Hajime Asaoka, A Japanese Watchmaker Master (2)
In the last story, we introduced the Japanese watchmaker master Hajime Asaoka, who is known as "Japan Philippe Dufour", and the first watch of his "Chrono Tokyo" series. In this article, we will continue to introduce the following crafts of the "Chrono Tokyo" series.
June 2019, Chrono Tokyo Second Series
Almost a year after the launch of the first series of Chrono Tokyo, another Chrono Tokyo watch will be released. The Second Series issued in June 2019. Except for the different dial colors, the others are very similar to the first chapter.
The Chrono Tokyo prototype released in April 2018 uses a blue dial, but this does not appear in the first batch production. Fortunately, the blue dial appears in the Second Series. The new model has a creamy "Vanilla Beige" dial, which is more suitable for polishing marks and grooving than the original champagne.
Different from the first chapter, which has only 50 pieces in total, the Second Series introduces 50 pieces of each color.
December 2019, Chrono Tokyo "Classic" Third Series
In 2019, Asaoka san designed a new dial for Chrono Tokyo Third Series, also known as the "classic" dial. It is an evolution from the original design, with a black center and a dynamic outer track. According to Asaoka-san's social media, these dials seem to be more difficult to produce and more expensive than the original ones, but they make a huge change in the appearance of the watches.
The "steel grey" model of the champagne outer rail is similar to the original CT001W. The middle part is similar to the original CT001G dial, which is a combination of Chrono Tokyo's predecessors. But this combination is a complete transformation of the original, making "Classic" one of the most desirable styles of Chrono Tokyo.
Another Chrono Tokyo Third Series features an amazing bronze dial. Compared with the smooth dial, the outer layer of the dial is like a neon light in the dark. The contrast between the bronze dial material and the edge cutting groove increases the profound visual details that cannot be seen on any previous model.
Launched 50 each color, bringing the total number of Chrono Tokyo watches to 250.
June 2020, Chrono Tokyo "bullseye" Fourth Series
The last version of the Chrono Tokyo time only watch released on June 16, 2020. However, Asaoka san has shared the picture of the dial long before the release of Third Series.
The so-called "bullseye" takes away all the grooves on the previous Chrono Tokyo and replaces them with slim Arabic numerals. The outer rail is similar to the previous model, and so is the pointer, but most other elements are very different. The strap is made of goat skin, which is an unusual strap material.
These two watches can be regarded as a tribute to the original Chrono Tokyo model, namely the champagne and gray dial. The classic appearance of champagne, dark appearance band and dial center to form a strong contrast. But the gray tone is completely different, with orange printed dial and outer track. It retains a smooth hour track, which provides more contrast and fun for the gray dial.
That's all for today's introduction. The next article will introduce the trump card of Asaoka-san's "Chrono Tokyo" series - Chrono Tokyo automatic chronograph.