Uruga 31 Bracelet Model [UG02-M01NGY-SSB]

Gray dial, steel bracelet, no contrast anywhere. The URUGA 31 in this form is a single-material object, and the only thing separating dial from case is the way each handles light.

MINASE gives the dial a horizontal gradation pattern based on the Minase River, so it bands and shifts as the angle changes, while the case stays hard and reflective. Four elaborately faceted clasps hold the case and the crystal together in the manner of a gemstone setting, and the sapphire between them is slightly curved along its vertical axis.

The indices are the detail that repays a second look. Each is cut on a slant, a shape MINASE traces to the crossed front of a kimono, so the markers light up in sequence rather than all at once as the watch turns.

The steel case is 31 mm wide, 39 mm long and 9.9 mm thick, small and flat enough to slip under a cuff without protest. The self-winding KT8001 with date is a Swiss ETA 2671 and Sellita SW100 base finished and decorated by MINASE, and the watch is rated to 5 atm, which covers rain rather than swimming.

Perfect for: monochrome steel watches, gray dial automatics, discreet watches for the office.