason though that given the positive response from collectors that Kiwame will be back with subsequent editions built on this platform, and it seems likely they have other ideas in the works as well. As with any new brand, it will be interesting to see how they respond to the initial interest and quick sell through of their first pieces. My hope is that Kiwame continues to hone in on this less sports oriented impression of the midcentury watch – we’ve sure had plenty of the alternative by now. Kiwame Tokyo

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