Independents

AHCI member, Masahiro Kikuno's Basel model and his new offering. I had a wonderful evening with a young (just turned 30) AHCI member (no longer a "candidate") looking at and discussing what he presented at the last Basel as well as his new offering. His p...  

Being exposed for the first time to a - to me - totally new watchmaking philosophy is a rare but fascinating incidence. When I saw Masahiro Kikuno's offerings first time during Basel 2011 I was awestruck: I did not know what I saw, I did not discover yet ...  

but that would too easy. More than being dream watches to acquire some day, they put me in a dream-like state, sending me back into a time when Japan survived for hundreds of years practically isolated from the rest of the world - by its own choice, there... 

I had an unpolished feeling that Masahiro Kikuno's watches teach us a lot about auchtochtone Japanese watchmaking. I just thought that the repeating and animating mechanism was decidedly 'non-swiss' in design and execution. Your splendid reply confirmed m... 

... Kikuno-san will be surely happy to read your very impressive thoughts. I will make sure he reads your response. Best, Ken

I like the prominent use of Mokume Gane. I also like the emphasis on hand craftsmanship as opposed to the use of modern machinery. With regards to the second (unnamed) piece, what I especially appreciate is the pursuit of a higher level of accuracy via wa... 

Mr. Kikuno has such a unique vision. I can't wait to see what he creates next. Regards, Jon

When Kikuno san demo it, i almost didnt hear anything. Maybe the surrounding was noisy as well. Interesting also to note that his bronze watch is not oxidizing as much as my own.

... it was still kinda new creation :-) He said that he expected it to change the color more and more as the time goes by. Really intriguing watch. Ken