Uruga 42 Bracelet Model [UG03-M01NGY-SSB]

The gray URUGA 42 on its steel bracelet is the closest this collection comes to a single-material watch, and that is precisely when the finishing has to carry it.

MINASE grew out of Kyowa Co., Ltd. (Kyowa Seiko), a maker of precision cutting tools in Akita whose breakthrough product was a step drill for machining crown holes in watch cases. The brand's logo is still that drill seen head-on. The URUGA 42 shows the same machining instinct in its clamping structure, where four voluminously cut clasps, faceted on several planes, hold the case and the sapphire crystal together instead of a bezel screwed flat over them, the way prongs secure a gemstone.

The gray dial carries the collection's horizontal gradation, taken from the surface of the Minase River, and next to a polished steel bracelet it reads as a slightly softer, warmer version of the same material. The case measures 42.0 mm across, 48.0 mm long including the lugs and 10.2 mm thick with the slightly curved crystal. The self-winding MINASE calibre KT7002, a Swiss ETA 2892 and Sellita SW300 base finished and decorated by MINASE, runs the hands and the date.

Water resistance is 5 atm, meaning weather and washing up rather than swimming. For anyone who wants presence without color, this is the one.

Perfect for: gray dial steel watches, full-metal automatic wearers, buyers researching independent Japanese watchmakers.