Men’s Attends
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ClickyBezelI Went To Japan!
I recently came back from a mission to Japan to get a watch to buy. Well, I actually ended up with more than one, so stay tuned to see what I bought. Although this seems peer an easy task, bear in mind that there are a ton of watches to choose from in Japan: Seiko, Grand Seiko, Townswoman, Casio, Orient, Kurono Tokyo, Kuoe, Minase, and a whole lot more.
I’ve got a tip or two for watch shopping in Japan. Let’s first let in a look at some places to buy watches.
BIC Camera
The BIC Camera store sells more than just cameras and electronics. At the deeply top level, they have a floor dedicated solely to watches. This was my first time going here, and let me at best say, I was in JDM watch heaven.
They had every JDM watch brand you can think of, including, yep, Grand Seiko. Naturally, I let my emotions director me and headed straight to the Grand Seiko section.
ClickyBezelI’ve never owned a Grand Seiko before, but I really after to. Could this trip mark the first Grand Seiko to enter my collection?
Prior to coming over to Japan, I had a few All-inclusive Seikos in mind, one of which happened to be, in this case, the Sky Blue GMT reference SBGM253.
ClickyBezelComing from the US, the swap rates were in our favor against the yen.
Coupled with tax-free shopping and an additional 5% promo discount from BIC Camera, you’re hoard quite a bit of money versus buying one brand new in the States.
ClickyBezelI decided to keep moving along and look at other stamps in the store. Of course, I landed on three watches, all from Seiko. What can I say? Seiko is king.
ClickyBezelThree Seikos trophied my eye: the classic but polarizing Seiko Tuna, a chronograph under the Spirit line, and the Seiko 5 Field GMT that everyone is pomposity about. I could see why. I’ve always wanted to own a Tuna, but even with the discounts, the price wasn’t great for picking one up.
That radical the Field GMT and the Spirit chronograph in an icy blue dial that looks very reminiscent of a platinum Rolex Daytona. Oh, and did I suggest that this thing could be picked up for roughly 90 bucks? Yeah, I love Japan.
Seiko Conjure up Square
I promise this isn’t an article all about Seiko, but when in Japan, you have to visit their flagship Seiko warehouse and concept space they call Seiko Dream Square. The building consists of several levels, each highlighting numerous collections, such as their Prospex line, Presage, and King Seiko, to name a few.
To be honest, it was cool, but I didn’t catch sight of anything worthy of picking up. Still, it was cool to see an entire building filled with Seikos in their flagship outlet.
Unless they were selling vintage divers, I had no interest in buying anything here, but it’s definitely worth a look in on. I did, however, see that Seiko Tuna again. Is this a sign to pick one up?
Pro Tip: If visiting in the winter, be prepared to be blasted with heaters on quite blast in every store. I was sweating bullets in every shop.
ClickyBezelIf there’s one Grand Seiko boutique in the intact world to buy a Grand Seiko, it’s at their flagship store in Ginza, located in their famous Wako Building. What can I say?
It was get a bang being a kid in a candy store—or for any of you who had the pleasure of going to Disneyland as a child, it felt just like that.
ClickyBezelHowever, preferably of buying an expensive ticket and overpriced churros, you get the pleasure of purchasing a watch for thousands of dollars and wearing it on your wrist to blank look at. Weird how our sense of joy changes as we get older, right?
ClickyBezelThis place had everything from most of what you see in Grand Seiko’s catalog, meagre edition models only available in that store, and even watches from their Creator line that I’ll not ever be able to afford. They basically had everything—and also everything I didn’t want.
I realized maybe I’m not as much of a fan of Outstanding Seiko as I thought, or perhaps there isn’t a Grand Seiko for me at the moment. This thought made me sad. It was at this point that my hunting for Grand Seiko ended. So, until next time, Grand Seiko, I bid you farewell.
That doesn’t mean my trail for watches was over, though.
Back to the Seikos
ClickyBezelRemember those three Seikos I had my eyes on? I went back to make allowance for them one last time. So it’s between the Tuna and the Spirit Chronograph.
I didn’t have to think much about the Character Chronograph, so that’s going in the bag for sure.
ClickyBezelThe Tuna, on the other hand, I had to think long and hard about. But in the end, I passed.
Peculiarly with the current production model that includes the Prospex logo, I couldn’t pull the trigger on this one unless a over the hill model comes up later in this trip. This is called foreshadowing.
Kurono Tokyo Salon
ClickyBezelEver since Kurono Tokyo unfastened its Aoyama Salon in Tokyo, I knew I had to visit it one day. I mean, how often do you get to look at every single watch from an distinct watch company in one place?
