Kurono Chronograph 2

[Fishrus]

New watch for preorder tomorrow. What do you guys think about it? Anyone gonna try for it?

[mbalmz]

debating it, but a little anxious abt how those very long lugs will wear on wrist.

[_speedmaster_]

I'm a little apprehensive about the thickness in relation to the case size, but I'm going to order it. I love my copper Reiwa and chronographs in general, so this seems like a good fit for me.

[yoast]

a bit hamburger-y

[thesingularity7]

Originally Posted by mbalmz

debating it, but a little anxious abt how those very long lugs will wear on wrist.

I wouldn't say the lugs are long, but that's just my opinion obviously. I think the curvature helps the lugs wear much smaller than it looks.

Originally Posted by _speedmaster_

I'm a little apprehensive about the thickness in relation to the case size, but I'm going to order it. I love my copper Reiwa and chronographs in general, so this seems like a good fit for me.

I agree that it is a very 'awkwardly' sized watch, but it is VERY well balanced for what it looks like. There are other German and Swiss chronographs that have similar proportions, but I always found them way too tall on wrist and poorly balanced because of large protruding case-backs.

The Chronograph 1 (and 2) has a very flat case-back, and has all the weight focused at the mid-case, so it actually feels great on wrist. About 30% of the overall height is the bezel and crystal, so I tend to perceive it as a shorter watch than it actually is. You don't want to knock this into a door frame obviously, so more care is required compared to a sleek dress watch.

In short - expect a tall looking watch, but don't expect what a traditional 14mm chronograph feels like on wrist.





Hope that helps!

[_speedmaster_]

Originally Posted by thesingularity7

...Hope that helps!

Extremely helpful and great insight. Thanks

[athens7]

Originally Posted by thesingularity7

I wouldn't say the lugs are long, but that's just my opinion obviously. I think the curvature helps the lugs wear much smaller than it looks.






I agree that it is a very 'awkwardly' sized watch, but it is VERY well balanced for what it looks like. There are other German and Swiss chronographs that have similar proportions, but I always found them way too tall on wrist and poorly balanced because of large protruding case-backs.

The Chronograph 1 (and 2) has a very flat case-back, and has all the weight focused at the mid-case, so it actually feels great on wrist. About 30% of the overall height is the bezel and crystal, so I tend to perceive it as a shorter watch than it actually is. You don't want to knock this into a door frame obviously, so more care is required compared to a sleek dress watch.

In short - expect a tall looking watch, but don't expect what a traditional 14mm chronograph feels like on wrist.





Hope that helps!

This is very useful and timely. I am considering it, but don't want a watch with the balance issues of a first generation Datograph.

What do you think about the Seiko NE86A movement that drives this watch? How is the pusher feel, pointer movement, etc.?

[thesingularity7]

Originally Posted by athens7

This is very useful and timely. I am considering it, but don't want a watch with the balance issues of a first generation Datograph.

What do you think about the Seiko NE86A movement that drives this watch? How is the pusher feel, pointer movement, etc.?

I first bought and reviewed the Kurono Tokyo / Chrono Tokyo Bullseye which has a Miyota 90S5, and while I understand that this watch is all about the design, that movement was quite a let down on such a great looking (and well built) watch. The rotor noise was particularly loud because of the delicate case, and the gyroscopic wobble could even be caught on camera.

So when I bought this one, I was expecting to be equally disappointed, since I'm not a huge fan of Seiko movements in general (too many encounters with the NH35). But I was pleasantly surprised - the pusher feel is excellent, the hands run very well, and it just feels a lot more deserving of belonging on an expensive watch, unlike their three-handers. My only other experiences with Chronographs are a Valjoux 7750 equipped Guinand and an Omega Speedmaster Pro. The NE86 is nearly indistinguishable from the 7750 in terms of button action and 'operating' feel. The only area that falls short (to me) is the manual winding - its a bit loud (clicky) and hasn't nailed that recipe for smoothness and resistance that the 7750 has.

I had posted a detailed review of this watch in this forum, but it seems to be gone now

You can find it here if you're interested - https://www.beansandbezels.com/revie...chronograph-1/

[athens7]

Originally Posted by thesingularity7

I first bought and reviewed the Kurono Tokyo / Chrono Tokyo Bullseye which has a Miyota 90S5, and while I understand that this watch is all about the design, that movement was quite a let down on such a great looking (and well built) watch. The rotor noise was particularly loud because of the delicate case, and the gyroscopic wobble could even be caught on camera.

