Kurono Anniversary Calendrier Azuki Type 1 Special Edition 2023 Maroon Dial

Kurono is proud to introduce the Anniversary Calendrier ‘Azuki’ for our anniversary piece this year. A triple calendar complication that achieved finalist recognition at the GPHG Awards 2022, this will be the final edition of the Calendrier Type I model which will be discontinued after this run. As a complete calendar, ‘Azuki’ is one of our most complicated models from a horological perspective.

Hajime Asaoka wanted to achieve a color that harked back to cars of the past, where maroon was a popular standard color. In Japan, that car color is more commonly designated as ‘azuki’ (tr: ‘red bean’) hence the nickname for the watch.

Significant effort was put into achieving the deep maroon color of the dial, including using phosphor-bronze* as a dial material for the first time. (*phosphor-bronze is multitudes harder to machine than the more commonly used brass.) Also unique for this final run of the Calendrier Type I, ‘Azuki’s’ hour markers are further finished in off-white to provide a perfect contrast to its vintage maroon dial color.

Ordering opens Friday May 26th 2023. As with previous anniversary launches, production numbers will be time-limited across 2 windows of 20 minutes each. All orders successfully made during this time window will be honored. Deliveries start end June 2023 thru August 2023.

Azuki’ is a complete calendar watch with a classic coin-edged bezel that ushers in a new design language by master watchmaker Hajime Asaoka – designed for the gentleman adventurer but still firmly rooted in his penchant for the vintage romanticism of the art-deco era. Its design intent is for it to be worn regularly and to develop character over time – a design that allows for and embraces scratches. “Blemishes accumulated are unique to the wearer and is a written record of his journey and adventures through life. Owners should spend their time in meaningful pursuits rather than worry about scratches. Hence the design embraces such blemishes, adds character, and looks better over time,” said Hajime Asaoka.

The design of the Calendrier Type I has been calculated to enhance the three-dimensionality of the iconic Kurono hands and the symmetry of the dial. It aims to evoke a sense of refined adventure – with its new high-polish coin edge bezel and deep maroon dial interplaying with an audacious off-white blacklettered vintage typeface to evoke a bold regimental atmosphere for the wrist. Guilloche sub-dials with high-polish hands hint at the mechanical complexity of its triple calendar complication, with the mood accentuated by railway-track minute markers at the periphery.

Azuki’s dial enhances the “beauty of symmetry” that is a component of the Art Deco style. The cylinder dial is designed to curve from the center to the outer edge of the dial, and two dial layers are pressed together to create a three-dimensional effect. The numerals themselves – this time colored in off-white for this anniversary – are also purposefully printed in a raised format. To achieve its unique deep-maroon color, the dial is made from phosphor-bronze for the first time.

BRAND: Kurono Tokyo

MODEL: Anniversary Calendrier Type 1

MOVEMENT: Automatic

CASE: Stainless Steel

CROWN: Push/Pull crown

SIZE: 40mm

LUGS: 20mm

DIAL: Gorgeous Maroon Dial

BEZEL: Non-Rotating

CONDITION: Pre-owned – As-New!

BOXES/PAPERS: Yes/Yes: 100% Complete Anniversary Package – Wooden Journal & Calendar Pusher still sealed – Everything in pictures.

WATER RESISTANCE: – 50m

STRAP/BRACELET: – Original Kurono Tokyo Black Leather strap with Steel buckle.