This Upstart Japanese Watch Brand Is Officially Putting the Swiss on Notice

How do you say “Patek” in Japanese?

Close-up of a silver chronograph watch with blue and gold hands and a blue leather strap against a blue background.

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By Johnny Brayson

Published May 4, 2026

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Independent watchmaking has never been hotter, and the hype isn’t limited to Switzerland.

Increasingly, independent Japanese watchmakers have been drawing the attention of high-end collectors, with watchmaker extraordinaires like Hajima Asaoka and Masahiro Kikuno putting their own unique stamps on high horology.

Arguably, the cream of the crop is Naoya Hida, whose eponymous and exclusive brand elicits the kind of fevered fervor among high-end collectors once reserved exclusively for Swiss indies. Naoya Hida has just unveiled its 2026 collection, and it looks like it could be the brand’s most hyped launch yet.

Ten luxury wristwatches with various dial designs and leather straps arranged in a row on a white reflective surface. — Naoya Hida’s full lineup for 2026.

Let the hype begin

Naoya Hida’s 2026 lineup includes ten watches in total. Seven of these are new references, with two being entirely new models.

First, let’s go over the five watches comprising the less significant updates. There’s the Type 1E, which updates the Type 1D with a smaller case size (36mm down from 37mm) and a new high-domed sapphire crystal that increases the overall thickness from 9.8mm to 10.9mm.

Next, we have the Type 3B-4, which combines a moonphase complication with an Art Nouveau-inspired hand-engraved 18K yellow gold case. The rectangular-cased Type 5B replaces the Type 5A with a reshaped case that sits better on the wrist. Like the 5A, it’s available with a sapphire crystal (Type 5A) or an acrylic crystal (Type 5A-1), with the latter also getting a more vintage-inspired dial design featuring Breguet numerals.

Silver wristwatch with white dial, black numerals, blue second hand, and textured dark gray leather strap. — The Type 2C-2 features Naoya Hida’s first porcelain dial.

The most interesting of these five updated models is the Type 2C-2. It takes the mid-century dress watch-inspired Type 2C from 2022 and adds a 19th-century-inspired porcelain dial, the brand’s first. This fusing of divergent styles has resulted in a truly beautiful dress watch with a dial that greatly rewards closer inspection.

In addition to these five updates, Naoya Hida also adds two entirely new models to its lineup. The first, and most drastic departure for the brand, is the Type 7A. It’s the brand’s first-ever chronograph, but since this is Naoya Hida we’re talking about here, it’s still bursting with mid-century Swiss-inspired elegance.

For starters, the movement is a restored vintage Valjoux Calibre 23, a legendary Swiss-made manual-wind chronograph engine with a column wheel. First introduced in 1916 and in production for six decades, the Valjoux 23 was used by everyone from Breitling and Heuer to Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin, with modified versions even finding their way into Patek Philippe chronographs.

Silver chronograph wristwatch with blue textured leather strap and gold and blue hands on the dial. — Naoya Hida’s first chronograph is powered by a vintage Valjoux 23 movement.

Lately, crops of NOS Valjoux 23 movements have been popping up in limited runs of watches from the likes of Bremont, Nivada, Raymond Weil and others, but the Type 7A is the highest-end example I’ve seen so far.

The watch puts the movement into a modern 36mm 904L stainless steel case with pump-style pushers and a German silver dial with hand-engraved, lacquer-filled indices and a mix of 18K yellow gold and heat-blued steel hands. Disappointingly, the watch has a closed caseback, which I frankly don’t understand. The Valjoux 23 is both beautiful and notable, so why hide it?

The other super significant new release from Naoya Hida is the Type 8A. It’s a result of the brand founder’s desire to create a smaller dress watch in the vein of vintage classics like the Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 96 and Breguet Ref. 3210.

Silver wristwatch with white dial, blue hands, black Arabic numerals, and textured gray leather strap. — The brand-new Type 8A’s case measures just 31mm across.

I’d say he succeeded. The Type 8A’s 904L stainless steel case measures a scant 31mm across and just 8.9mm thick, including the domed sapphire crystal. Like most of the brand’s watches, its dial is made of German silver with hand-engraved, lacquer-filled Breguet numeral indices. Its leaf-shaped hands are in heat-blued steel, as is the hand for the small seconds display at 6:00.

The three-part case boasts a sapphire display back showcasing the watch’s brand-new movement, the Naoya Hida-designed Calibre 326SS. This manual-wind movement measures just 23.5mm across and only 2.9mm thick, which is what allows the watch to be so diminutive. The movement beats at 3Hz with a power reserve of 38 hours, and it sports some lovely decoration, including Geneva-esque striping and deep jewel sinks

Back view of a mechanical wristwatch with visible movement, engraved "NAOYA HIDA & Co. TOKYO" on the stainless steel case and beige leather strap. — The Type 8A is one of just three of Naoya Hida’s new references to feature a display caseback.

Availability and pricing

As expected, Naoya Hida’s 2026 releases will not be easy to come by. Approximately 87 examples of the seven new references are expected to be produced in total over the course of the next year and change.

The rarest and priciest of the bunch is the Type 3B-4, with just two pieces slated for production at a price of $108,300. The most plentiful and affordable is the Type 1E, which will see a run of 25 pieces at $19,500 a pop.

The Type 7A chronograph is limited to 10 pieces and is priced at $38,300, while the Type 8A will get 20 examples at $23,100. All models will be available to purchase at both Naoya Hida’s website and at The Armoury from May 18 to May 21 only.

Silver chronograph wristwatch with gold hands, black numerals, and blue leather strap.

Naoya Hida Type 7A

Specs

Case Size	36mm
Movement	Valjoux Cal. 23 manual-wind chronograph
Water Resistance	30m

Silver wristwatch with blue hands, black numerals, and textured gray leather strap.

Naoya Hida Type 8A

Specs

Case Size	31mm
Movement	Naoya Hida Cal. 2326SS manual-wind
Water Resistance	50m

About the Author:

Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.

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