Minase Horizon with a rose gold PVD case on a rubber strap. Below: Divido, blue dial.
PRIDE AT WORK
THE MAN PICTURED HERE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT MAKES MINASE SPECIAL.
I have absolutely no idea what the atmosphere is like at Seiko, Citizen or other Japanese companies, and I do not want to convey the notion that this is a Japan versus Europe thing. The bigger brands tend to have press junkets, where there is time to rehearse, plan and execute the same presentation that was given to the last group of journalists that came through. And fair enough, when you’ re that big, and you have that many visitors, it’ s sensible to work from a script. But the point I am making here is that at Minase I requested several different examples that bordered on full-blown presentations, pretty much on the spot, on the day of the tour, and they all were accommodated with no questions asked. No matter how complex or time consuming, the folks at Minase wanted to show what they could do. Not because the boss told them to, but because of the pride that they clearly take in their work.
This might not be the answer that you are expecting. It’ s not made to be complex for the sake of complexity. The real reason is longevity. And just what does that mean?
Well, let’ s answer that question with another. What would you do if you bent / damaged the lug horn of your watch? In most cases, the watch brand would offer to sell you an entirely new case, or simply shrug and give you the“ deal with it” face.
It is clear that Minase felt that a watch shouldn’ t be a potentially disposable item. It should be something for a lifetime, and the one way to ensure that was to create a watch that could be reconstructed piece by piece.
THE APPEAL
The Minase factory is not a shiny, Space Age, hermetically sealed facility. It is an open, lived-in workspace where real people make real things with their hands. Does Minase have the same public recognition as say Grand Seiko? No – not yet. Minase is something that is appealing, but you can’ t adequately describe or articulate what that something is. It is as much a feeling as a quality. And having spent some time at Minase and in Yuzawa, I can honestly say that while I can’ t completely articulate or describe it, I can honestly say that I get it.
Full disclosure: James Henderson visited and wrote this article as an independent journalist. Following the original publication of his report on his blog“ Tempus Fugit”, and prior to our publication date, he was asked to work for Minase as a consultant for their international markets and a representative for their North American distribution, a position he recently accepted.
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