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Masahiro Kikuno, Japanese Independent Watchmaker

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Re: Masahiro Kikuno, Japanese Independent Watchmaker

#101

Post by nhf »

agumonkey wrote: post #52
robert_tweed wrote: post #33

I see he has a copy of "Watchmaking" by George Daniels. That is the "Knuth" of watchmaking. Here in Britain, we have Roger W Smith, the only watchmaker in the world who makes everything by hand. He was the principal disciple of George Daniels, a truly legendary watchmaker, who sadly died a few years ago. Daniels famously taught himself watchmaking by taking apart old clocks, putting them back together and repairing t…

Beside Knuth, another celebrity, namely Sussman, made a lecture on mechanical watches https://duckduckgo.com/?q=gerald+sussman+mechanical+watch&at...

A PhD student of his told me that he's seriously considering going on sabbatical and writing a watchmaking text book. No kidding.

Re: Masahiro Kikuno, Japanese Independent Watchmaker

#102

Post by agumonkey »

nhf wrote: post #101
agumonkey wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Beside Knuth, another celebrity, namely Sussman, made a lecture on mechanical watches https://duckduckgo.com/?q=gerald+sussman+mechanical+watch&at...

A PhD student of his told me that he's seriously considering going on sabbatical and writing a watchmaking text book. No kidding.

Pretty cool news

Re: Masahiro Kikuno, Japanese Independent Watchmaker

#103

Post by eropple »

pcunite wrote: post #83
robert_tweed wrote: post #33

I see he has a copy of "Watchmaking" by George Daniels. That is the "Knuth" of watchmaking. Here in Britain, we have Roger W Smith, the only watchmaker in the world who makes everything by hand. He was the principal disciple of George Daniels, a truly legendary watchmaker, who sadly died a few years ago. Daniels famously taught himself watchmaking by taking apart old clocks, putting them back together and repairing t…

This is what George Daniels has to say about bringing his Coaxial escapement to the Swiss manufacturers (experts at the time): "I took a watch and a drawing and showed them how it worked and they said, "oh well, its complicated, and in any case we don't make pocket watches". So, I went home and got a wristwatch and put the same escapement in the wrist watch, took it back, "oh well we make thinner wristwatches". So, I…

I think you're swinging too far in the other direction. From my perspective, the problem with software is the reverse: noophilia. Our dumb young people (and by some estimates I'm still one, though I think the dumb part is fading over time) build dumb things and people adopt them because they're "cool". Conservatism in the face of upending our everything for the newest trend is not something to look down upon, and yet there is a large segment of the software development community that does exactly that.

Re: Masahiro Kikuno, Japanese Independent Watchmaker

#105

Post by danieltillett »

thjan wrote: post #39

Since so many knowledgeable people interested in watches are around here ... What are some affordable, good quality watch brands? Somewhere around 100 to 300 Euro maybe? I like those beautiful, elegant designed watches but 10k EUR upwards is way out of my league.

I will add what I have on my left wrist right now - a mechanical digital watch, the a Hamilton Pulsomatic [1]. I have had more conversations about this watch with people than any other in my collection. If you are a geek you will like this watch.

1. https://www.wristwatchreview.com/2010/02/10/hamilton-pulsoma...

Re: Masahiro Kikuno, Japanese Independent Watchmaker

#106

Post by robert_tweed »

cr0sh wrote: post #88
thjan wrote: post #39

Since so many knowledgeable people interested in watches are around here ... What are some affordable, good quality watch brands? Somewhere around 100 to 300 Euro maybe? I like those beautiful, elegant designed watches but 10k EUR upwards is way out of my league.

If you want to get into something interesting (from a historical perspective) - these watches can be found rather inexpensively: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raketa Look for ones with mechanical movements prior to 1990 or so (?); they were one of the last (or maybe the last) company making mechanical analog movements (non-quartz) long after every other watch manufacturer switched. Eventually, they had to switch too,…

If you want a very interesting Russian watch from a historic and engineering perspective, your first port of call should be the Vostok Amphibia.

There's far too much to write about these, but this article covers most of it:

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/vostok-amphibia

For the in-depth engineering details, be sure to follow the watchuseek forum link. The interview with the designers is also good, albeit written in Russian so parts may get lost in translation.

For completeness I'll just mention the Poljot 3133, which is an excellent, low cost mechanical chronograph. It is the most technically advanced Russian movement, while the Amphibia is the most advanced case design. Poljot went out of business a few years ago, but there's still enough stock around that you can find plenty of new watches with this movement from companies like Volmax.

