This Rising Affordable Japanese Watch Brand Drops Another Elegant Masterpiece

Kiwame Tokyo is really blossoming.

Close-up of a wristwatch with a pink dial, silver numerals, stainless steel case, and black leather strap.

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Published June 9, 2026

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Kiwame Tokyo debuted its first collection in the fall of 2025, and less than a year later, the boutique Japanese watchmaker is already on its fourth design.

Just like each successive release before it, the new Kubo collection adds nuance to the brand’s distinct design language. It is another elegant dress watch optimized for daily wear, and affordable enough for most watch fans to access.

Silver wristwatch with a pale pink dial, white numerals, and black leather strap with white stitching. — The Kubo collection is Kiwame Tokyo’s first small seconds dial.

Kiwame Tokyo’s founder, Masami Watanabe, draws inspiration from classical European watch design, as well as the architecture and natural spaces of the brand’s home in Asakusa, Tokyo.

The Kubo collection utilizes the same case architecture as all previous releases, a through-line that ties the brand together. It also incorporates a couple of familiar design elements on the dial.

Close-up of a Kiwame Tokyo Asakusa wristwatch with a cream dial, black raised numerals, silver hands, and a black leather strap. — The applied hour markers on the Kubo dial are the same custom script used on the Kurotsuki and Mune collections.

The metallic syringe hour and minute hands with lume inlays are borrowed from the brand’s debut collection, the Kurotsuki and Usuki.

The applied hour markers, which comprise a custom script font designed by Watanabe, are identical to those in the debut collection. They were also used on the Mune collection released earlier this year, with a different character subbed in at 12:00.

While the railroad-style seconds track encircling the dial looks similar to past iterations, it is a new design for the brand.

Shrinking seconds

Kubo means “a hollow or recessed space” in Japanese, and in this case, it refers to the sunken small seconds dial, which appears for the first time on a Kiwame Tokyo watch.

Silver stainless steel wristwatch with a pale pink dial, raised white numerals, and black leather strap. — The Kubo has an off-center small seconds dial.

The pleasantly off-center subdial spans from the handset to 4:00 and 5:00 hour markers, almost touching each one. It has a gently sloping, chamfered edge, which catches the light thanks to the lacquer applied to each dial.

On the royal blue and eggshell white dials, the small seconds subdial is flat, but on the faded pink reference, it features a relief silhouette of a cherry blossom flower. This, of course, is a nod to Tokyo’s most famous botanical attraction.

A matter of a millimeter

It doesn’t look like much on paper, but the Kubo is Kiwame Tokyo’s smallest watch yet by a millimeter. The case measures 37mm wide by 9.3mm tall, excluding the domed sapphire crystal.

Side view of a silver wristwatch with a domed crystal and a pink dial, attached to a black leather strap. — The Kubo stainless steel case is finished with vertical brushing on the midcase and bezel top.

Aside from the proportions, it is the same rounded shape with gently curved lugs and a fluted, unsigned crown. It also has the same polished top and bezel sidewall, contrasted with vertical brushing on the midcase and flat bezel top.

Ticking away inside is a reliable Japanese workhorse movement, the Miyota Caliber 82S5 automatic movement, which beats at 3Hz and provides a 42-hour power reserve.

Silver wristwatch with a navy blue dial, white numerals, and a matching navy leather strap. — The Kubo case is 37mm wide and 9.3mm tall.

All three references in the Kubo collection come on quick-release leather pin buckle straps. The blue Tetsukon dial is paired with a rich navy blue strap with matching stitching, while the pink Sakura and white Usuki dials come on black straps with gray stitching.

Availability and pricing

I’ve read criticisms that Kiwame Tokyo’s collections look too similar, but in this case, I don’t see that as a bad thing. Watanabe is subtly refining his creation with each release, rather than starting over every time.

Kiwame Tokyo’s Kubo collection will be available for preorder from Kumae Tokyo on June 21 for $630, before taxes, shipping and import fees. Shipments go out in July 2026.

Silver wristwatch with a pale pink dial, raised silver numerals, and a black leather strap with white stitching.

Kiwame Tokyo Kubo Collection

Specs

Case Size	37mm
Movement	Miyota Caliber 82S5 automatic
Water Resistance	30mm

$630 at Kiwame Tokyo

About the Author: Brad Lanphear is an associate editor at Gear Patrol covering watches and style. Before joining the publication, he previously wrote for Heddels and Men’s Health. Now, he’s on a never-ending quest to find the perfect pair of Japanese denim.

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