As a lover of Japanese watches, I am always on the lookout for new and interesting brands. Like many collectors, the bulk of my collection consists of Seikos, Citizens, and Casios but I live for the smaller, unknown (in the US, at least) brands. The latest brand to grab my attention is Fukushima Watch Co. from Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The almighty algorithm first suggested the brand to me after following the brand Mirco, another small Japanese brand by the same founder: Masayasu Hiraoka. I was pulled in by the brand’s message of the infinite value of time and ultimately the rebirth of the areas in and around the Fukushima area. I reached out to the CEO of Fukushima Watch Co. to find out more about his brand and try to get a glimpse of what its future holds.
Three years after debuting Mirco at Baselworld 2019, Hiraoka-san decided to found Fukushima Watch Co. as the lead brand of the group. This idea was initially conceived during his time volunteering in the Fukushima area after the Tōhoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Where the Mirco brand has a decidedly ’70s flavored product, Fukushima Watch Co. aims to create a larger variety of watches that users can wear on a daily basis. The company is small, employing mostly local workers. From what Hiroaka-san described, Fukushima Watch Co. plans to use the various cities of Fukushima prefecture as inspiration for its collections.
Odaka Ward serves as the inspiration for Fukushima Watch Co.’s first collection. More specifically, Odaka’s agriculture gives this collection its color palette. There are five colors in this collection: Seaweed Black, Blueberry Blue, Broccoli Green, Chestnut Brown, and Chili Pepper Red. Each of these colors point toward the growth/regrowth of the community. The model is classically styled; it sports Breguet style numerals with the combination of a spade hour hand and leaf minute hand. A subtly shaped leaf small seconds hand rounds out the dial furniture. So far, sales of this model have been split evenly between Japanese domestic and international buyers. When asked about future releases, Hiroaka-san confirmed that there is a new release planned for this year with the theme of another one of Fukushima’s towns.
It is exciting to see what the brand has in store in the near future and how the company is able to contribute to its namesake community going forward. As quoted on their site, “The clock’s gears are once again firmly interlocking and starting to move powerfully and reliably. Fukushima Watch Company creates things that will last into the future from the beautiful land of Odaka.” Looking to the times ahead, Hiroaka-san remarks that “It may take some time, but please look forward to it.”
CWhatWatch 
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