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URUGA Ice Blue Dial
Launch of Ice Blue Dial and Rubber Strap Models from the Uruga Series
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SEVEN WINDOWS Yukihira BLACK Gradation Dial
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#10. Interview with Designer Hirokuni YAMAMOTO (3)

FIVE WINDOWS MID

The soft afterglow of WINDOWS

Designer Hirokuni YAMAMOTO showed up at a cafe in Omotesando, Tokyo, dressed in a chic outfit consisting of a black suit with a black shirt. He designed the entire HiZ series, but which MINASE model would he be wearing? A jet-black FIVE WINDOWS was visible under his cuff. Under the lighting of the cafe, the matte black, shiny metal created a mysterious shadow effect. For the designer himself, this is probably the model that best embodies his design philosophy. He commented: “When I was planning the HiZ series, I kept in mind the delicate aesthetic sense of the Japanese people. I wanted to express that Japanese beauty is not just about beauty that is simple yet refined in elegance but that it's also about the beauty of 3D space. So, what we pursued with WINDOWS is a 3D effect created by light.

Yuki-mi Shouji
The uniquely Japanese aesthetic sense of enjoying moonlight is incorporated into the concept of the entire watch being enveloped in soft afterglow. And the model that I am wearing today was conceived via the very first image sketch, the rendering.” He continued: “When President Suzuki saw the sketch in which the entire clock mechanism was floating within a glass case structure, he expanded on the idea, believing it to be connected to a cosmic view of a Japanese garden. I, myself, had never seen a model with glass inlaid all the way to the sides of the case, but I thought that this design concept would meet President Suzuki's desire to create a ‘cool watch that no one has ever seen before.’ However, manufacturing a case with glass fitted to the sides requires precision that is several times greater than what is normally required for a metal case.
SEVEN WINDWS

This is the result of the ingenuity of our manufacturing engineers toward achieving the basic performance of the watch, such as strength, water resistance, and durability.” Yamamoto always forms his words in a way that exudes respect for the engineers. President Suzuki has mentioned that he remembers very well the moment when the decision was made to evolve from the FIVE to the SEVEN. President Suzuki recalls the occasion: “That moment occurred while I was on a local train heading to Yuzawa with Yamamoto-san. At the time, while we were trying to create a special limited-edition watch with a main movement plate made in-house, we decided to aim for even greater heights with the case itself, as well.” Completion never brings satisfaction: they have an inherent desire to continue to deliver excitement to the world, an excitement that cannot be created through mass production. That's just it: I believe that this is the origin of "MINASE-ism" and that this will never change no matter the times.

This is an in-depth travelogue of Mr. K. Kawakami who specializes in writing reports on various factories.
He takes a look at the fundamental value of MINASE, with incisive insight and observation refined over the years, as a seasoned expert on the watch industry.

Writer : K. Kawakami
K. Kawakami is a professional writer specializing in exploring diverse factories, reporting on their unique manufacturing practices in Japan and around the world. He travels to the factories of many manufacturers that operate on the principle of perfection, including watches, electrical appliances, shoes, fashion items, buildings, foods, confections, and traditional crafts.

#8. Interview with Designer Hirokuni YAMAMOTO (1)
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