The Latest From Kurono is a White Dialed Chronograph with Lots of Great Art Deco Detail

Kurono Tokyo, the affordable, design focused brand backed by independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka, has just announced their latest release, a new white dialed chronograph. The “Shiro” is the newest variation on Kurono’s chronograph design, following sold out runs of their art deco inspired Chronograph I and Chronograph II. Officially, the new Shiro is a variant of the Chronograph II, but all of the Kurono chronographs have their own distinct look and feel, while still adhering to what has quickly become an easy to identify house style for the brand. 

The Chronograph II White was originally planned for release last year alongside the black Chronograph II, but production limitations brought on by supply chain issues that gripped the entire industry necessitated a delay. According to Kurono, the new watch has gone through a series of incremental improvements throughout the intervening months as Asaoka wore prototype versions of the dial on a regular basis, making little tweaks as necessary. 

Those improvements are all in the smallest details. The printing on the dial is more precise, and a thick coat of lacquer has been added to provide a sense of depth. Kurono is using a “parallax overprinting” process on these dials that gives text the appearance of having a reflection. And the white tone on the dial is achieved through a sandblasting and silvering process that gives it a distinct contrast against the gray subdial and interior sections. Polished domed steel hour markers are a holdover from previous versions of the chronograph and are becoming something of a Kurono signature, as are the dramatic leaf style hands. 

The case is 38mm in diameter and measures 13.9mm thick. If prior Kurono chronographs are any indication, this height measurement is a bit deceiving, as the highly domed sapphire crystal contributes significantly to the measurement, but not to the impression on the wrist. Coming in at under 40mm with many of the hallmarks of vintage watches present in the dial design and case construction, the Shiro should have a charm about it that’s reminiscent of watches from the art deco era it was inspired by.

The Shiro uses the same NE86 movement (manufactured by Seiko) as Kurono’s previous releases. Somehow, this has become a bit of an underrated and under utilized movement, as Seiko themselves don’t seem to be too terribly interested in flooding the market with their own chronographs (there are exceptions, of course). This is an excellent automatic chronograph caliber by any measure, with a vertical clutch, column wheel, and 45 hour power reserve.

Kurono’s Chronograph II White is priced at $3,700, and goes on sale to the public February 24 at 9:30 EST. Kurono is not specifying how many of these watches are being made, except to say that it numbers in the “hundreds.” Shipments are slated to begin in April. Kurono