Every now and then, you get to meet a talented watchmaker. I was privileged to have met not one, but two independent Japanese watchmakers on this trip.
On a recent trip to Japan, my friend Peter had arranged a meeting with the Japanese Editor in Chief of the watch magazine Chronos, Mr. Masayuki Hirota who had in turn invited both Mr. Daizoh Makihara and Mr. Tomonari Nakagawa. Both independent watchmakers and both very talented. Pictured here are the trio of (from left to right) Nakagawa-san, Hirota-san and Makihara-san, taken at the office of Chronos Japan.
Today, I start with the timepiece created by Makihara-san - the Chrysanthemums and Cherry Blossoms.
As the name suggests, the two motifs are that of the Chrysanthemum flower and cherry blossoms. On the dial side, one sees an elaborately design dial - and the details are awesome.
The dials are made from a solid block of quartz glass - hand milled and hand made. The dials are done Edo Kiriko style which is a typical Tokyo style glass cutting technique. This is done in collaboration with the Mitsuwa Glass Crafts Company.
A close up of the dial shows incredible details. The Chrysanthemum motif are expertly made and the dial reveals the movement underneath it - something like a skeleton dial.
Intricate details of the dial - simply awesome!
According to Makihara-san, the task of making these dials are very elaborate. So difficult to make, the yield of the dials are 20% which means four out of every 5 made are unusable. And what is even more amazing is that it takes about 8 to 9 months to make 5 dials!
The case reminiscent of the Lange One case, is made by a jewelry company K. Uno. The crown shows the Cherry Blossom flower - the Sakura.
From one Sakura motif to a whole lot more - and what a stunning view! My pictures do no justice to the finishing of the movement. The hand wound UNITAS 6498 movement is made and engraved by hand by Makihara-san. Yes, you heard me right - he makes the movement himself using lathe and milling machines. Speak about hand made!
The Cherry Blossom motif is hand engraved by Makihara-san and it takes up to 3 weeks to engrave one movement. Impressive details.
First, the movement is finished with brush finishing before Makihara-san starts the engraving of the Cherry Blossoms. Pay attention to the polishing of the bridges.
When he completes the engraving, the next step is the hand hammering of the dial to give it a "sand blasted" texture.
More close up shots of the staggering details on the movement - 100% hand made by Makihara-san. See the brushed finishing on the inside of the Cherry Blossom?
The timepiece is all of 42mm and sits well on the wrist. The presence of the timepiece is unmistakable - well made and full of details.
What I would like to see is the removal of the seconds hand, which in my opinion, is non functional. If removed, it allows the focus squarely on the dial work - gives it a more balanced view. Perhaps Makihara-san will allow the owner the option of removing the seconds hand.
Another look at the beauty of the movement - the Chrysanthemums and Cherry Blossoms by Mr. Daizoh Makihara. The watch is expected to be around US$50,000 and you may write to Makihara-san directly for further enquiries.
It was an honour to have met with Makihara-san and many thanks to Hirota-san (and Peter) for making this possible.
Makihara-san's home page - https://www.daizohmakihara.jp
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