So when I bought this one, I was expecting to be equally disappointed, since I'm not a huge fan of Seiko movements in general (too many encounters with the NH35). But I was pleasantly surprised - the pusher feel is excellent, the hands run very well, and it just feels a lot more deserving of belonging on an expensive watch, unlike their three-handers. My only other experiences with Chronographs are a Valjoux 7750 equipped Guinand and an Omega Speedmaster Pro. The NE86 is nearly indistinguishable from the 7750 in terms of button action and 'operating' feel. The only area that falls short (to me) is the manual winding - its a bit loud (clicky) and hasn't nailed that recipe for smoothness and resistance that the 7750 has.

I had posted a detailed review of this watch in this forum, but it seems to be gone now

You can find it here if you're interested - https://www.beansandbezels.com/revie...chronograph-1/

All right then; fantastically helpful! I appreciate your sharing this information. I will take a swing at the Chronograph 2 in the morning. I was on the fence until I saw your reply and the review. This is why I love forums and the long form content that is available within. Cheers!

[athens7]

Sold out in less than 5 minutes!

[sgwatchguy]

Addition of Apple Pay made it easier to complete a purchase this time around. No payment issues like in previous times.

[christianj]

Was one of the lucky ones this time around!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[thesingularity7]

Wow, I honestly didn't expect them to sell out 400+ in such a short period of time!

Congratulations to all that got one! And to those that didn't - there's always more watches on the horizon.

[athens7]

According to Kurono, there were 7612 people in the queue. All 500 pieces were sold in 3.5 minutes.

I know where one of them is headed

[christianj]

I was going to say 3 minutes too since I noticed they were all sold out when I finished my checkout at 9:33. Definitely went quickly and I admire how transparent they have been in telling people the details of the launch. Their most recent IG post mentions a forthcoming Anniversary watch....wonder when we will see details on that.

[sgwatchguy]

Wow that’s a lot of people disappointed.

I was quick on the draw, checkout done and paid by within 1 minute. All thanks to them accepting Apple Pay this time, simple 2 click purchase.

[Phooi]

Was able to snag one using visa. Happy to finally get my first Kurono.

[unknown]

I absolutely don't get this.
A 4 K chrono with a VERY cheap movement

Hajime his handmade watches are top notch

This chrono ... come on ... 1500 USD is enough

[scarlet knight]

When items are scarce, it drives up demand.

[athens7]

Current Seiko Presage LEs with 8R48 movements are $3900 MSRP. The NE86A movement is similar to the 8R48, and small quantity producers will always pay more for components. Kurono’s handsets, dials, and cases are not off the shelf items, but rather made to order and not shared with volume counterparts.

Is there markup, both for a working profit margin and Hajime Asaoka’s design ethos and popularity? Certainly. Is it more egregious than others? It doesn’t appear so to me.

[christianj]

Originally Posted by unknown

I absolutely don't get this.
A 4 K chrono with a VERY cheap movement

Hajime his handmade watches are top notch

This chrono ... come on ... 1500 USD is enough

Clearly other people get it based on the fact that all launches have sold out in minutes. There are plenty of watches in this price class (and above it) that are also selling out immediately like most of the Ming models. If it's not for you then so be it.

[thesingularity7]

It appears impossible to have a thread about Kurono or MING without someone saying these watches are overpriced. However, I find it odd to hear these comments on the Rolex forum. I'm not defending their pricing, and I agree that these are expensive watches. But if there's someone willing to pay for it, then its value has already been determined.

With regards to the "very cheap movement" argument - I paid close to 3k for my Tudor Black Bay with an ETA movement that costs less than the Seiko NE88/NE86, and I'm sure those Kenissi movements aren't too far off in price either. And they certainly have less going on compared to the NE86, which is a surprisingly nice movement. And I say that as someone who pretty much dislikes most Seiko movements. The NE86 is not a $22 Seiko NH35. The movement likely costs close to 200-300 at the volumes being consumed by Kurono, which is far more expensive than an ETA2824-2.

And if we get into the pricing argument as a whole, are we all really convinced that the Submariner is 'worth' the $10k? I have a 116610LN and while I love that watch, I'm not oblivious to the reality that it probably costs less than $5k to make. And Rolex is no stranger to shabby quality control, even at these prices.

[Sergio25]

Originally Posted by unknown

I absolutely don't get this.
A 4 K chrono with a VERY cheap movement

Hajime his handmade watches are top notch

This chrono ... come on ... 1500 USD is enough

how do you come up with this nonense ...are you like a designer of movements that you have made something better yourself to judge this one ? do you know the production price of rolex movements that you say that ?