Kurono Tokyo Chronograph 2 (white)

Just another dial version, pretty though.
I am looking for something novel from the brand not just reiterations.

Much worse is when a watch with a date also has "date" written on the dial, looking at you Rolex.

Normally I really like the look of their watches I see reviews on other sites this one had too much going on takes away from the dial which I usually appreciate so much but still attractive

I've bitten my lip whenever these watches come up for discussion, behind the principle of "just let people enjoy things," but, here goes.

There seems to be a lot to admire about this company and their watches, but it's hard to get past the clunky design decisions. The name "Kurono" is elegant in neither Japanese nor English* and the off-the-shelf font used for the logo does it zero favors—unbalanced and dowdy. The website touts details that draw from deep-rooted Japanese esthetics, but the way they showcase it just ends up drawing your eye toward other aspects that seem to cry out for a rethink.

Like: the photo on the site casts the design in a weirdly unfavorable light. You end up wondering what the designers were thinking.


Why shoot from this angle? Did they want to highlight the reflections in the crystal, or emphasize a drop shadow effect under some of the printing? Is that date window flattering to the overall design from this angle, which admittedly no one will ever look at this watch from? In fact, should the watch look like this from this angle? The top of the dial seems almost like the head of Michelangelo's David, purposefully made larger to compensate for the anticipated viewing angle. And those fonts—why? The metallic orbs at the indices—actually, the most inspired part of the design in a lot of ways, but a little off-kilter in this shot.

I really want to love this watch and this company, and I know my snobby comments are uncalled for—no one needs to defend their tastes from me, a guy who should probably wear a bag over his head in public. I'm willing to hear how I'm wrong about this.

* Another thing for Japanese speakers is "BUNKYŌ TOKYO." Semantically, it's like stamping "MANHATTAN NEW YORK" on a product, which just makes people who know that particular place squint in irritation, since nobody calls it that. Orthographically, you wonder why it's not BUNKYŌ TŌKYŌ, as the kyō in both words is the same character 京.

People with too much time on their hands

Don't be so hard on yourself! You are also a guy who owns a wine fridge in your living room! That's something.

Jokes aside, I appreciate your perspective on this.

Seems it is sold out, so enough people liked it well enough to put down their 50% non-refundable deposit.