Kenji Uchimura is not a name normally associated with Japanese watchmaking but his KUOE brand has taken off on the Makuake (Japanese) crowdfunding website. Looking to make affordable Japanese made timepieces, I say that KUOE has achieved that goal and more!
Young Kenji Uchimura was studying in the UK and while he was there, stumbled upon the world of old mechanical watches. He realized that even older vintage pieces from the 40s were still working in good condition and even exuded some old world charm. He knew then that the classical design is what he liked and that it won't go out of fashion.
Upon his return to Japan after his studies, Uchimura continued to work in the watch industry and 7 years later decided to start his own brand KUOE, and a classic watch brand was born in Kyoto. The year was 2020. And how did he come up with the brand name KUOE? KUOE is a coined word combining both Uchimura's name and birthday.
His vision was to make an affordable automatic watch - designed and made in Japan. He came up with a classic Japanese watch inspired by the 1940-70's British military watch. In order to keep cost low but deliver a high quality, Uchimura adopted the SPA (Specialty store retailer of Private label Apparel) model so effectively used by companies like UNIQLO. With the SPA method, they manage planning, production and sales in-house. They also worked on reducing the intermediate margin thereby reducing costs and being able to deliver products to their clients at relatively lower prices.
In order to fund his venture, he turned to the Japanese crowdfunding website Makuake to realise his dreams. The project was so successful that he managed to raise over 13 million Yen (USD130,000). With the project oversubscribed, Uchimura was able to use the funds to further expand on his aspirations. He focused on three areas - establishment of in-house workshop, efforts for global expansion and, development of new products.
With the launch of the Old Smith 90-001, Uchimura was able to bring the charm of classic design at an affordable price from his home base in Kyoto to Japan. Following this success, he released the 90-002, a self-winding classic watch inspired by the 1940-1970's British military watch, to the international market and this version you see here is the 90-002.
The 90-002 dial is as classic as it gets. With thick Arabic numerals, a slightly textured matt dial and orange lume hands, the 90-002 reflects the design of the times.
At a relatively small 35mm, the 316L stainless steel case is a tad small by today's standards but reflective of the watches during that era. Well polished, the case comes with a close case back and screw in crown to improve the water resistance. The orange lume on the hands provides good visibility which is a standard requirement for all military inspired watch.
To keep in line with the vintage feel, the timepiece comes with a domed mineral glass instead of sapphire.
Beating inside is the domestically produced SEIKO NH35A movement. The movement allows hacking (stop seconds) when the crown is pulled, important for proper time setting and chronometry. Rated accuracy is between -20 and +40 and holds a power reserve of 40 hours. Why this particular movement? Well, Uchimura-san tells me that the NH35A movement has a lower defective rate than other movements.
One of their main goals is to get as many people as possible to pick up KUOE products and feel the wonder of the classic design. All KUOE watches are made in Japan and from what I understand, assembled by one seasoned watchmaker from start to finish.
KUOE Old Smith 90-002 watches retails from US$298 onwards for those with nylon NATO strap. To have it on a bracelet, price goes up to US$388 which in my opinion is very affordable for a Made in Japan timepiece of this quality. The range comes with time only or with a date version, both priced the same.
According to Uchimura-san, the next release is planned for the Summer of 2022. Stay tuned to the next creation and we wish KUOE success in his next release.
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