URUGA 31 Leather Model [UG02-CBKNIB-SSD]

Ice blue is the color that most obviously carries the URUGA 31's water theme, and on black leather it lands with real contrast.

MINASE patterns the dial with a horizontal gradation drawn from the Minase River in Akita, the waterway the brand and the town are named for. In this pale blue it reads exactly as intended: bands of light shifting across the face, changing with each turn of the wrist, with obliquely cut indices scattering the reflections further.

Holding the whole assembly together are four elaborately faceted clasps, spaced around the bezel like the prongs of a gemstone setting and cut with real volume rather than tucked away. Between them, a sapphire crystal with a slight vertical curvature. The contrast MINASE was after, sharp edges against smooth curves, is visible from any angle.

The steel case measures 31 mm wide, 39 mm long and only 9.9 mm thick, which is what allows a watch of this finish to disappear under a cuff. The self-winding KT8001, built on a Swiss ETA 2671 and Sellita SW100 base and finished by MINASE, includes a date. Rated 5 atm for splashes and rain.

Perfect for: ice blue dial watches, black leather strap automatics, slim case watches with hand-finished detail.