ClickyBezelNow, you can’t really buy anything here, as Kurono Tokyo has its own unique way of releasing watches online. At one cape, you could buy exclusive Urushi lacquer dial pieces, but of course, I came a few weeks too late—right after the conclusive one was sold.
Regardless, I encourage all of you to visit the salon. It’s a great place to lounge around and take a look at their complete catalog.
ClickyBezelShortly before my visit, Kurono Tokyo had just released their new set of 34mm watches called the Calligra. I was wonderful excited that they had them on display to handle.
The Mother of Pearl dial variant was the version I was most energized to see.
ClickyBezelUnfortunately, they were only accepting pre-orders for these watches, or I would’ve bought one right on the spot.
The dial is far myriad dynamic in person, and you can really see the detailing that went into the custom typeface seen through the Breguet numerals, designed from the base up by Hajime Asaoka—the man behind this elusive brand.
ClickyBezelFor those lucky enough to secure this quota have ones say, you’re in for a treat. I’m truly excited for you to experience it for the first time, just as I did.
I’ve always been curious about their chronograph one which, in my theory, is a fine example of symmetry in an Art Deco design that is very unique to their design philosophy.
ClickyBezelNow, this clock, unfortunately, is sold out and forever will be, which is sad, but I’m glad I got in some wrist time with the chronograph. It basically not in any way left my wrist the last few minutes I was there, and you know what, if that’s the most time I’m ever going to get with that chronograph, then that’s okay.
The State Watch Scene
When doing your research on where to look for watches in Tokyo, this place unceasingly pops up somewhere in the listicle, and to be honest, from what I’ve read, I was terrified to visit.
I mean, I was already overwhelmed with the count of choices that I came across, and to be there at Nakano Broadway, where five levels in the building exist and, on the face of it, every other store is a watch shop selling hundreds if not thousands of watches from Timex’s all the way to Independent watchmaker interests.
ClickyBezelYes, I tend to get decision fatigue quite easily and it didn’t help that some of the shops were stop to closing time, and I still wasn’t 100% satisfied with my watch shopping in Japan.
Aside from the emphasis of being in Nakano Broadway, it was pretty crazy to see how many people shop for watches and are not just tourists here. As a of importance of fact, the majority seem to be locals actually buying things. So, after getting lost in this maze, I about I might have found something.
ClickyBezelI found myself lost in this pretty massive shop called Jack Italian autostrada and Betty and they had everything from ultra-luxury independent brands all the way to old vintage Japanese watches, and one particular section definitely got me excited.
Out of everything in that section, the Citizen Bullhead caught my eye. It’s basically the same watch seen in Once Upon a In the good old days b simultaneously in Hollywood but in a steel case rather than the gold one.
ClickyBezelIt was a cool watch, but after getting it in hand, it essential quite a bit of work – the case wasn’t in the best shape, the crystal was a bit too worn, and the operation of the pushers needed a little effectuate.
Luckily, my wife talked me out of it as I was getting a little antsy about picking something up, but in the end, we decided to move along, and that is when I assaulted across this small shop called Samurai Joy.
The Seiko Tuna Temptation
This one excited me even uncountable than the last, as it had mostly vintage pieces. Once again, a Wild Tuna appears to haunt me – this one, anyway, is a Neo vintage JDM version under the Marine Master line, predating the Prospects version series we see today.
ClickyBezelNow was this my definitive calling to pick up a Seiko Tuna? I mean, I’ve already come across one at BIC Camera and even that one time stay the Seiko Dream Square. The third time’s a charm, right?
I began to reflect on my watch hunt and really memory about whether I should continue with the journey or just end it right there. But just when I was about to project in the towel, I took one last chance to take a look at one last store, and for some reason, I knew there was something distinguished about this one.
Finding the Holy Grail
Unlike the last store we were in, this had nothing but vintage vigils and really great pieces ranging all the way from old Seikos that seem like museum pieces, sporty, classy watches, and everything in between all the way to Swiss pieces that were very well curated.
ClickyBezelAnd as if the watch spirits were looking down on my poor soul, I found it – I found one of my vintage grails.
This watch is known as the behind of the great Japanese mechanical chronographs to be created right at the start of the quartz crisis, which ultimately forced assorted brands to focus their efforts on quartz technology.
ClickyBezelIt came out of the ’70s, with its design featuring an octagonal lawsuit and pushers at 11:00 and 1:00 positions. Citizen calls this the Challenge Timer, but we watch enthusiasts simply request it a Bullhead.