Vostok are still making new, fully in-house mechanical watches, and they are just as good or in some cases better than they were in the 90s. Meranom are their official online retailer. Note that Vostok Europe are a completely different company that no longer use any Russian parts, although they did use Vostok movements in their older models.

I personally would avoid older Russian watches unless you are prepared to spend a lot of time on research, or don't mind buying something that isn't what you were expecting. The vast majority on the open market are frankenwatches (mixed-up parts, often botched internal repairs).

Re: Masahiro Kikuno, Japanese Independent Watchmaker

#107

Post by icantdrive55 »

robert_tweed wrote: post #60
icantdrive55 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If anyone is really interested in Watchmaking, I wouldn't start out with G. Daniel's book. It's really about making a watch from raw materials. I would start with books by Fried. If you feel comfortable with 90% of Practical Watch Repair in a year, or two; go for Daniel's book. I guarantee most will not get through Practical Watch Repair, but might come back to the hobby/profession later in life. When time is more ch…

I agree 100%. I wouldn't recommend trying to teach yourself programming from Knuth either, hence the comparison :) On the political side, you might want to keep a close eye on Anthony Cousins' ongoing lawsuit against the Swatch group (ETA). If he wins, it will affect Rolex and others too. To be fair to Rolex, their big problem is not with QC, but fakes incorporating genuine parts. It's a pretty unique problem that do…

You are correct about the counterfit parts. Then again, under a microscope I can't tell the difference between many of the counterfit parts, and the Rolex originals. And I guarantee Rolex mainsprings are not made in house.

It's not just Rolex that won't sell parts to consumers, it's all of them. It's the Swatch Group (owns most expensive watch brands), it's all of them, except Seiko. They want the consumer to send that watch back to the factory for any repair, at factory prices. The price for a clean, oil, and polish will easily run $900.00, and they always find something that needs replacing. I get the mainspring. That should be changed, but not at marked up prices.

My point is 99% of watch manufactures will not sell the owner of their watch parts, or give access to technical sheets (Service information).

Millenials are savvy. If the better watch houses want to survive the smart watch competition, treat anyone who spends thousands on a luxury item fairly. It's not the time to get cute.

Re: Masahiro Kikuno, Japanese Independent Watchmaker

#108

Post by watchesbysjx »

sshanky wrote: post #84

I can't discern from the article whether or not he actually makes movements. It says that "The hairspring, mainspring, jewels, crystal and leather strap are bought from suppliers, primarily Seiko subsidiaries." However, I imagine he buys entire movements and concentrates on the case, face, hands, and other aesthetic elements.

Hi,

I am the author of the original article. Kikuno-san makes all of the watch, except for the hairspring, mainspring, jewels, crystal and leather strap. His dedication to the craft is remarkably complete.

Re: Masahiro Kikuno, Japanese Independent Watchmaker

#109

Post by watchesbysjx »

thjan wrote: post #39

Since so many knowledgeable people interested in watches are around here ... What are some affordable, good quality watch brands? Somewhere around 100 to 300 Euro maybe? I like those beautiful, elegant designed watches but 10k EUR upwards is way out of my league.

At that price a Seiko would be my recommendation for durability, reliability and ease of service. Either a Seiko 5 for the low end of that price range, or a Prospex at the high end.

Re: Masahiro Kikuno, Japanese Independent Watchmaker

#110

Post by watchesbysjx »

coolswan wrote: post #6

This reminds me actually a lot of Jiro Ono (famed sushi-maker). "Once you decide on your occupation, you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill. That's the secret of success and is the key to being regarded honorably."

I wrote the article above and also visited Jiro when Jiro himself was making the sushi. There are similarities between both Kikuno and Jiro in their commitment to a craft, almost at the expense of everything else. This is something I rarely find outside Japan (which is also where you find family businesses specialising in niche crafts like temple bells and maki-e lacquerware in their 20th or 30th generation).

But one thing worth pointing out about Jiro is that while the food is very, very good, both in terms of technical execution and taste, the experience is not typical of a high-end restaurant. Jiro the man is extremely severe and focused on his work, while the sushi comes at a very brisk pace. For the boiled octopus for instance, you have to eat it immediately after it is served. If not Jiro will remind you to, once and then a second time more sternly. He expects his clients to respect his craft as much as he does.

- SJX

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