The Iwao is Kiwame Tokyo’s Unique Japanese Take on the Classic Field Watch

Nestled in what was the world’s largest city for the last 70 years is a town that captures the old soul of Japan. On its streets, craft shops and street food coexist in a display of “old meets new”. Here, tradition is not a trend but a discipline. The town is Asakusa, and its watch brand is called Kiwame Tokyo. Kiwame, in Japanese, describes the process of taking something to its ultimate form, and this is the core principle around which the brand is built. What better type of watch, then, to test a brand than its take on the most fundamental kind there is, the field watch? Kiwame Tokyo hereby introduces its interpretation of such a watch, the Iwao model, in two colors, Iwao “Ginkai” (銀灰) (silver) and Iwao Sumi (墨) (black).

The Iwao model, at first glance, is unassuming. At 38mm in width, 9.5mm thick, and 46mm lug to lug, it’s a watch with sweet-spot dimensions, no doubt, but what does a closer look reveal? Starting from the center of the dial, Kiwame has chosen a special grainy texture that forms the very foundation of the Iwao (巌) series. This is a native word that means “expression of stone”, and it’s this very finish that both solidifies the watch in its endeavor to function as a field watch while also emphasizing the watchmaker’s attention to detail. Surrounding the center is a smooth satin-finished ring that creates contrast in roughness and calmness. Diamond cut hour indexes are punctuated by Arabic numerals at the cardinal hours, all of which reflect light and make for an exceptionally legible watch. At the 12 o’clock position is Kiwame’s arched applied logo, which anchors the visual balance without disrupting it. Above it, the inverted triangle along the rehaut contains blue luminescent material to quickly orient the watch no matter the lighting conditions.

Continuing outward, a remarkably low-profile rehaut creates an effect where the dial seems to float just beneath the sapphire crystal. A thin polished ring positioned at the junction between the dial and track adds a sense of precision and finishing to the entire front side. The hands are heat-blued, and the tip of the seconds hand is shaped after the Asakusa’s own Kaminarimon gate in a tasteful and subtle nod to history. Inside both the Iwao Ginkai (silver) and Iwao Sumi (black) variants is Japan’s own Miyota 9039, built and regulated in the brand’s home country and a perfect match for this watch. Both watches feature push-down crowns and 100 meters of water resistance. They are also paired with Italian genuine leather straps with quick release spring bars for ease of use.

As a whole, the Kiwame Tokyo Iwao watches represent the very best of Japanese watchmaking: scrupulous attention to detail in a restrained design that offers elegance and utility all in one package. It’s this very philosophy that drives Kiwame Tokyo to create the watches it does – forgoing hype, corner-cutting, and artificially limited supplies. Instead, what we get is pure and beautiful. Just as intended. Pricing for the Iwao is $690 USD, and to learn more about the Iwao collection and Kiwame, visit kiwametokyo.com.