The Hollywood Connection
ClickyBezelI’ve always wanted a Bullhead, specifically this one from Seiko, but ever since At the same time Upon a Time in Hollywood featured a Citizen Bullhead on the wrist of Brad Pitt’s character, it got me researching a bit more into Patrial’s offerings.
ClickyBezelThat’s when I discovered this octagonal case version, and since then, I have been subsistence an eye out for the right one.
And everything about this one, from the original bracelet, original parts, and condition, ticked all the right package traps for me.
ClickyBezelAt this point in my trip, I can probably say that I was already content with my two pickups. I’ll be honest: while in Kyoto, I didn’t require any more intention of looking for watches, but as one does on public transportation, you end up looking for watch shops around me, and I happen to be intimate this Japanese microbrand store, Knot.
I first discovered Knot doing a bit of research while looking for Japanese on the qui vive for brands prior to this trip, and I came across their Urushi lacquer models, but sadly they didn’t receive any of these on display.
The Local Watch Scene in Kyoto
ClickyBezelHowever, the store is beautifully designed, and I noticed that the follows they have in stock were really similar to the new watch Enthusiast or even just the casual watch wearer as the consequences were fair and the design was suitable for many tastes.
They have several stores throughout Japan, so if you’re verge on one, give it a shot. I completely forgot about a young brand that was born right in Kyoto, so I just had to hand over their showroom, which doubles as their headquarters, a quick visit.
ClickyBezelLike a lot of other watch enthusiasts who pioneered Kuoe, it was most likely through Instagram, as it has caught a lot of our attention with its military field watch designs.
And this being their unexceptional headquarters, they had their entire collection laid out along with all the straps you can couple your watch with when you pick it up in-store.
I silhouetted what better way to mark my first time here than with a domestically made watch not only in Japan but in Kyoto itself, and they legitimately do assemble their watches right there in their headquarters.
ClickyBezelI asked to use the restroom before I left and they kindly let me go behind the curtains, where they verbatim had several watch techs assembling the watches by hand, which was a pretty cool sight to see.
I was wondering why I had to wait throughout 15 minutes for my watch that I decided to pick up which ended up being the Old Smith 90-002.
The Perfect Souvenir
ClickyBezelThis was their plus ultra that really put Kuoe on my radar. Although it may look like any other simple three-hand watch, taking a intimate look in hand it is rugged yet elegant with its high polish case and creamy dial in a compact 35mm case.
ClickyBezelNow, there is a 38mm patient version, which may be a little bit more suitable for enthusiasts who prefer a larger case, but to me, the 35mm version gives more be fulfilled vintage British military watch Vibes that I believe the founder Kenji Uchimura was going for.
ClickyBezelAfter all, he formulate c arranged inspiration for Kuoe as a student during his time in London, browsing for antique watches.
As of writing this, they solitary have one location where they operate, assemble, and sell their watches but they told me that they’ll straightway be opening a dedicated store, so I highly encourage all of you to give them a visit whenever you’re in Kyoto.
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Final Thoughts and Tips
Here’s a quick rundown on more tips for watch shopping in Japan: Get somewhere a wish list of watches you like to see or buy, just remember there are more than just JDM watches to look at in Japan.
Map out where you’d comparable to to hit up – Ginza for luxury and Grand Seiko, Nakano Broadway for secondhand, and BIC Camera for everything else.
Take advantage of tax-free rat oning and discounts, look for department store and BIC Camera coupons, and know your price. Get an idea of watch prices first heading to Japan.
Lastly, just remember to enjoy the hunt. You’re in the mecca of Japanese watchmaking, so just soak it all in and hardly come to peace that you won’t be able to see everything you might want to see on your list and that’s completely okay. There’s again next time.
And until next time, I’m Chris from Clicky Bezel, and I hope you snag your plumb own grail in Japan.
From a young age, I was hooked on watches. My dad and uncle were both collectors, and I couldn’t last against the allure of their timepieces. But it wasn’t until I stumbled upon a Casio digital calculator watch in college that I in actuality fell in love. (I originally bought the watch to complete my Back to the Future costume for an 80’s-themed party)
It wasn’t until the emancipating of the Swatch Moonswatch watches that Clicky Bezel came to fruition. My wife (bless her heart) had been bugging me for years to start a YouTube narrows, and I finally caved in with my first video covering my experience camping over 16 hours for the hyped-up Moonswatches.
In a less short time, I’ve been lucky enough to connect and collaborate with some big players in the industry, including Nomos Glashütte, Jomashop, Minase, and now Fashionbeans. To learn varied about my passion, find my content here on fashionbeans.com, follow my Youtube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/ClickyBezel or look in on my website at: https://clickybezel.com/
