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Hajime Asaoka

Hajime Asaoka, born 1965 in Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan is an independent Japanese watchmaker, product designer, and full member of the Swiss Academy of Independent Watchmakers (AHCI). Asaoka graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Design Department in 1990 and is the Founder of Tokyo Watch precision Co; Ltd.

Asaoka is the first Japanese independent watchmaker who creates luxury watches incorporating traditional practices. He announced Japan's first tourbillon watch with the mounting homegrown movement. He carries out all processes from designing parts to manufacturing and assembly, and the number of watches he produces annually is limited; his customers include royal families and world-class watch collectors

Biography (Early life & Career)
Hajime Asaoka, born in 1965, Chigasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, is an independent watchmaker.

In 1990, Asaoka graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Design Department in 1990. He continued on to pursue his professional career as a product designer and in 1995, created his first wristwatch design in collaboration with Modernica. He also worked as a graphic designer and produced advertising graphics for many global brands such as Dunhill.

In 2005, after studying watchmaking on his own, Asaoka began manufacturing his own watches and in 2009, announced Japan’s first in-house movement wristwatch equipped with a tourbillon (see image). The following year in 2010, Asaoka improved and completed Tourbillon #1 centered on the hour and minute hands.

In 2011, he made his debut as Japan's first independent watchmaker and launched Tourbillon #1 from Wako. The price at the time was 6,825,000 yen (inclusive of tax).

From 2013 to 2019, Asaoka’s watch were exhibited annually at Baselworld, Switzerland. In the same year, he was elected as an associate member of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) and announced the three-needle model TSUNAMI, a low-beat model featuring a large free sprung balance of 15 mm, which is about half of the movement.

In 2014, Asaoka announced Project T in collaboration with tool maker OSG and Yuki Precision, whom are involved in the aerospace industry. Ball bearings are used in place of ruby ​​for some bearings. The bearing of the tourbillon carriage is equipped with the world's smallest ball bearing (at that time) made in Japan. In the same year, he announced the collaboration model with Takashi Murakami and released Hajime Asaoka × Takashi Murakami TOURBILLON.

In 2015, Asaoka promoted to a full member of the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI).

TASAKI 's first watch collection, the Odessa Tourbillon of Tasaki Time Pieces ( 29.16 million yen including tax at that time), was provided with a tourbillon.

In 2016, Asaoka announced Tourbillon Pyura, a model that pursues the functional beauty of the tourbillon, featuring a tourbillon carriage that uses carved out A7075 duralumin.

In 2017, Asaoka released his first original-design chronograph at Baselworld, limited to only three in the world. The price (at the time) was 12.96 million yen (inclusive of tax). He participated in the world traveling exhibition " Watchmakers: The Masters of Art Horology "

In 2018, Asaoka established Tokyo Watch Precision Co., Ltd.

In 2019, the brand "KURONO TOKYO" (KURONO BUNKYŌ TOKYO) with the katakana "クロノ" logo was launched. The concept of Kurono Tokyo is "Private watch of Hajime Asaoka", a luxury watch brand designed by Hajime Asaoka and manufactured by Tokyo Watch Precision. In their debut year, they launched two editions - Bunkyō Tokyo and Reiwa. Bunkyō Tokyo was launched in June 2019, limited to 50 pieces each, in three variants - Eggshell White, Mystic Grey and Midnight Blue. This was the first series under Kurono Tokyo that launched Asaoka's vision of giving watch collectors outside Japan a more accessible timepiece that shares the design DNA of his exclusive handmade atelier watches, but at a more affordable price. A portion of the proceeds from this launch were donated to Rainbow Centre in Singapore, a social service organization helping youth with special needs. Reiwa 令和 was later launched in December 2019, limited to 50 pieces each, in two variants - Copper and Silver. The Kurono Classic Reiwa featured a complex two-part dial provides a glint of metallic sophistication at the periphery - off-set by the serenity of a perfect solid-colored center.

