Watchlords

very nice

Not so bad

I like it! Looks like quality.

Interestingly, I don't hate it.

Good for a girl or a Japanese I suppose.

conjurer wrote: ↑

December 5th 2022, 11:08pm

Interestingly, I don't hate it.

That’s kind of where I’m at on it.

These guys are homies from Kyoto, so I’ve been pulling for them.

It’s a young company, still finding their niche but dedicated to continuing a Japanese watchmaking tradition, which is laudable.

I think they are heading in the right direction at a bare minimum

Me likee. Been interested in these. Half my family lives in Kyoto.

jason_recliner wrote: ↑

December 5th 2022, 11:41pm

Good for a girl or a Japanese I suppose.

For better or worse, Kuoe is very forthright about their intention to front run what they see as a small case trend.

jason_recliner wrote: ↑

December 5th 2022, 11:41pm

Good for a girl or a Japanese I suppose.

That clinched it for me. My wife is a Japanese woman, double whammy, so I can do a catch and release to her.

It’s on its way.

robatsu wrote: ↑

December 6th 2022, 8:10am

jason_recliner wrote: ↑

December 5th 2022, 11:41pm

Good for a girl or a Japanese I suppose.

For better or worse, Kuoe is very forthright about their intention to front run what they see as a small case trend.

Listen mister underscore recliner, where I come from that kind of keyboard commando comment can get you a belt in the snout!
(That was for John, I was channeling my inner Lew and Huey.)
But it reminds me of this joke. This Aussie walks into a bar in SoHo with his pet crocodile. He grabs a beer from behind the bar, opens it in the crocodile’s jaw and slams it down in one swig. He takes the empty bottle and bangs it on the crocodile’s snout, whereupon it opens its jaw revealing razor sharp teeth. The guy then drops his trousers and places his manhood in the crocodile’s jaw. He slams the bottle on the poor thing’s snout again and it closes its jaw.
“Now then!”’the man yells at the patrons of the bar. “Anybody else here man enough to do that?” At that point a little guy at the end of the bar raises his hand and yells “I am if you promise not to hit me so hard in the snout!”

Definitely striving for a pre 60s dial crown etc style common on Japanese watches

Oh, I like that a lot.

Other Royal Smith models

And for those in the Kanto area jonesing for a Japanese micro brand vintage-inspired 34mm, Kurono Tokyo has helpfully released a line

DoctorIvey wrote: ↑

December 6th 2022, 9:09am

robatsu wrote: ↑

December 6th 2022, 8:10am

jason_recliner wrote: ↑

December 5th 2022, 11:41pm

Good for a girl or a Japanese I suppose.

For better or worse, Kuoe is very forthright about their intention to front run what they see as a small case trend.

Listen mister underscore recliner, where I come from that kind of keyboard commando comment can get you a belt in the snout!
(That was for John, I was channeling my inner Lew and Huey.)
But it reminds me of this joke. This Aussie walks into a bar in SoHo with his pet crocodile. He grabs a beer from behind the bar, opens it in the crocodile’s jaw and slams it down in one swig. He takes the empty bottle and bangs it on the crocodile’s snout, whereupon it opens its jaw revealing razor sharp teeth. The guy then drops his trousers and places his manhood in the crocodile’s jaw. He slams the bottle on the poor thing’s snout again and it closes its jaw.
“Now then!”’the man yells at the patrons of the bar. “Anybody else here man enough to do that?” At that point a little guy at the end of the bar raises his hand and yells “I am if you promise not to hit me so hard in the snout!”

I'm actually laughing out loud. That's a GREAT joke! Amazed I haven't heard it before. Obviously I've seen the dick-in-croc-mouth routine at the local many, many times.

robatsu wrote: ↑

December 6th 2022, 8:10am

jason_recliner wrote: ↑

December 5th 2022, 11:41pm

Good for a girl or a Japanese I suppose.

For better or worse, Kuoe is very forthright about their intention to front run what they see as a small case trend.

You see that? That. Right there. Trend. I don't want a watch that is responding to a trend. And I sure as heck don't want to wear a 34mm watch. Are they serious? Having said that... Your wife sounds like the perfect wearer and you did the right thing. She'll love it - it's beautiful and all class.

Me too. I’m committing this joke to memory

Classic

I really like that OP watch, and given how I focus my own collection, I have no issue with 34mm.

jason_recliner wrote: ↑

December 6th 2022, 5:10pm

robatsu wrote: ↑

December 6th 2022, 8:10am

jason_recliner wrote: ↑

December 5th 2022, 11:41pm

Good for a girl or a Japanese I suppose.

For better or worse, Kuoe is very forthright about their intention to front run what they see as a small case trend.

You see that? That. Right there. Trend. I don't want a watch that is responding to a trend. And I sure as heck don't want to wear a 34mm watch. Are they serious? Having said that... Your wife sounds like the perfect wearer and you did the right thing. She'll love it - it's beautiful and all class.

I’m not a trendoid myself so I’m sympathetic
to this sentiment.

Trend was perhaps a poor choice of wording, revival would be more accurate.

34mm was pretty much standard dress watch size in Japan in the decades prior to the 60s

And everyone in Japan is pretty much aware of this, second hand shops have bales of these things, grandpa had a few

Even into early 2000s Orent Star had an extremely successful line of 34mm salaryman watches

So two boutique joints coming at a traditional Japanese watch from two entirely different perspectives

Kuoe Kyoto is traditional Kansai, and a bottom up operation

Kuruno Tokyo is urban hip Kanto and a top down effort spawning from a higher end brand, but still cost 1k

So both want OG Japanese watch, and the outcomes reflect cultural differences of Kansai and Kanto

But they both reflexively went 34mm a return to tradition

Bigger guys like Seiko etc all watch this stuff closely. Seiko s been offering smaller sizes recently

It is odd wearing such size at first after long run of larger sizes

Things like KS/GS from 60s/70s at 36mm is a good gateway drug to acclimatize to smaller cases or the 36mm OS series more recently

I guess that does validate the remark that this is good for a Japanese.

And I’d say they both design ti that standard and if others like it fine if not fine too.

Gear Patrol likes Kuoe

https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a41 ... ch-brands/

Headlines article on Japanese watch brands with this pic

I have a 36mm KS 45, I love it but it does feel really small. It looks to small to my eyes, I just like bigger watches. I'm a bogan.

jason_recliner wrote: ↑

December 7th 2022, 4:38pm

I have a 36mm KS 45, I love it but it does feel really small. It looks to small to my eyes, I just like bigger watches. I'm a bogan.

I have and have had 56KS and my observation is they wear or just seem small because they are also corresponding thin

So like a miniature

The OS line of 36m watches followed the 34mm line gives a more modern feel to the size.

They got fairly popular in some western circles as Explorients for their homage to a certain Rolex

I’ve got a few. I’m average size guy, they seem to work with that, to my taste anyhow

I wore a 34mm Air-King for twenty years. It wore fine.