- Kurono Tokyo was founded in 2016 by watch journalist and vintage chronograph aficionado Hajime Asaoka, to produce elegant sports chronographs inspired by watches from the 1960s and ‘70s. Working with a small team of dedicated craftsmen, Asaoka focuses on exceptionally high quality and attention to detail for all components of each timepiece.

- The Chronograph 2 showcases Hajime Asaoka’s preoccupation with light, texture and detail. At the heart of the design is the unconventional placement of the copper tachymeter scale, set closer to the dial centre and intersecting the subsidiary dials. This creative complication serves to catch the light, casting a warm glow over the dial.

- The dark sunray base provides dramatic contrast, with concentric silvered chronograph registers at 3 and 9 o’clock adding further visual interest. Asaoka has fashioned the chronograph seconds hand at 9 o’clock into an arrow shape, inspired by the traditional Japanese martial art of kyudo archery. This symbolic flourish is typical of Asaoka’s poetic nature and pursuit of beauty in the smallest details.

- Familiar hallmarks of the Kurono aesthetic remain, including the polished stainless steel case and hands. However, the box-sapphire crystal is new, chosen by Asaoka to enhance the light-play and magnify the dial details. The interplay of darkness and light, matte and polish, is central to the Chronograph 2.

- At every turn, Asaoka’s mastery of colour, texture and nuance delights the eye. The Chronograph 2 reinforces his philosophy that chronographs should be “cherished, one by one” for their artistic merit and individuality. For the discerning collector, the present Chronograph 2 offers an opportunity to acquire a finely crafted chronograph that stirs both emotion and intellect.