In 2020, Kurono released their first ever chronograph, Chronograph 1, in April 2020, limited to 68 pieces each, in two variants - Black and Silver. This 38mm column-wheel chronograph features a monochromatic art-deco design language, with polished steel studs that indicate the hours, followed by alternating gray or black/silver rings that culminate in a detailed tachymeter scale at the edge. In commemoration of Kurono's first year anniversary, they released a special edition time-only Anniversary Green ‘森:mori’ in June 2020, with 288 pieces sold out within minutes. The dial features a scintillating metallic green shade specially picked color by Asaoka, with a subtle radial sunburst pattern. The last edition of this year was Kurono's Grand:Akane '茜' in November 2020, with 200 pieces sold out in 1.5 minutes. This dial is Kurono's most complicated one up to date as it features a ‘Hamon (刃文)’ pattern that is finished with the traditional Japanese ‘Niiro 煮色’ chemical treatment, then sealed by an additional layer of suki-urushi (transparent lacquer). This technique required an urushi master craftsman for the making of this particular dial to Asaoka's design and exacting standards. In the same year, two models of KURONO BUNKYŌ TOKYO were nominated for the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève 2020 (GPHG2020), which is known as "Oscar of the watch world". The nominated models are Chronograph 1 (Chronograph category) and Anniversary Green'Mori i' (Challenge category)

In 2021, Kurono released Chronograph 2 in February 2021, with 500 pieces sold out in under 3 minutes and 5 seconds. The 38mm column-wheel chronograph features a dial with contrasting layers of gloss black and dark brown as its base, accentuated with a copper tachymeter and silver chronograph scale at its center and circumference respectively.

Atelier Models
TSUNAMI( Baselworld 2013 announcement model)

A three-hand watch with a case diameter of 37 mm. The movement designed by Asaoka is equipped with a large free sprung balance with a diameter of 15 mm, which is about half the diameter of the movement. The large, loose-fitting balance is a successor to the low-beat wristwatches of the 1950s and 1960s. The base plate and bridge of the movement are made of Western silver. The design, assembly and production of almost all the parts used in this model is done in the company's atelier. TSUNAMI also has several unique pieces.

Project T ( Baselworld 2014 announcement model)

A tourbillon that merges together Japanese technological capabilities. A model in which high-precision processing technology by Yuki Precision, which is involved in the aerospace industry, and OSG, a tool maker is linked to Asaoka's watchmaking. Some bearings use ball bearings instead of ruby. The bearing of the tourbillon carriage is equipped with the world's smallest ball bearing made in Japan. The governor, including the tourbillon, has an independent structure as a module. This structure is indispensable for the use of ball bearings, which require more accurate shaft positioning than ruby.

Tourbillon Pura ( Baselworld 2016 announcement model)

A model that pursues the functional beauty of a tourbillon. The tourbillon carriage is a carved A7075 duralumin. A7075 Duralumin is a material used in aircraft and rifles and is characterized by its low specific gravity and durability. The advantage of using duralumin as a material for the tourbillon carriage is that the energy supplied from the barrel can be prevented from being excessively distributed to the rotation of the tourbillon carriage, and the swing angle can be maintained high. The balance uses a free sprung balance, which is rare for a tourbillon, and has the advantage that the axis of the balance does not shift from the center even if the speed is adjusted. As the name "Pura" suggests, it has a simple design, but the "details of luxury watches" such as the rounded finish of the hands, the chamfered tourbillon bridge, and the case finished without distortion stand out to have.

Chronograph ( Baselworld 2017 announcement model)

A chronograph developed from the hand-wound chronographs of the 1950s and 1960s. The hour and minute hands are placed at offset, and the open dial expresses the "beauty of complex mechanics" of the chronograph. Starting with a column wheel with a cap that has been used only in a small part of the finest Swiss chronographs, it is equipped with a mechanism such as a horizontal clutch of the carrying arm, a brake lever, 2 push buttons, a sliding gear, etc. Each part has the traditional finish of a luxury watch. The chronograph movement is based on the movement of the three-handed watch TSUNAMI and has a chronograph module. It has a large free sprung balance of 15 mm, and the barrel for driving is also large. This minimizes the decrease in swing angle when the chronograph is operating, which is a drawback of the horizontal clutch.

Overseas exhibition history
2013-2019　Baselworld (Basel, Switzerland)

2018　Watchmakers: The Masters of Art Horology (Rome, New York, Hong Kong, London)

2021　Louvre Abu Dhabi Exhibition (planned)

Books
Japan Made Tourbillon Japanese Manufacturing that Challenged Ultra-luxury Mechanical Wrist Watches (Edited) - Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, 2015 ISBN 978-4526074646

External Link

 * Official site
 * Hajime Asaoka - Instagram
 * Tokyo Watch Precision Co., Ltd. - Facebook
 * Hajime Asaoka --AHCI
 * KURONO TOKYO (KURONO BUNKYŌ TOKYO)
 * Instagram - Kurono Tokyo
 * Facebook - Kurono Tokyo
 * Youtube - Kurono Tokyo