One of the first few watches to have left Hajime Asaoka's workshop, this Tsunami* is a time-only piece that the watchmaker considers to be the most representative of his work. Bearing an attractive two-tone, tuxedo-style dial, the highlight of the piece is the large 15mm balance wheel that inspired the watch's name, all fitted into a slim 37mm steel case.

Hajime Asaoka embarked on his career as a watchmaker in 2005, having previously worked as a product designer since 1992. His interest in watches stemmed from his youth, and this passion was revived when some clients approached him to help them design a watch that they could produce and sell. This blossomed into a desire to learn how to create a watch from scratch, rather than just design them. In the early 2000s, he taught himself the craft from George Daniels' Watchmaking, eventually producing the Tourbillon #1 in 2009, which also bore the distinction of being the first ever Japanese-made tourbillon. This also led to his acceptance to the AHCI, then he began selling watches to clients in 2011.
 
Around five watches a year leave his workshop, and the current waitlist is close to eight years long. To date, he has only released four projects – the time-only Tsunami, the Project T tourbillon, a Chronograph which builds on the Tsunami calibre by adding a module, and most recently, the Tourbillon Pura, a simple monochromatic tourbillon watch. He launched Kurono Tokyo in 2019, which focuses more on the design of the watches, fitted with outsourced mechanical movements, but in very limited numbers.
 
The Tsunami was introduced in 2013, at Baselworld. This example is one of the first few to have left his workshop. Asaoka himself believes that the watch is the most representative of his style and work, and named the Tsunami because of its large balance wheel – 15mm, where most balance wheels are around 7 to 8mm in diameter. Asaoka decided to create a larger wheel to improve the accuracy of the piece.
 
The multi-part dial of the Tsunami is inspired by Art Deco aesthetics, as seen by the two-tone, tuxedo-style black and grey dial with white touches. A black chapter ring runs around the outermost part of the watch, with a railroad track marking the minutes and hand painted numerals of the even hours. The centre of the dial is a deep, matte grey featuring Hajime Asaoka's signature. Meanwhile, the syringe-style hands are partly hollowed, and rendered in steel. The sub-dial on this example is engine turned in a pattern of concentric circles, in a dark grey that seamlessly matches the centre and is ringed by a steel chapter ring with black dots indicating the seconds. Later examples of the Tsunami feature white sub-dials as opposed to grey, and some with the colours inverted, with a white chapter ring and black centre dial.
 
The 37mm Tsunami case is mirror polished, with a stepped bezel and slim lugs, hand finished in-house. The reverse of the watch shows the movement through a sapphire caseback. Of course, the balance wheel is prominently featured in the middle, and this meant that things had to be shifted around slightly, with the watch featuring a modified wheel train. Under the balance wheel we see a golden wheel that has unusually wavy spokes, another expression of Asaoka's style, breaking up the strict lines and curves throughout. Asaoka is responsible for creating every part of the watch except for the mainspring and balance spring. The finishing is impeccably executed, with perlage visible on the baseplate, anglage seen on all edges, and straight, even Geneva stripes throughout each of the bridges.

If sold within the United Kingdom, this Hajime Asaoka Tsunami will be subject to 20% VAT

Closer look

Condition

This Hajime Asaoka Tsunami is in excellent overall condition. The case and lugs show extremely light superficial marks consistent with minimal wear. The dial, hands, and movement are free from any signs of imperfections.

Warranty

The watch comes with a two-year warranty from A Collected Man, alongside a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.