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Basel 2013: Hajime Asaoka (live pics)
Sun, 12 May 2013 16:38
On day three of Baselworld, we visited the AHCI booth and met independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka.
Asaoka studied product design at the Tokyo University of Arts. As a student, he gained invaluable experience designing industrial products by CAD and making them with a CNC machine and other equipment. After graduating with a degree in Industrial Design, he designed furniture, appliances and freelanced as a graphic designer. Sometime around 1997, he was asked to design a wristwatch; however, he had difficulty designing a watch without knowing how it worked. Thus began his self-taught education into watchmaking.
Asaoka tinkered at his workbench and started buying watchmaking equipment. The tools and machines he could not buy, he built himself, including a homemade milling machine and a homemade CNC machine. From there, he designed watches by CAD and experimented in building watch movements. In 2009, he completed his first prototype Calibre XT0901 with twin-barrel and off-centred tourbillon at 9 o'clock. The movement has 126 component parts and measures 39.0mm x 9.6mm.
Asaoka refined his movement and, on 11 March 2011, he officially presented his first watch for sale, the Tourbillon #1. Nearly every component part is made by Asaoka, including the dial; however, some parts are sourced like the case he had made in Japan. Last year, he announced a 37mm stainless steel chronometer that houses his own hand-wound Calibre Ti-16a with a large 16mm titanium balance wheel.
For 2013, AHCI candidate Hajime Asaoka exhibited the following at Baselworld:
Asaoka x Murakami TOURBILLON
The Asaoka x Murakami TOURBILLON is a unique piece made in collaboration with pop artist Takashi Murakami. I love how the Gothic tourbillon bridge and whimsical hands complement the flowers and skulls dial.
Asaoka x Murakami TOURBILLON
Tourbillon #1
The Tourbillon #1 is an Art Deco inspired offset tourbillon. The 42mm stainless steel case houses the Calibre T1001, a 17-jewel, hand wind movement with off-centred tourbillon at 9 o'clock. The tourbillon carriage is made of "ESD", or Extra Super Duralumin, an aluminium alloy patented by Sumitomo Metals. The movement has 96 component parts and measures 37.6mm x 9.4mm.
TSUNAMI 16
A chronometer executed with an elegant dial. The 37mm stainless steel case is fitted with an in-house Calibre Ti-16a movement with huge 16mm titanium balance wheel and a beautifully shaped centre wheel.
Hajimi Asaoka presents his TSUNAMI 16
Calibre Ti-16a
Photos: Paul Boutros
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