Kurono Tokyo, the affordable sub-brand from acclaimed Japanese watchmaker Hajime Asaoka, has kicked off 2026 by doing something it’s never done before.
While Asaoka stated that he has wanted to create a watch with a meteorite dial for some time, he struggled with just how he could bring the idea to life.
Meteorite is difficult to work with due to its delicate nature, which meant it would not be possible — or it would at least be prohibitively expensive — to create Kurono’s signature domed dial with a slice of meteorite.
But now, Asaoka has cracked the code and come up with a stunning way to create a Kurono watch with a meteorite dial. Here’s how he did it.
Bullseye
The dial of the new Kurono Tokyo Inseki is a two-piece “bullseye” design that combines a meteorite center with a white lacquered outer ring. The meteorite center is a flat disc, while the outer ring has a sloped edge, preserving Kurono’s “cylinder” domed dial style. The two main pieces of the dial are separated by a polished metal ring, while a gray and white railroad minute track appears outside the lacquered ring.
The meteorite used comes from the 4.5 billion-year-old Muonionalusta meteorite, which is frequently used by watch brands, and each dial disc was personally inspected by Asaoka to ensure that its crystalline Widmanstätten pattern had the distinct look he desired. As proof of his personal involvement, the watchmaker added his seal in red to each dial.
