KUOE Old Smith 90-002 No-Date, Automatic NH38 Movement, Black, Replacement Belt Included, sliver, ミディアム

Product Information

Mirco is a microbrand based in Tokyo. They take their inspiration from the golden age of the 1970s, creating watches that speak of that retro aesthetic, with bold and sporty designs, but without copying any particular model. Today, Seiko is one of the biggest watch manufacturers in the world, with the capability of producing their own movements, parts, and components, something few brands can actually do. A new boutique watchmaker based in Japan and born in 2005, Minase’s story began as a machining workshop and continued with making watch cases for other brands before making the leap into watchmaking and starting creating their own timepieces. Citizen is among the most powerful watchmakers of Japan, winning its place during the ’70s, when they became one the few to produce inexpensive and highly accurate quartz watches, offering them to the entire world.

Inspired by antique watches of the 1960’s, this timepiece features a smaller, 35 mm diameter, dome glass and ivory dial. Vintage styled, this sleek and minimalistic watch can be worn by both men and women.They are well known for their Eco-Drive movements, powered by the light of the sun and never needing a battery change. It’s a practical thing to have, but they also put a lot of effort into creating impressive timepieces from a design and engineering point of view. Their collections are large and diverse, with a big focus on the vintage and the classiness that watches of the past boasted. They tend to be more conservative than other well established brands, but they do have their particularities, the little details that Orient fans are always expecting from their watches.

This review is of the second watch design that Kuoe had to offer, the ’Old-Smith 90-002’ this piece has a decidedly military flair and is strongly reminiscent of the British Ministry of Defence contract watches that were issued en mass to the British armed forces from the 1940’s to the 1990’s and in some cases still to the current day. The stainless-steel bracelet tapers from 18mm to 16mm and is of very good quality. It features push pins and a twin-trigger fold-over deployant clasp with three micro-adjustment holes. The five centre links are polished, but the outer links are brushed. Initially I didn’t like the bracelet as it has flat end links. However, after just a couple of days on the wrist, my opinion changed. It’s comfortable, fluid, looks good, and for some reason once on the wrist the straight end links stand out a lot less. Plus, a watch of the period probably would have had straight end links. That said though, I think the watch looks best on tan leather, but it’s great that KUOE gives you plenty of options and you could have some real fun here experimenting with different watch straps. A tan colour top-grain waxy leather would look great for a more casual vibe. A gently domed, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal protects the dial, and the anti-reflective coating is very effective. The unguarded, signed crown is my least favourite thing about the watch. I’m not keen on its shape and find it a bit too small and fiddly. It’s easy to pop the crown out but not that easy to change the time or wind. Water resistance is 5 ATM/50 Metres, which is fine for a watch such as this. The Royal Smith Dial And Hands Besides these big prolific companies, there are plenty of smaller, independent watchmakers that have the qualities Japan is known for, like the excellent craftsmanship and the attention to detail that have made the big brands what they are today. Naoya Hida has learned the trade and honed his skills working for the likes of Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, F.P. Journe, and Breguet, before launching his own company in 2019.I have long had a liking for watches with a military orientation or provenance. Think CWC, Smiths, Hamilton, IWC, Timor etc… The case is really nothing to get too hyped about. Polished all over. Branded crown. Big vintage-style dome. The small dimensions and curved lugs mean it’ll be at home on all but the largest wrists (which may make it look a bit too dainty). While my wheelhouse is definitely 38mm-42mm, I find a certain charm in watches smaller than that, which adds a bit to the wearing experience. Although not remarkable, there’s also nothing to complain about here. And it lets the dial do all the talking.

Seiko is probably the most renowned Japanese watchmaker, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s our number one entry. They were the first to built a quartz watch, leading the quartz revolution, and offering the world a more affordable timekeeping tool, so that everyone could put one on their wrists. Mirco was born recently, so you won’t find many timepieces, as they only have two collections out so far, a chronograph collection dubbed Type 02, and a dive watch collection, called Type 03. The movements inside are sourced from Seiko and Miyota.Future Funk is about the quirky aesthetics, about unique timepieces that look like nothing you’ve seen before. They blend the LED displays of the ’70s with retro futuristic designs, and they do it extremely well. Their watches seem designed with the space explorers in mind, rather than your average earth inhabitant. The KUOE Royal Smith/90-004 watch comes with a luxurious Italian leather strap with a gloss finish. The Royal Smith/90-004 model is limited to 50 pieces of each color. Kuoe and the mastermind behind the brand Mr Kenji Uchimura are really one of the first Japanese boutique watch manufacturers. Grand Seiko watches include some of the greatest marvels of the mechanical watch world, and are certified with a standard of precision that exceeds even the Swiss COSC in its strictness. There are a few well known Japanese brands that produce watches for the mass market, like Casio, Seiko, and Citizen, but these aren’t the only ones. Citizen

Most Japanese watch brands strive to keep things local as much as possible, helping the local economy through using local materials or employing specific craftsmen from the respective area. Knot follows the same idea of keeping things in Japan, but without focusing on one specific area. The ‘Old Smith 90-002’ manages to capture a major part of the design language of the MoD specification but then goes beyond that and does something very unique it adds a very Japanese level of detail, craftsmanship and artistry.Their brand’s purpose is to create the “ideal imaginary watch” by bringing together two contradictory ideas, one being the abstractness of metal that goes beyond its functional and practical aspects, and the other being precisely the practicality of a tool watch.