SEVEN WINDOWS Rubber model [VM15-RBKNGY-SSD]

Gray dial, black rubber, mirror-polished steel edges. The SEVEN WINDOWS in this combination is quiet at a distance and complicated up close.

MINASE is a small operation in Ugo-machi in Akita, a town the brand cheerfully compares to a village in the Jura, cut off by deep winter snow and surrounded by conifer forest and clear rivers. Watches are essentially made to order there, assembled by hand from components finished one at a time, which is why a mirrored case face here has no ripple in it and why the ridges between faces stay sharp.

The gray dial is finely textured and sits within an inner case, its markers mounted on a ring above the surface. Around it, six faceted sapphire panes and a crown split into two on the side make seven windows for light to enter through.

The steel case is 37.4 by 46.5 mm and 13 mm thick with the crystal, and the black rubber strap brings it to roughly 98 grams. Self-winding KT7002 with date, built on a Swiss base and finished by MINASE. Rated 5 atm.

Perfect for: gray dial rubber strap watches, low-key everyday luxury, buyers curious about small-workshop watchmaking.