Japanese art and crafts inspire global watchmakers
Japanese seasonal landscapes, traditional lacquer, Katsushika Hokusai’s prints and contemporary art are becoming the basis for watch design. This was reported by Channel NewsAsia, which tells the story of five brands that turned to Japanese cultural motifs and craft techniques.
Grand Seiko presented the SBGH376 “Sakura-Wakaba” model, inspired by the moment when young green leaves appear on trees while sakura petals are still falling. The watch features a 62GS case in 18-carat yellow gold and a Hi-Beat Calibre 9S85 movement with a frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour. The brand also released the SBGX363G and SBGX365G “Hana-Ikada” models, dedicated to sakura petals gathering on water into so-called “flower rafts”.
Hokusai and enamel miniatures
Swiss company Jaeger-LeCoultre created the Reverso Tribute Enamel Hokusai Waterfalls Series in 2026, based on Hokusai’s “Waterfalls” cycle. It includes four limited editions, each dedicated to a separate landscape by the artist. The reverse side of the case features miniature enamel reproductions of the works, while the front combines hand guilloché engraving and translucent enamel. Each version is limited to 10 pieces, and Métiers Rares artisans need nearly 100 hours of work for one watch.
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Japanese independent brand Kurono Tokyo used rokusho, a traditional green pigment based on copper oxide, together with natural malachite for its anniversary Special Projects Malachite model. The dial has a convex shape, while the hour markers are represented by the 12 signs of the traditional Japanese eto zodiac. According to the brand, only two out of 10 malachite dials meet the standards of watchmaker Hajime Asaoka. Orders for the model were opened during two global windows in May 2026, and it has already been fully ordered.
Colour, light and urushi
For its 20th anniversary, Minase collaborated with contemporary artist Towa Takaya on the Yusai collection of three watches. For the dials, the artist layered his own pigments, creating compositions that change appearance depending on lighting and viewing angle. One design combines mother-of-pearl with motifs of nebulae and snow-covered landscapes, another is built around shades of blue, and the third refers to Japanese gardens and sakura colours.
Belgian company Ressence enlisted Japanese lacquer master Terumasa Ikeda for the Type 9 IKE model. He used traditional urushi lacquer and the raden technique, an inlay with mother-of-pearl. Thin fragments of mother-of-pearl were soaked and gradually bent to adapt them to the convex dial. The Type 9 IKE model is limited to eight pieces.
